Kookemer as a Sacred Symbol of Female Initiation: Reconstruction of the Female Layer of the Epic "Manas"

The Kyrgyz epic Manas represents a fundamental cultural code of the Turkic world. However, its female dimension remains fragmented and marginalized compared to the male heroic narrative. This article offers an ethno-cultural and mythopoetic reconstruction of the sacred journey of the heroine Kanykei before her encounter with Manas. The central object of the study is the symbolic belt Kookemer, interpreted as a marker of female initiation associated with stages of purification, transformation, and sacred maturation. The belt is examined in the context of sacred geography (Kanykei Waters, Kel-Suu Lake) and the archetype of Sarykoo — a guardian spirit in the form of a dragon. The applied methodology combines ethnography, cultural hermeneutics, linguistic-semantic analysis, and intuitive anthropology. The article demonstrates the existence of a hidden female epic layer transmitted through symbols, rituals, and the toponymic fabric of Kyrgyz oral tradition.