Kunkhodzha, Ibraiym Uly

Born 1799; died 1880. Karakalpak poet.

Kunkhodzha studied in the Karakum-ishan madrasah until poverty forced him to give up his studies. He traveled extensively around the Khorezm oasis and the Kazakh steppes, where he saw the suffering of oppressed people; this was reflected in such poems as “Shepherds,” “Reapers,” and “White Cane.” Kunkhodzha was not afraid to reveal the truth about the predatory rulers (“I Do Not Forget”), which led to his persecution. Kunkhodzha’s works were disseminated orally during his lifetime and published only in the Soviet period.