Aqın is a Kazakh and Kirghiz word denoting the singer and instrumental performer of oral poetry. In both languages, it is also employed as a general term for poet, as the creator of written literature. The commonly accepted derivation of the word aqın is from Persian ākhun(d) (teacher, mullā ). As a term of oral poetry, aqın both overlaps and contrasts with other designations of oral singers in Kazakh and Kirghiz. The important defining characteristics of oral singers are the genres they perform, their manner of performance, their relationship to