MYTHOLOGIES OF KURDISTAN
Kurdish mythology includes Kurdish and Yazidi myths and legends. The Kurds have a very rich folklore, which until recent times has been transmitted mainly through songs, tales or oral histories, from one generation to another. Even if some stories of great Kurdish authors were famous throughout Kurdistan, most of the stories recited and sung were only written in the XXe and XXIe centuries. Many of these, however, are traditionally centuries old. Very varied, Kurdish folklore denotes a great diversity of stories about nature, anthropomorphic animals, chimeras, love, heroes and villains, mythological creatures and everyday life. Some of these mythological figures can be found in other cultures, such as the simurgh, the kaveh from Iranian mythology, and Shahmeran stories from Anatolia. In addition, some stories may have the sole aim of educational or religious teaching. The most recurring element of Kurdish folklore is the fox, which by its cunning and insight triumphs over less intelligent species, even if it happens to lose at its own game. Another recurring theme is the origin of a tribe.
Kurds (Kurdish: کورد ,Kurd) or Kurdish people are an Iranian[30][31][32]ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria.[33] There are exclaves of Kurds in Central Anatolia, Khorasan, and the Caucasus, as well as significant Kurdish diaspora communities in the cities of western Turkey (in particular Istanbul) and Western Europe (primarily in Germany). The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million.
KURDISH MUSIC
Kurdish dance and music are inseparable. The upbeat and ecstatic melodies stir you to join the company and dance with the rhythm. Tanbur lute, Daf Persian drum, Ney reed, Kamanche bowed string instrument and Sorna trumpet-like instrument are the most popular instruments in Kurdistan folk music. Kurdish men and women are the real depositories of long years of culture and history. Women in their colourful customs and glittering jewellery among men with their simple dresses enhance the real beauty of Kurdish dance. Seeing a group of happy men and women holding their hands, moving around with joyful music inspires you to join them. But before you come over your hesitation, these humble people gently invite you to share their happiness. Kurdistan is mush defined by traditions and culture rather than borders. In spite of the common features like standing in a line and holding hands, tying them across the lower back or interlacing pinky fingers, each tribe has its own signature in dance moves. Generally, women’s dances are recognized by their smooth movements of shoulder and neck, men’s dances have exciting and fast leg movements. The most well-practised types of Kurdish dances are Dilan, Chapi, Sorani, Sepe, Kurmanji, and Geryan.
The religion of the Yezidi Kurds, which has often been inaccurately characterized as “devil-worship,” has been claimed by Kurdish nationalists since the 1930s as the “original” religion of the Kurdish people. It has likewise been asserted that the Yezidi faith is a form of Zoroastrianism, the official religion of Iran in pre-Islamic times. These notions have won official support from most Kurdish political organizations and have broadly penetrated Kurdish society. The identification of Yezidism with Zoroastrianism is historically inaccurate, however, and should be seen as a product of modern nation-building ideology. Sentimental attachment to Yezidism and/or Zoroastrianism among Kurds today is best understood in most cases as a political rejection of Islam and its perceived Arab connections, rather than in terms of genuine devotional commitment.
From ancient times, the large mountainous land mass of Mesopo-tamia to the north and northeast of the Tigris and Euphrates Valleys was home to a mainly pastoral tribal population whose dialects were related to the northwestern Iranian group of dialects. Over many centuries, the peo-ple of this region were caught up in the rivalries and struggles between the strong neighboring powers centered in Mesopotamia, the Iranian plateau, and Anatolia. Although the Kurds have been mentioned in texts since an-tiquity and throughout the Islamic era, they were always overshadowed by stronger, more cohesive states that enjoyed written cultures. These tribal populations were denoted by signifi ers with similar sounds: Qurtie, Curti, Cartie, Kardu, Karduchi, Kar-da, and the like. The ethnic origin of the Kurds may well derive from western Iranian populations who arrived at the Zagros and Taurus Mountains from the east and mingled with the indigenous people.
Shahmaran (Persian: شاهماران Şahmaran, lit. ‘Shah (king) of the Snakes’; Kurdish: Şahmaran/Şamaran, Turkish: Şahmeran, Tatar: Şahmara or Zilant, Зилант or Aq Yılan, Chuvash: Вĕреçĕлен, lit. ‘Fire snake’), is a mythical creature, half woman and half snake, found with different variations in the folklore of Iran, Anatolia, the Armenian Highlands,[1] Iraq, and of the Kurds. The name of Shahmaran comes from Persian words “Shah” (شاه) and “Maran” (ماران). “Shah” is a title used for Persian kings, “mar” means snake, but in plural “mar-an” means snakes.
In countries and cultures across the Middle East and Central Asia, Nowruz (or Newroz, or Norouz or Nauroz or several other variant spellings that shift from city to city across Asia) is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. Nowruz is a Farsi word, with “Now-” meaning new, and “-ruz” meaning “morning light” signifying the coming of a new day. Today Nowruz is the main celebration for many people of West Asia. It is also the beginning of the official calendar for the people of Iran and Afghanistan. The calendar, based on the Sasanian solar calendar and perfected by the famous mathematician, Omar Khayyam. The origin of Nowruz is not exactly known. It is estimated to be about 3,000 years old and it is rooted in Zoroastrianism. There are many different stories, fables and myths that tell the story of Nowruz or serve as its foundation. It is claimed that this tradition dates back to the saga of Kawa, the blacksmith. As per the Kurdish mythology, Kawa Asinger bravely ended the tyrannical reign of King Zahak a.k.a Dehak on this day.
Kurdish mythology is the collective term for the beliefs and practices of the culturally, ethnically or linguistically related group of ancient peoples who inhabited the Kurdistan mountains of northwestern Zagros, northern Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia. This includes their Indo-European pagan religion prior to them converting to Islam or Christianity, as well the local myths, legends and folklore that they produced after becoming Muslims. In Kurdish mythology, the ancestors of the Kurds fled to the mountains to escape the oppression of a king named Zahhak. It is believed that these people, like Kaveh the Blacksmith who hid in the mountains over the course of history created a Kurdish ethnicity. Mountains, to this day, are still important geographical and symbolic figures in Kurdish life. In common with other national myths, Kurdish mythology is used for political aims.
The Kurds, as the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia, are directly related to the spiritual heritage that had been accumulating for thousands of years, enriched and subsequently flowed into the spiritual treasury of humanity. The Kurdish people,during a long human evolution, as a genetic guide and a living book, managed to preserve and transmit the practical experience accumulated by mankind and the powerful layers of the cultures of the past millennia that have survived, but could not take advantage of its benefits. The spiritual values of the Kurdish people are consciously and deliberately stealing, the desire to bury into oblivion the past and the present of this people, and wiped out of their existence is precisely explained by this.
KURDISH MYTHOLOGY
Kurdish mythology includes Kurdish and Yazidi myths and legends. The Kurds have a very rich folklore, which until recent times has been transmitted mainly through songs, tales or oral histories, from one generation to another. Even if some stories of great Kurdish authors were famous throughout Kurdistan, most of the stories recited and sung were only written in the XXe and XXIe centuries. Many of these, however, are traditionally centuries old. Very varied, Kurdish folklore denotes a great diversity of stories about nature, anthropomorphic animals, chimeras, love, heroes and villains, mythological creatures and everyday life. Some of these mythological figures can be found in other cultures, such as the simurgh, the kaveh from Iranian mythology, and Shahmeran stories from Anatolia. In addition, some stories may have the sole aim of educational or religious teaching
Indigenous Peoples of Kurdistan
The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million. Most Kurdish people live in Kurdistan, which today is split between Iranian Kurdistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish Kurdistan, and Syrian Kurdistan.
KURDISH POETRY AND SONG
Kurdish culture has a rich oral tradition. Most popular are epic poems called lawj, and they often tell of adventure in love or battle.
Kurdish literature first appeared in the seventh century AD. In 1596, Sharaf Khan, Emir of Bitlis, composed a history of the Kurds in Persian called the Sharafnama. Almost one hundred years later, in 1695, a great national epic called the Memozin was written in Kurdish by Ahmed Khani.
KURDISH CRAFT
Carpet-weaving is by far the most significant Kurdish folk art. Kurdish rugs and carpets use medallion patterns; however, far more popular are the all-over floral, Mina Khani motifs and the “jaff” geometric patterns. The beauty of Kurdish designs are enriched by high-chroma blues, greens, saffrons as well as terracotta and burnt orange hues made richer still by the lustrous wool used.
Kurds mostly live in Northern Kurdistan, in Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia. But large Kurdish populations can be found in western Turkey due to internal migration. According to Rüstem Erkan, Istanbul is the province with the largest Kurdish population in Turkey. Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria and make up nine percent of the country’s population. Syrian Kurds have faced routine discrimination and harassment by the government.
The Kurdish population has been estimated at between 20 and 40 million people who are united by language and customs, rather than religion. The Kurds are one of the largest ethno-linguistic people group in the world without their own nation. The homeland of the Kurds is in the Middle East.
The Kurds are indigenous to the Middle East, but scholars and Kurdish people alike disagree as to the group’s origin. Nor do all Kurds share a religious identity: Though the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, other religions are practiced as well. What is clear is a Kurdish ethnic identity and common language. Those commonalities emerged around the Middle Ages. Since then, Kurds have played roles in the histories of what are now Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
Early Kurdish nationalism first emerged in the 19th century, finding its roots in the days of the Ottoman Empire. Although, the 20th century, is the key period of the rise of Kurdish nationalism, where several Kurds began to reflect on the creation of a homeland called “Kurdistan”. After World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victorious Western allies (UK, France, Italy, Japan and others) made provisions for an independent Kurdish state, to be known as Kurdistan, in the Treaty of Sèvres (1920), codified in its Article 64.
Who are the Kurds?
The Kurds are one of the indigenous people who had lived for centuries in the historical region of Mesopotamia, situated in Western Asia. Throughout the 20th century, the Kurds continued their traditionally nomadic lifestyle, herding throughout the plains and highlands of Mesopotamia.
The language they speak, Kurdish, is considered a western Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. The absence of a comprehensive written tradition prior to the 20th century and of a shared script between different Kurdish dialects explains in part why the history of the Kurds is less documented. Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF KURDISTAN
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/Kurdistan/
WHO ARE THE KURDS?
If you can’t point to Kurdistan on a map, you’re not alone: It’s not a sovereign country. But for Kurds, an ethnic group of roughly 30 million people, it is very real indeed. Nestled on the margins of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, Kurdistan is one of the planet’s most volatile regions, and its people are the world’s largest stateless group.
The Kurds are indigenous to the Middle East, but scholars and Kurdish people alike disagree as to the group’s origin. Nor do all Kurds share a religious identity: Though the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, other religions are practiced as well.
KURDS ARE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS ONE OF THE LARGEST STATELESS PEOPLE. WHILE OTHER STATELESS NATIONS DO EXIST, THE KURDISH QUESTION IS COMPLEX AND GOES BACK GENERATIONS. SO WHO ARE THESE STATELESS PEOPLE, AND WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN?
Where do the Kurds come from?
The Kurds have a long history, but their story is one that has not been written in great detail.
One of the indigenous people of the Middle East, the Kurds have been living for centuries mostly in the territories between two ancient rivers, the Euphrates and Tigris. They are described by some historians as nomadic Iranians or as a people indigenous to the Mesopotamian plains and highlands encompassing northern Syria, Iraq, southeastern Turkey and northwestern Iran.
More recent DNA research points to “multi-ethno-genetic-cultural mountain dweller civilisations, who contributed essentially to the cultivation of areas from eastern Anatolia to Zagros east.”
The language they speak, Kurdish, is considered a western Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. The absence of a comprehensive written tradition prior to the 20th century and of a shared script between different Kurdish dialects explains in part why the history of the Kurds is less documented.
Between 25 and 35 million Kurds inhabit a mountainous region straddling the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia. They make up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
The Kurds are one of the indigenous peoples of the Mesopotamian plains and the highlands in what are now south-eastern Turkey, north-eastern Syria, northern Iraq, north-western Iran and south-western Armenia
Today, they form a distinctive community, united through race, culture and language, even though they have no standard dialect. They also adhere to a number of different religions and creeds, although the majority are Sunni Muslims.
Kurds have an estimated population of over 30 million people around the world.
It is often described as the largest stateless nation in the world; there are, however, stateless people with larger populations. The Tamils have about 64 million people, living mostly in the Indian subcontinent.
KURDISH CULTURE
Kurdish culture is a group of distinctive cultural traits practiced by Kurdish people. The Kurdish culture is a legacy from ancient peoples who shaped modern Kurds and their society.
Kurds are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting West Asia. They live in the north of the Middle East along the Zagros Mountains and the Taurus Mountains in the region that the Kurds call Greater Kurdistan. Today they are parts of north-eastern Iraq, north-west of Iran and North East of Syria and southeast Turkey.
Kurdish (Kurdî) is part of the North-Western division of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family. Basic languages are: Sorani and Kurmanji in various forms: Sorani, Armenian, Vile, Southern Kurdish, Royal, Zacakian, Bajalān, and Gorani. Other languages: Arabic, Turkish, Persian. There are more than 30 million speakers of Kurdish in the Kurdistan region. Kurdish is written in the Arabic alphabet in Iraq and Syria, the adapted Arabic alphabet in Iran and the Latin script in Turkey. Because they are both part of the same language family, according to Izady, “Many Kurdish words are cognate to English, such as lîstik = game, mâra = marry, sterk = star, çem = river, dol = dale or valley, bira = brother, heyv = moon, berf = snow, azad = free (of charge), standin = to get, temam = sure, and the like.” There are three main dialects: Kurmanji, Soriani[4] and Pehlewani.
Zembilfrosh (Kurdish for “basket seller”) is a folktale popular in Turkish Kurdistan and Iraqi Kurdistan. Zembilfrosh was the son of a powerful Kurdish ruler who left his home and life behind to seek a spiritual life as a dervish. He wanders the countryside with his faithful wife, surviving by making and selling baskets. One day they arrive in the capital of a Kurdish emirate, where the prince’s wife sees Zembilfrosh and falls in love with him. She summons him to the castle, where she declares her love for him and tries to seduce him. Zembilfrosh declines, but she presses, promising him many riches. Zembilfrosh is not persuaded and she locks him in a castle tower, from which he eventually escapes. The prince’s wife then disguises herself and starts searching for Zembilfrosh, and eventually finds him. She then deceives Zembilfrosh’s wife, convincing her to lend her her clothes and leave the house. When Zembilfrosh returns that night, it is dark and he does not recognize the prince’s wife, who welcomes him into bed. However, a silver anklet gives her away, and he runs off, chased after by his would-be-lover. As Zembilfrosh sees that escape is impossible, he prays to God, supplicating to be released from a world of misery, and God complies. Reaching Zembilfrosh’s lifeless body, the prince’s wife is so heartbroken that she dies as well. They are then buried side by side. Their resting place is claimed to be located at the contemporary town of Batifa, a subdistrict of the district of Zakho, Duhok governorate, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Kurdish folk music is an important part of Kurdish culture and has traditionally been used to transmit stories about Kurdish history by Dengbêj (bards). According to thekurdishproject.org, ‘The word ‘deng’ means voice and ‘bej’ means ‘to sing.’ Dengbej are best known for their “stran,” or song of mourning.’ Many popular Kurdish musicians of the 20th century like Hassan Zirak and Ahmet Kaya sang in Turkish or Persian as well as in Kurdish. Apart from the language it is sung in, Western Kurdish music has a more Anatolian, Turkish, Greek or Balkan sound.
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