A Woman’s Perspective on Circassian folk culture: Results of an Interview
Mahmut DelenThe Circassians are considered one of the deep-rooted peoples of the Caucasus and have a unique culture. With a history of approximately one hundred and fifty years in Anatolia, the Circassians are characterized by their adherence to their traditions, hospitality and folk culture, which is evident in every aspect of their lives. The Circassians have managed to pass on their cultural heritage to future generations despite the many social rifts and traumas they have experienced. Circassian women have the greatest role in transmitting folk culture. The research attempted to gather data on the daily lives of Circassian women, the division of roles among them, and their impact on the transmission of culture through an interview with a woman who lives in Tekneli, a Circassian village in the central district of Tokat province, and who has continued to practice Circassian culture throughout her life. Based on the data obtained using the in-depth interview method through a semi-structured interview form, analyses were conducted on the perception of women in the Circassian culture. The categories and codes that emerged from the analyses were treated separately and an attempt was made to make sense of them. According to the results of the research, it has been evaluated that much of the common information about Circassian women in the society contains misinformation and that women are given great importance, although there is a patriarchal way of life in the Circassian society.
Kadın Gözünden Çerkes Halk Kültürüne Bakış: Bir Mülakatın Sonuçları
Mahmut DelenÇerkesler, kendilerine has kültürleri ile Kafkasya’nın köklü halklarından biri sayılmaktadır. Anadolu’da ise takriben yüz elli yıllık bir geçmişe sahip olan Çerkesler, geleneklerine bağlılıkları, misafirperverlikleri ve hayatın her noktasında canlı bir şekilde varlığını hissettiren halk kültürleri ile öne çıkmaktadır. Çerkesler, yaşadıkları pek çok toplumsal kırılma ve travmaya rağmen kültürel varlıklarını gelecek kuşaklara miras bırakmayı başarmışlardır. Halk kültürü aktarımındaki en büyük payın ise Çerkes kadınlarında olduğu söylenebilir. Araştırmada Çerkes kadınlarının gündelik yaşamı, kendi aralarındaki rol paylaşımı ve kültür aktarımındaki etkileri ile ilgili veriler, Tokat ili Merkez ilçesine bağlı bir Çerkes köyü olan Tekneli’de ikamet eden ve tüm yaşamını Çerkes kültürü içinde devam ettirmiş olan bir kadın ile yapılan mülakat vasıtası ile gün yüzüne çıkarılmaya çalışılmıştır. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ile derinlemesine görüşme yöntemi kullanılarak elde edilen verilerden hareketle Çerkes kültüründe kadına bakış ile ilgili analizler yapılmıştır. Analizler sonucunda oluşan kategori ve kodlar ayrı ayrı ele alınarak anlamlandırılmaya çalışılmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında ortaya konan bulgulara göre Çerkes kadınları ile ilgili toplumda yaygın olan pek çok mâlumatın yanlış bilgiler içerdiği; Çerkes toplumunda ataerkil yaşam formu var olduğu halde kadınlara çok büyük bir önem atfedildiği değerlendirilmiştir.
The culture of consultation among the Circassians has brought solidarity and the development of a will to live together into Circassian geography. This has enabled the Circassians, who overcome many difficulties when they are together, to pass on their culture to future generations. The Circassians, who know very well what it means to be stateless in the Anatolian countries where they have just arrived as a result of the many disasters and social ruptures they have experienced, have continued their existence as a part of the Turkish nation by making important contributions to the Republic of Turkey, of which they are a founding element, until today.
When we look at the research on the Muslims, we note that no systematic study. This is due to the fact that Circassians are scattered both in their ancestral homelands and in the places to which they have migrated, and it is impossible to establish structures that could constitute an institutional identity. Despite all these limitations, it can be seen that interdisciplinary studies exist on many aspects of the Circassians, especially their language and culture.
Although there have been delays in cultural works, it can be said that the corpus presented in the 1990s, especially through the publication of magazines, has increased awareness of some Circassian customs and traditions that have almost disappeared. In Kardan’s study, it is stated that a significant part of Circassian customs is respect and related practices. The most important of these are standing up to greet the elderly and making way for younger ones. The same study also noted that Circassian women play a leading role in the transmission of culture. For example, Circassian women are not in the same environment as their husbands when their elders are present and address their fathers as “my elders.” Brides do not communicate with their fathers-in-law as much as possible, and they only speak briefly in the presence of their elders. Young girls, on the other hand, live very freely and have free space within Circassian customs until they marry. Kalkan’s research also mentions that young girls take part in cultural ceremonies and do not come empty-handed. In particular, young girls attend the ceremonies with a roll called “ueday,” which is made of unleavened dough and embroidered with the stamp of the girl’s family. The practices associated with this treat have also formed a separate culture for the Muslims.
Considering the current state of literature, it is important to reveal the culture of the Circassians, especially through women. For this purpose, to reveal the status, place and importance of women in the folk culture of the Circassians, an in-depth interview was conducted to benefit from the experience of a person who has spent his whole life in the Circassian culture through a semi-structured interview form.
In Circassian folk culture, each individual assumes different duties for the survival of the culture. Circassian women, who play the role of carrying the culture, are also assigned certain duties from the moment they reach adulthood. These duties constantly change according to the woman’s role in the family.
To understand these duties and their cultural projections, the place of women in Circassian folk culture, which was discussed in the literature review, was analyzed in the following parts of the research using the in-depth interview method. The results of the interviews and statements of KK-1, born in 1942, whose experiences were used as a source, were analyzed in the category codes that emerged because of the analysis. In addition, the data obtained through the questions directed at the source person were evaluated by comparing them with the information in the literature.
As part of the research, a semi-structured interview form was presented to each participant for whom in-depth interviews were conducted. The form consisted of 14 pre-prepared questions to be asked separately; after these questions were combined according to the participants’ statements during the interview, the interview was completed by asking all the questions under 8 headings. Through the interviews, a lot of data were collected and analyzed under the following headings “Circassian women’s role and duties in the family”, “Circassian women’s role in the transmission of culture”, “Circassian women’s attitudes toward elders and minors”, “Attitudes toward Circassian women”, “Circassian women’s most valued things”, “Circassian women’s address to their husbands”, “Circassian women’s birth, wedding, and funeral duties”, “Circassian women’s situation in old age”.
In light of the data obtained in the research, it is understood that the older woman in the house is primarily responsible for cooking and sharing her daily chores; single girls are interested in dowry in the context of marriage preparation, and brides are busy with child care, cleaning, and serving the elderly.
Research indicates that there are internal balances in the transmission of culture among Circassian women. Cultural elements are passed from women to children, and culture is spread through women.
Circassians consider age the most important factor in this regard. On the basis of this ranking, it can be concluded that it is possible to establish a ranking of mother-in-law, daughterin-law, and daughter of the house in terms of respect for women in the family. It can also be said that the father-in-law, the eldest man in the household, is respected by the women in the household. As a concrete indicator of this respect, Circassian daughters-in-law generally do not speak or even make sound in the presence of their fathers-in-law.
Maltreatment of women is not accepted in the Circassian society. Violations of women’s rights, which are rare, are settled within households without becoming a public issue.
An examination of the qualities valued by Circassian women shows that virtues are prioritized above all else, with skills related to daily chores also holding importance.
It is worth noting that Circassian women are quite distant from their husbands in society. Accordingly, Circassian women do not sit in the same room with their husbands in the presence of elders, do not appear in public spaces, and do not address their husbands by name.
Circassian women, whose reputation grows with age, take on a more pioneering role, passing on their knowledge to the next generation. With this pioneering role, they became important bearers of culture, with the duties they performed on ceremonial days that were considered special to the society. Circassian women, who take on important and symbolic tasks such as naming children, which in many societies are performed by men, are considered to be one of the most important building blocks of Circassian society. On the other hand, based on the data expressed by the participants and analyzed by comparison with the literature, it was found that modern life has caused an erosion of Circassian folk culture and changes in the culturally acquired roles of Circassian women.
