“NAMES OF THE NUMBER OF VILLAGES AND SACRED SITES IN DERSIM ARE ARMENIAN”
Zaza musician Mikael Aslan from Dersim is one of the bearers and the continuers of the musical heritage of the region. There is rather big number of Armenian songs and melodies of Dersim in his repertory. The collection and the preservation of the segments of Armenian cultural layers, including songs, which are spread all over the territory of present Turkey, plays a significant role. In this respect the work of Hemshin Armenian Hikmet Akcicek and Mikael Aslan from Dersim worth special mentioning. He has been working over the “Armenian Folk Songs of Dersim” for several years. Recently in Kurdish “Tiroj” magazine the interview with Mikael Aslan has been published, where he tells about that project and various manifestations of Armenian presence in Dersim. Below we present you that interview with some abridgements.
- It is said that there are Armenian elements in the language, culture and customs of the population of Dersim. Is it really so?
- For example, we have word “Kaghan”, which in western Armenian means New Year (Kaghand). It is possible that this word passed to our language (i.e. zaza – R.M.) from western Armenian. We celebrate that holyday just like Armenians. I will never forget how grandfather in his conversations with my mother used to say: “Daughter, you celebrate that Kaghand, ok, but do not fast. It is absolutely Armenian”. On Kaghannd children go from house to house and gather sugar, and then three days’ fast begins. There is also “Medagh-Matagh” word. We call “matagh” dinner, which is given in three days after the death of the man. Tens of Armenian cultural notions and words have also passed to our language. Though this makes one think how that influence took place. Simple examples come to prove that there is a huge cultural reciprocal influence between the Armenians and us (zaza – R.M.). I visited Yerevan in 2000 and I saw many common features there as well. I visited Institute of Oriental Studies, asked people about Dersim and its people. They have special love and interest to Dersim and its people, because in their need they supported them.
- How has the idea of “Armenian Folk Songs of Dersim” emerged?
- In Dersim many villages and sacred sites have Armenian names. E.g. Pilvenk, Aghdzunik. They interested me a lot. In the course of time I met people from Dersim who were of Armenian descent. Besides, many Armenians from Dersim immigrated to Germany and live there and they have preserved the Armenian language and Armenian culture. Thus I was led to the idea to collect Armenian folk songs of Dersim. We started the research in that direction, we worked over the books. We managed to find about 60 melodies. Then in Dersim (I mean not only present Tunceli, but also the places where mainly Alevians and Kizilbas live) and in the neighbouring areas we have found about 60 Armenian songs. Thus, the number of songs was more than 120. Our work has been going on for three years. The first musicians in Anatolia, who started to study western music, to collect and set melodies and songs to music were Armenians. For example, Komitas is one of the greatest masters of Armenian music. I would like even to state that the half of music, which is called Anatolian, is Greek and Armenian. And if we do not mention that then we are unfair on those peoples.
- Do Dersim and the people of Dersim have their share in that unfairness?
- Unfortunately, we, the people and the intellectuals of Dersim, me as well, have no serious information about our former neighbours (i.e. Armenians – R. M.). They do not take much interest in places, languages, identities, ruined churches, abandoned graves. Meanwhile, those all are the lost signs and they are expecting to be discovered. Many of the representatives of Dersim speak, tell, and express various ideas on global problems but when you ask: “Well, why is your village called like this, or what language is it?” they keep silence, they, I don’t know why, have never thought about it. When you speak about Armenians they remember not the massacres, disasters but the gold of the Armenians. It is very shameful. We have to ask a question to our conscience for all what happened to the Armenians. Kurdish people have their part of fault. They do not discuss yet the savageness of the Hamidiye regiments. Weren’t those robbers the grandfathers of the current generations? When does this generation have to face the Genocide tradition of its grandfathers? Selo Kez (apparently zaza ashugh – R. M.) has a keen about the silence we kept during the Armenian massacres where the following is said: “We remain silent about Armenian deportation. Don’t you think that tomorrow you will have the same end?” He told about this before 1938.
- What is the aim of the “Armenian Folk Songs of Dersim” project?
- We would like to carry out the project for conscience sake, at some extent; to face ourselves a little however. The role of the Armenians in the heritage left for us at those territories is great. No matter how often the authorities change the names of the villages; we continue using old names, and most of them are Armenian. We are the witnesses of that memory: of their villages, the common sacred sites, ruined churches, gravestones and now we are also the witnesses of their songs. And this should become obvious, should be spoken aloud. If we can speak aloud about it, may be someone will do the same in Trebizond, Erzurum.
- Are there any Armenians in Dersim?
- I think that some part of the Armenians of Dersim stayed there and became Alevians in order to survive. In the issue of converting to Alevism the fact that the Armenians felt closer to Alevis rather than Sunnites played the role. But anyway, they converted to Alevism in order to hide their identity.
Interview translated into Armenian by
Rouben Melkonyan
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