ＭＡＮＡＳＣＨＩＳ：ＴＥＡＣＨＩＮＧＳ　ＦＲＯＭ　ＴＨＥ　ＧＯＤＳ　ＲＥＣＥＩＶＥＤ　ＩＮ　Ａ　ＤＲ.docVIP

ＭＡＮＡＳＣＨＩＳ：ＴＥＡＣＨＩＮＧＳ　ＦＲＯＭ　ＴＨＥ　ＧＯＤＳ　ＲＥＣＥＩＶＥＤ　ＩＮ　Ａ　ＤＲ 　　 If we ask a Manashiqi how he has learned the art of singing the great epic Manas, he will tell you about a dream that he once had, where and when, and he will tell you that upon awakening he could sing the whole epic. The phenomenon of receiving teachings in a dream is a common occurrence amongst Manashiqis. 　　On September 1989, I went to interview Zhusufu Mamayi, and asked him to talk about how he learned to sing Manas. He first talked about the high expectations and harsh instruction of his brother Balbay, saying that under his guidance and supervision he managed to learn the art of singing the famous epic. He then went on to tell me this: One morning when I was 13, whilst sitting besides my mother and father I fell asleep, and in my dream appeared five people on horseback. Their faces were looking straight ahead, and had their backs towards me. I walked in front of the very last person, and saw that he was ridding an Akhal-Tekes horse. He told me that the front man was the hero Manas, then in order the old Bakayhan, Almanbet, Chuwak and behind him and last of all himself, Ajbay. Nothing else was said, and they all disappeared in the twinkling of an eye. When I woke up I was a bit shaken. My parents asked me if I had dreamt something, and I told them about the dream I had just had. My mother then instructed me not to tell anyone about it, not before I was 40. My parents even slaughtered a lamb for the occasion. My father told me that my brother had had a similar dream. After the dream, I read the manuscript of Manas once and knew it all by heart. 　　Zhusufu Mamayi had previously told similar anecdotes to others, although each time some of the details differed. 　　Most well-known Manashiqis claim that they were taught to sing Manas in a prophetic dream. During the early 20th century in the district of Aheqi, the renowned Manashiqi Zhusufu Ahung, when explaining where his ability to sing Manas came from, said t