Page 27 - Weiss, Jernej, ur. 2017. Glasbene migracije: stičišče evropske glasbene raznolikosti - Musical Migrations: Crossroads of European Musical Diversity. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 1
P. 27
there and back: circassians in anatolia
day, networked through the Federation of Circassian Associations in Istan-
bul and the International Circassian Association in Nalchik.
The Association movement began with a single dernek (association
building) in the early twentieth century, but it mushroomed in the post
World War II era, albeit facing a difficult period following the 1980 coup
d’état. Today the associations function in part as social gathering places,
with young people spending much of their free time in the cafés and res-
taurants of the dernek, all serving traditional Circassian food, notably the
distinctive ravioli-like çerkez mantısı, filled with either potato or meat and
served with ‘red sauce’. Kids grow up in the shadow of the dernek and devel-
op many of their early friendships there. But the associations further pro-
vide platforms for ethno-cultural debate, and they have often been linked
with political radicalism, to the extent that Circassians from the villages
sometimes look on them with disapproval. They are also centres of educa-
tion, offering language classes and employing teachers from the Caucasus
to give lessons in music and (especially) dance.
The double process I have described here – opening out and closing in
– is mirrored rather precisely by the fates of language and music respective-
ly. Thanks to the opening out, many young Circassians no longer speak the
language. And precisely because this crucial identifier is now widely con-
sidered a lost cause, music and dance have become correspondingly more
important in reconstructing the culture. That represents the closing in. The
derneks I visited in Kayseri and Ankara each had a large hall with a wall-
length mirror, specifically for the dance classes that take place every week-
end. Since the early 1990s, it has been customary to bring (and to pay) pro-
fessional teachers from institutes and colleges in the North Caucasus to
instruct the children and to work with the local ensembles. Accordingly
the level is high (professional standard), and the ensembles in both cities
give regular public performances. While in Kayseri I watched classes given
to around forty children under twelve and also attended rehearsals by the
dance ensemble Ashemez (another Nart character), accompanied by mem-
bers of the music group Maze, whose leader, Kayhan Demirei, is an Abk-
hazian. Likewise in Ankara I caught a full-dress rehearsal for a public per-
formance to be given by junior members of the resident ensemble Badin,
led by Samil Dinçer. The costumes are worn with pride, bearing in mind
that until 2008 the cherkessa was technically banned under the Turkish ‘hat
law’.
25
day, networked through the Federation of Circassian Associations in Istan-
bul and the International Circassian Association in Nalchik.
The Association movement began with a single dernek (association
building) in the early twentieth century, but it mushroomed in the post
World War II era, albeit facing a difficult period following the 1980 coup
d’état. Today the associations function in part as social gathering places,
with young people spending much of their free time in the cafés and res-
taurants of the dernek, all serving traditional Circassian food, notably the
distinctive ravioli-like çerkez mantısı, filled with either potato or meat and
served with ‘red sauce’. Kids grow up in the shadow of the dernek and devel-
op many of their early friendships there. But the associations further pro-
vide platforms for ethno-cultural debate, and they have often been linked
with political radicalism, to the extent that Circassians from the villages
sometimes look on them with disapproval. They are also centres of educa-
tion, offering language classes and employing teachers from the Caucasus
to give lessons in music and (especially) dance.
The double process I have described here – opening out and closing in
– is mirrored rather precisely by the fates of language and music respective-
ly. Thanks to the opening out, many young Circassians no longer speak the
language. And precisely because this crucial identifier is now widely con-
sidered a lost cause, music and dance have become correspondingly more
important in reconstructing the culture. That represents the closing in. The
derneks I visited in Kayseri and Ankara each had a large hall with a wall-
length mirror, specifically for the dance classes that take place every week-
end. Since the early 1990s, it has been customary to bring (and to pay) pro-
fessional teachers from institutes and colleges in the North Caucasus to
instruct the children and to work with the local ensembles. Accordingly
the level is high (professional standard), and the ensembles in both cities
give regular public performances. While in Kayseri I watched classes given
to around forty children under twelve and also attended rehearsals by the
dance ensemble Ashemez (another Nart character), accompanied by mem-
bers of the music group Maze, whose leader, Kayhan Demirei, is an Abk-
hazian. Likewise in Ankara I caught a full-dress rehearsal for a public per-
formance to be given by junior members of the resident ensemble Badin,
led by Samil Dinçer. The costumes are worn with pride, bearing in mind
that until 2008 the cherkessa was technically banned under the Turkish ‘hat
law’.
25
