#folk singer

• Akyn — A popular poet, improviser, and singer among the Kazakh and Kyrgyz peoples, who recites or sings his creations (often epic or satirical) while accompanying himself on traditional stringed instruments (such as the dombra or kobyz). Within Central Asian culture, an akyn is a keeper of the community's historical memory, frequently participating in public poetic improvisation contests called 'aitys'.