The epic of Kojojash, the Hunter
Last week the President signed into law new legislation designed to address the issues of the “preservation, development and popularization” of the Manas trilogy, (the epic poems: Manas, Semetei and Seitek), which is “a unique intangible heritage of the Kyrgyz people”.
We hear a lot about the Manas Epos, the Kyrgyz epic poem which is longer that Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey put together, and goes some way towards helping to define the Kyrgyz in their own eyes.
When I heard about the new law, it seemed a little odd to me to talk about the “preservation”, “development” and “popularization” of the epic. It has been passed down from generation to generation by Manaschi who would recite the stanzas and, as such, it was preserved over centuries as part of an oral tradition. As it happens, there isn’t one single, definitive, version of the epic and it is possible that it already shows signs of development and transformation that arises from constant recitation and retelling. It’s also extremely popular amongst the Kyrgyz; it’s very rare when you meet a Kyrgyz person who admits that they don’t “care much” for the epic.
It is often quoted by Kyrgyz who draw inspiration from the tale about the hero who unites his people to meet the challenges from both external forces and also dissension from within as different groups vie for power and influence.
Manas, however, it is just one of many epic poems which have come down to us through the centuries. Amongst the others there is the story of Kojojash, the hunter, which is considered to be the oldest of the Kyrgyz minor epics. It predates the adoption of Islam by the Kyrgyz and contains many Shamanistic elements. Although the core of the epic is clearly very ancient, it has some anachronistic elements which seem to have been assimilated in later years, such as the references to guns and even to writing (one of the characters receives a letter from a relative who lives in a town).
There are three known versions of the epic, two of which are similar to each other and end with the death of the hunter, whilst the third is longer, containing much more descriptive passages, (especially the conversation between the epic’s two main characters: Kojojash the hunter and Surechki, the sacred “Mother Goat” and protector of all hoofed animals), as well as additional episodes.
The epic tells the story of Kojojash, the son of Karipbai of the Kitai tribe.
As a young boy he would busy himself making bows and arrows, and playing with his father’s gun. As he grew up he developed his skills as a hunter and as an adolescent, about fifteen or sixteen, he was so skillful a marksman that he never missed a target. His family lived in an ayil (a nomadic village or group) which consisted of about twenty families and was based in the Talas region of modern Kyrgyzstan. They became separated from the rest of the tribe and relied Kojojash’s skills as a hunter to feed the whole community.
Kojojash meets and marries Zaripa and for a while abandons hunting because she is opposed to it. One day he has a dab dream and tells her about it. She and interprets as a bad omen, but he asks an aksakal (a traditional Kyrgyz elder) for a second opinion and he gives it a positive slant.
At the same time as Kojojash experiences his dream, Surechki also has a prophetic dream and in the morning warns Alabash, her husband. Alabash ignores her warning and he and their kids become victims of the hunter’s skill. Surechki, who can communicate with humans, begs the hunter to give her Alabash’s body but he refuses, saying that the horns will make a fine drinking cup and his hide a carpet for his father. In reply, Surechki tells Kojojash that she will visit his camp the next spring and extracts an oath from him that he will kill her with his bare hands, not with a weapon.
Surechki is presented as not only being able to communicate with humans, but also demonstrates human feelings and emotions. She wants Kojojash’s family to suffer in the same way as she has.
Surechki keeps her promise and a six month chase ensues across the mountainous landscape of Kyrgyzstan. Zaripa has a prophetic dream of her own and sets out in search of her husband. She finds Kojojash when he close to catching Surechki in the Talas mountains. He was taking aim when Zaripa distracted him. Most hunters might be annoyed at this, but they loved each other and so he settled down to eat the food that she had brought him, and they rested for a while. Surechki also took the opportunity to eat and rest, and gather her strength. Eventually, Ko-jo-jash took Zaripa down the mountain to the river, and sent her on her way back home and then he returned to the chase.
In the end Surechki lures Kojojash deeper and deeper into the mountains. A fog descended and in the mist Kojojash did not notice that he was climbing higher and higher. When the fog cleared he found that he was standing on a small rock with nowhere to go, no where to turn, no way forward and no way back.
Surechki was nearby and called to him. He took up his gun, took aim and shot her once more in the leg. Irate, she cursed him once more: “May your feet be flat, standing on a rock; May you burn, standing in the sun; May you be hungry, hot, cold, but you will never get down from that rock. You wanted to help your family and feed them, but now there is no-one to help them, no-one to feed them, because you are stuck on this rock. When your family come to search for you, they will find your bones lying on the rock, and when they try to gather them to bury them, your bones will fall and break on the rocks below, so that they cannot bury you. May your wife be as upset at losing her husband, and your children at loosing their father, as I am at losing my loved ones. Let this place be a sign for all people that they must protect animals and not just kill them.”
Two of the versions of the epic end at this point with Kojojash throwing himself from the cliff.
The third, however, continues with the story of Moldodash, the son of Kojojash and Zaripa, who was not born until after the hunter’s death. When he learns about his father’s fate he sets out to revenge him, but instead of killing Surechki, he ends up marrying her daughter, Ashayran. To the modern ear this sounds peculiar but the idea of a union between a human and an animal is found in many ancient cultures and reflects Shamanistic themes about the relationship between mankind and nature.
In all, there are 15 parts to the epic:
- An introduction which sets the scene introduces the main character and describes his youth;
- A passage introducing Zaripa who Kojojash marries;
- The wedding of Kojojash and Zaripa
- Kokojash’s dream
- Zaripa’s interpretation of Kojojash’s dream
- Surechki’s dream, in which she sees Kokojash
- Kojojash’s gives his oath to Surechki
- Kokojash reveals his secret to Zaripa
- The pursuit of Surechki
- Zaripa sets out in search of Kojojash
- Kojojash is stranded on the cliff
- The death of Kojojash
- Moldodash learns about his his father
- The wedding of Moldodash and Ashayran
- Moldodash returns to his people
Bishkek