Information About the Origin of the Ethnonym "Kipchak" in Oral Sources

The author of the article sets himself the task of highlighting the etymology of the ethnonym “Kipchak” based on the data of oral sources. The main source is the Turfan list of the epic “Oguz-Nama”, which was recorded in Old Uyghur script in the 13th century. This source contains information about the origins of most of the Turkic tribes from an earlier period of history, which differs from the data provided by later chronicles. The history of the origin of the Turkic tribes, which is transmitted in the epic, has been studied in a comparative aspect with the data contained in such medieval historical works as Rashid al-Din’s “Jami al-Tawarikh”, Mirza Ulugbek’s “Tarikh-i Arbaʻ Ulus”, and Abu-l Gazi Bahadir Khan’s “Shajira-i Tarakima”. The Turkmen poet Nurmukhammet Andal’p's poem “Oguz-Nama” has also been included in the research. The poetic version of the story of Oguz-Kagan testifies to the tradition of the Turkic peoples and the creation of the Oguz-Nama. The novelty of the article lies in its coverage of the issue. Using the methods of source analysis, the article shows the adjustments made. Using the methods of source analysis, the article shows the adjustments made by time in explaining the origin of individual Turkic tribes. In the process of work, some archaisms related to the names of rivers and vegetation are identified. It is concluded that the oral sources of an earlier period of history, recorded in ancient and medieval writings, allow us to reveal the changes that occurred in the culture of the Turkic peoples under the influence of religion and changing spiritual values. Key words: oral sources, manuscript, poem, tradition, ethnonym, Turkic tribes, Central Asia.