Abstract: The subject of the research is the history of collecting olonkho in Suntarsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The object of the study is the epic tradition of the Yakut heroic epos olonkho. This article analyzes the stages of collecting olonkho materials in the Suntarsky district. Chronologically, the study covers the period from the middle of the XIX century and XX century. For the first time the plot of the olonkho of the Suntarsky district was recorded by R.K. Maak in the XIX century. In the 20th century, folklorists A. Savin and V. Illarionov made a significant contribution to the collection of folklore. The main research methodology is related to analytics of existing scientific works. A comparative historical research method was used, the review was made using the chronology of scientific publications about the olonkho in the Suntarsky district. Compilation of the olonkho records compared to other ulus in general was conducted satisfactorily. However, the absence of necessary materials on olonkho of the first half of the XXth century demonstrates the nonsystemic nature of investigative activity. At the moment, only three texts of olonkho suntars of narrators have been published, and archival materials are inaccessible to a wide readership. This creates certain difficulties in the study of the epic of the area.