Bakshy

The bakshy (, ) are traditional Central Asian folk singers.

==Origin== Historically, bakshy referred to two profession: scribes literate in the Uyghur alphabet and shamans who doubled as musicians, given the role of music in healing and in celebrating weddings, births, and other important life events. When Islam replaced shamanism as the dominant religion of Central Asia, the spiritual role of the bakshy was taken over by Muslim mullahs, leaving only music and preservation of national poetry.