The article examines the problems of the statehood of the Tien Shan Kyrgyz in the XVI – XVIII centuries. The author noted that the ethnopolitical structure of the Kyrgyz, inherited from the ancient Huns, ong kanat – sol kanat (right wing – left wing), was the basis of Kyrgyz statehood and within this dual organization a power structure was formed around which all Kyrgyz tribes united. It is deeply analyzed that the power and management in the state structure was concentrated in the hands of the biy institute and the position of the supreme ruler of chong biya was recognized and equated with the khan's power. The supporting data on the structure of power, the internal and foreign policy of the Kyrgyz statehood, the diplomatic institute of ak uylu, as well as data on prominent biyas and rulers who headed the state are presented. The author considered the relations of the Kyrgyz rulers with the Kokand Khanate, Kazakh tribes and Qing China, in the context of independence and independence of the Kyrgyz statehood. The aim of the study is to identify the political and legal nature of the institution of biys and to determine its place within the system of state power of the Tien Shan Kyrgyz in the 16th–18th centuries. The research is based on a comprehensive analysis of written, archival, and oral sources, which made it possible to examine in detail the mechanisms of functioning of traditional authority. The scientific novelty of the study lies in substantiating the position that the institution of biys functioned not only as a judicial body but also as a system-forming element of supreme political power in the traditional state structure of the Kyrgyz. The findings expand scholarly understanding of the forms of statehood in nomadic societies of Central Asia and may be used in further academic research as well as in the educational process.