Dersim Alevism, a cross-bred identity
Wednesday, 03 September 2014
Dersim Alevism, a cross-bred identity
Erwan Kerivel
French researcher- writer on Alevism
Armenian ethnologist Hranoush Kharatyan represents an interesting
study on sense of identity of Alevi communities in Dersim during
Ottoman and Republic Era in his articles about the search for identity
in Dersim called `Identities of Dersim’ and `The Alevized Armenians in
Dersim”. But just examining Armenian and Western resources shall not
provide all factors and elements that are required for understanding
he Alevi belief. With ethnical roots based on Old Persian beliefs,
tribal and religious double structuring come to the forefront as
important factors. It shall be better to highlight communities mixing
each other and creating a crossing-bred structure rather than seeking
for a single ethnic origin.
Identity debate that continues today has a risk of being a disruptive
factor for an oppressed community basing the philosophy of `Being one,
being huge, being alive’ « Bir olalim, iri olalim, diri olalim ».
There are four opposing views in this discussion. While radical
Turkish nationalists such as HalaçoÄ?lu try to prove that Dersim Alevis
are `Turkmens who became Kurdish’, Armenian Patriarchate officers
state that they are `Armenian communities that tergiversated’. Kurdish
nationalists accept the Dersimians within the Kurdish nation who
fought for their freedom and autonomy. As Kharatyan stated in his
article, `Zazanist’ movement sees Dersim Alevi es as an ethnic and
national feature.
Actually, none of these thesis are substantial for me. When we look at
the history of Dersim, where is a hybrid-cross-bred territory for
centuries, we saw that the Alevi population today is an unique
synthesis of different ethnic roots: Armenian, Persian Deylem, Kurdish
and Turkmen. Thus, I prefer to define those communities as `Alevis
from Dersim’ not as `Kurdish Alevi’ or `Zazaish Alevi’ in my book
named `Children of the Sun, Alevis and Armenians from Dersim’ that
was published by Sigest Publishing Co.
In Ottoman Era, Alevis, who were named as `Redhead’ or defined by
libelous words such as `Candle Snuffers’, `heretic’, `misbeliever’,
were always be in a lower social status than Christians since they had
no `implicit’ status and they were not protected by the “nation
system”. But, after the end of 19thcentury, Ottoman empire involved
Alevis in `Muslim’ population. It also made this in order to make a
propaganda targeting to underestimate the majority of Christian
population within Ottoman Empire and to gain Alevis in the `Holy War
against Christians’. An incredible study of Markus Dressler called
`Writing Religion, the making of Turkish Alevi Islam’ presents an
important research for understanding this phenomenon better.
Names given to this community generally refer to a Persian origin and
supposedly it depends on Alevis’ feature of being non-Muslim. Matti
Moosa states that Armenians call Alevis as `Garmir Gelukh’ and this
word is literally same as the Red Head but on the other hand, it
involves Persians too (1). Similarly, terms that were used by Ottoman
Empire have the same meaning : `Essentially `profane’ (misbeliever) is
directly about Zoroastrian, Mazdachists and Manikeens. The first
`zendeca’ movements in Islamic history means Persian-origin groups who
continue their old Persian belief systems under an Islamic
appearance.’ (2).
After the Red Head movement commonly spread into the Anatolia in 16th
century during Shah Ismail era, a new word was started to be used:
`Tat’. Another group, of which origins could not be determined, at
least some of them were among Alevis are Tat. This word has a clear
negative meaning in Ottoman documents. In this high period, this
naming was used as `stranger’ but in the meaning of `Persian’ at the
same time.
In conclusion, so many Alevis, especially those from Dersim believe
that they came from Khorasan which is a territory in the border of
Persian country with Middle Asia. This legendary first homeland is not
the homeland of Gilan and Deyleman of which a part is the native
populations of Anatolia and the other part is in Western Iran or
Dersim Alevis coming from Kirmanshah. So-called Khorasan is not a
geographic but also a literal land. As Arabic authors mentioned;
`Country of Rising Sun’ expresses Persian territory who abide their
beliefs before Islam. Other than this metaphoric definition; Khorasan
is the place where Safavid Shahs of Iran, who used Dersim Red Heads
against Sunni Uzbeks who threatened Persian Country to occupy in 17th
century and located them forcibly. According to historian Mehmet
Bayrak; nearly 60.000 Red Heads were exiled to North-Eastern Iran in
this way, some of them were located but others came back nearly after
30 years (4).
Consequently, contrary to what Kharatyan said; Alevis from Dersim had
a Red Head collective identity which had strict and strong ties with
cultural, religious and historical field of Iran, before the end of
19thcentury. Then, nearly all of Western and Armenian ethnologists,
historians and geographers define these communities as `Kurdish”.
German geographer Kiepert defines them as `Independent Kurds of Dujik’
in a map that he drew in 1855. Erzurum Consul of Russia Alexandre
Jaba, mentioned about `Dujik Kurdish Tribes’ in 1850. Jaba wrote that
Turkish people called them `Dujik’ or `Ekrad(Kurdish)’ but `Actually,
Kurdish people called them Red Head’. (5) Ottoman Archives of that era
mentioned about `Ekrad (Kurds)’ or `Yoruk Ekrad Community’ (Kurdish
Nomad Tribes).
But, in a period when Kurdish national matter has not been occurred
and when tribes and clanship constituted the basic structure; such
`Kurdish’ denominations must be bound to nomad and villager activities
rather than an ethnical meaning. In this issue, Garnik Astaryan states
the meaning of the word `Kurd-Kurdish’ as following for centuries: In
6th and 7th century Persian texts; those who were mentioned as «
kurtan ou martohm-i kurtan” communities that are nomad, living in
tents and ranching, in 8th and 12th century Arabic-Persian texts,
`kurdan’ or `akrad’ were used in the meaning of nomad, bandit or
animal breeders. (6)
Statistics of Armenian Patriarchate about 6 southern provinces that
were issued in the end of 19thcentury and published in 1913 in Paris
make a strict distinction between `Located Kurds’, `Nomad Kurds’, `Red
Head’ and `Zaza’. (7) According to the facts of Patriarchate; people
from Dersim are in the category of `Red Head’, `Zaza’ category is used
for sunni Zaza from Solhan and Bingöl.
The concept of identity in Alevis in Dersim must be understood in
terms of tribal and religious structuring. As Kharatyan mentioned in
his article, `Dersimians knew each other from family (or tribe) names
which were called tribes’. Being involved to a tribe or family had a
primary importance since it has a value of autonomy. Wasn’t it said
that everybody is their own Agha in Dersim? That was the reason of
territory or resources fights occurred usually between tribes. But the
identity should not demeaned to the belonging of tribe, there was a
religious belonging which was more important than that. Alevi tribes
from Dersim determined and decided to which Pir or “Dede” they shall
show their loyalty and promising in accordance with spiritual wisdom
and miracles of those people. Those “Dede” posterity called Ocak and
the promise that tribes gave to their religious authority is as
important as the belonging to a tribe. An identity confusion is not
not a rare thing between the name of tribe and the name of Ocak to
which tribe promised among Dersimians. Even, sometimes, there was a
double belonging around the same name: such as Kureysan tribe and
Kureysan Ocak. When you look at social layers of tribe, it could be
seen that the religious side is important. Members of a tribe that
comes from Dede breed are called as Ras and those who do not come from
such a breed are called Ram. If mother comes from a Dede breed but
father does not, the definition was made as “Tikmê” which is a middle
category. If the father was Ras but mother was Ram, then children were
Ras.
If we focus on the identity bound and loyal to the religion which I
named as promising to Ocak, linguistic concepts that were defined by
Armenian writers of 19th century are not valid anymore. Three biggest
Ocak of Dersim Alevis speak three different languages: Kureysans speak
Zazaki, Bamasuran speaks Kurmanci and Sarı Saltuk speak Turkish. As
Researcher Ali Kaya mentioned; this condition explains why tribes are
sometimes bilingual. According to the list that was given by Ali Kaya,
only 80 of 126 tribes speak only Zazaki, 23 of them speak only
Kurmanci, 22 of them speak both Zazaki and Kurmanci and 1 of them
speaks only Turkish (8). Those abbreviations that show Dersimian
Alevis as speaking only Zazaki and coming from Zaza etnical root are
completely reductionist and partly wrong. It is as narrow-minded as
defining being Armenian with only speaking Armenian language and
belonging to Apostolic church.
Because, what the invention of Armenians from Dersim, who have been
living in Alevi belief for centuries and who talks sometimes Armenian,
but mostly in a language mixed of Zazaki and Armenian shows us is that
the richness of cultural mixture and hybridism. Alevis from Dersim
could feel themselves to be belonged to Armenian, Zaza, Kurdish or
Turkish identity while they are protecting their beliefs in humanity.
Because, `they look at 72 nations from one view’. What Alevis from
Dersim choose by returning to Christianity and baptism in which
Armenian names are given, seem a different way. This is a way which
everyone has a right to choose but in a long term, it shall deprive
Alevis from Dersim of a part that constitutes themselves.
1) Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites, the Ghulat Sects, Syracuse
University Press, New York, 1988
2) Ceren Selmanpakoglu, The formation of Alevi Syncretism, Université
Bilkent, 2006
3) Luminita Munteanu, Les Alevî ou la traverse du desert. Réflexions
sur une centralité manquée, Annals of Sergiu Al-George Institute 6-8
(1997-1999), 2004
4) Mehmet Bayrak, Dersim-Horasan Hatti nere düser? Kiziltepe Times, 07/12/2012
5) Alexandre Jaba, Recueil de notices et récits Kourdes, Académie
Impériale des Sciences de St Petersbourg, 1860
6) Garnik Asatryan, Prolegomena to the study of the Kurds, Iran and
the Caucasus 13 (2009)
7) La Question arménienne à la lumière des documents, Augustin
Challamel, Paris, 1913
8) Ali Kaya, Baslangicindan günümüze Dersim tarihi, Demos Yayinlari, 2010
From: Baghdasarian
http://repairfuture.net/index.php/en/identity-other-standpoint/dersim-alevism-a-cross-bred-identity