Adem ÖGER

East Turkestan lands have been a central place where many Turkish tribes have lived and where various cultures and religion have come together throughout the history. This area which had witnessed the struggles of many nations, has great importance in the formation and development of Turkish culture. Uyghur Turks took place in all conflicts, cultural structures and religions. As the same all through the history, the struggle between China-Manchu government and Uyghur Turks continued in 19th century. In these struggles, many oral cultural tale have been constituted about many women and men such as Gani Butur, Tömür, Helpe, Mayimhan, Nozugum and Sadir Palvan. Sadir Palvan is one of the historical hero who is famous with his conflicts and known in the legends with his great efforts. All of the information about Sadir Palvan whose great part of life was in exile and dungeon comes from the oral cultural descriptions. Sadir Palvan who is also a gifted folk poet, wrote mostly about struggles with Chinese ministers, his family, his youth and the independence of Uyghur Turks. In this essay, firstly, narrations about Sadir Palvan’s struggle and bravery then the poems are evaluated in terms of its creation, passing on one generaion to another, its structure and function.

Key words: Uyghur, Sadir palvan, Folk Hero