Four generations, one mission

"I grew up falling asleep to the rhythm of Manas," Tuohenali recalls.

"My great-grandfather's yurt was my first classroom. I didn't understand the meaning of the words then, but the melody had already taken root in my soul."

His connection to Manas seemed destined from birth. A turning point occurred when, at the age of 12, he completed a performance of a passage for Jusup one evening.

Jusup shook his head gently before he stood up and reenacted the scene, with hands gesturing and eyes ablaze, Tuohenali recalls. "He said, 'A true Manaschi (custodian of this oral tradition) doesn't act. Every gesture, every emotion must come from the heart — you must sing with the soul of Manas itself.'"

That lesson became Tuohenali's guiding principle. From then on, he became immersed in memorizing every verse, reciting for hours each day.

In his great-grandfather's later years, Tuohenali would read aloud to him for more than four hours a day and seek his guidance.

Although Jusup passed away in 2014, his legacy endures in the family's shared sense of cultural duty.

Tuohenali's performances gradually expanded beyond the family yurt to wider audiences. In the winter of 2020, he performed Manas passages about falconry before local master falconers in Akqi, blending oral literature with a living craft that won enthusiastic applause.

Tuohenali's academic path mirrors his artistic journey.