Abstract
The procedure of collecting, researching, publishing of folklore materials has been started in XVIII-XIX. century after the time when Kazakhstan came under the Russian tsarist administration influence. The contributions of Russian scientists, travelers, historians, eastern scientists, archaeologists, writers and journalists were of great importance in compiling and researching examples of Kazakh folklore.
The reason why Russian researchers support such research is to learn about the historical process, history, natural wealth and development of society which is under the Russian tsarism. It is known that the research works about Kazakhstan were done by P. İ. Rishkov, P. S. Pallas, I. F. Falk, H. Bardanes, I. G. Andreyev in XVIII. century and continued by F. Nazarov, G. Spasskiy, A. İ Levşin. in the first half of XIX century. Important steps were taken in the research, compilation and publication of Kazakh history, civilization and folklore in the second half of the XIX. century. This period can be considered as the beginning period of Kazakh folklore studies. During this period, Ş. Valihanov, V. V. Radlov, G. N. Potanin published important research on Kazakh oral literature.
After the independence of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhstan government financed the “Medeni Mura (Miras)’’ project, which was prepared to use the folklore heritage of the society for the benefit of the public, and supported the various areas of spiritual heritage as a whole without distinguishing them. President Nursultan Nazarbayev said: ‘To know and learn your history, to be proud of the actions of your ancestors, to get rid of the damages of the totalitarian regime, to correct its historical consciousness according to time, to accelerate national integration and to know its place in history, to be free of slanderous national values, these will be the guarantor of our national integrity “Medeni Mura” program. The books published on all kinds of folklore have been reprinted with a new understanding and view of the banned and unresolved issues because of this program. In this study, in accordance with the aim and framework of the program, an important element of Kazakh folk literature Abuşahma’,“Haza Kitap Muhammad - Hanafiya ”and“ Kiik ” epics are examined and evaluated on the religious contents.