110 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels

17. Noam Chomsky, Syntactic Structure (The Hague: Mouton,

1957), John Lyons, Chomsky (London: Wm. Collins, 1970), p.11
18. Ashiks use Turkish popular meter, in. which syllable
counting is the essential requirement. For example: 4+4, 5+3, 4+4+3,
or 8+ 7. They skillfully apply these meters to their four lined stanza 5
rhyming xaxa, bbba, ceca, ddda. During the song duel they usually have
two major concerns; the first one is to have the right number of
syllables in each line, and the second one is to have the correct
rhyming. STRATEGIES TO 'GAIN FAME, PRESTIGE,
AND RECOGNITION

THE DESIRE FOR FAME

Forty to fifty years ago the only way for a young unknown ashik
to be accepted by his village and the surrounding area was to have a
successful song duel with an established master ashik. In order to
demonstrate his talent he would travel a great deal to meet master
ashiks. For instance, early in his career Ashik Reyhani (born in 1932)
took a trip to Kars in 1953 to make himself known outside of his
hometown, Erzurum.

There was an established, well-known ashik named

Mehmet Hicrani. In the song duel he immediately started
to criticize me .. .I was a stranger in the city of Kars and I
didn't have any experience in song dueling. I was a kid, he
was a master. He was giving me a real hard time. After a
while people from my home town came in the coffee
house and sat down. There was a person nicknamed Dad~
Tahsin. He threatened me with a drawn dagger and said,
"Hey, you rascal if you don't give him good answers I'll
stab you." I was scared ... I started attacking Ashik Hicrani
because I was afraid of Dad~ Tahsin. I manipulated and
twisted the words of Ashik Hicrani. He got angry at me
and didn't want to deal with a child like me and left... There
was no jury and his leaving was interpreted as an
acceptance of defeat. The next day people came and
congratulated me... 1

As a result of this song contest Ashik Reyhani became well known in

the city of Kars.
After having his first successful song contest with the well-
known master Huzuri, the young Ashik Deryami also became famous
not only in his village but in the entire northeast, and even in Iran.

111
112 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels St.rategies to Gain Fame, Prestige, and Recognition 113

First my district heard of my success. Villages invited me
to perform. Then the city heard of me, the governor of the
city (Artvin) listened to my singing. After that the city of
Kars invited me, then Erzurum. then Sivas. Later, they
sent me to Iran. I stayed there for six months ... 2
reach the ashiks in the coffee house of Kars or in the ashiks' festivals.
Contemporary ashiks in Kars travel only upon invitation to marriage
ceremonies and circumcision celebrations in surrounding villages, and
to the various ashiks' festivals which are held throughout Turkey.

By means of song competitions or artificially created conflict, Ashik ASHIKS' FESTIVALS: THE CONTEMPORARY MEANS
Reyhani and Ashik Deryami gained recognition. and status and were OF GAINING RECOGNITION
provided with opportunities to show their musical and poetic talents
outside of their villages, and even outside of Turkey.
Rather than having a song contest in a village, today's ashiks
According to Max Weber. a conflict is a "peaceful attempt to
prefer to compete in ashiks' festivals. Before the Annual Ashiks'
attain control over opportunities and advantages. "3 He is referring to a
Festival in Konya there were other attempts made to organize festivals.
real competitive conflict situation in daily life. The song duel is better
The first ashiks' festival took place in Sivas on November 5, 1931 with
described as a constructed "non-realistic" 4 conflict because it does not
the participation of fifteen ashiks. 10 Later, in 1938 another festival was
really arise from the frustration of specific demands witlful the ashiks'
organized for regional ashiks in Bayburt. 11 The third attempt was on
relationship. This intentional creation of conflict among ashiks
October 30. 1964. also in Sivas. In spite of the cold winter and the
supports John Dewey's view that, "men do not shoot because targets
poor conditions of the village roads. ten ashiks participated. 12 Two
exist, ... they set up targets. "5 Setting up targets and exchanging songs years later. on October 7-9, 1966, the president of the Tourist
help ashiks and their audiences to acquire knowledge about an initially
Association of Konya organized one of the first really successful ashiks'
unknown ashik: "conflict being a' means to 'test' and know the
festivals. Although thirty-four ashiks from different regions of Turkey i'
previously unknown." 6 In the olden days when an ashik wandered
w~re invited to Konya. only seventeen could attend. They competed
around and arrived at the coffee house of a village everyone was curious
with each other in three major categories: song duels, folk songs, and
about his knowledge, his musical and poetic competence. A song duel
folk poetry. 13
was always immediately arranged with the local ashik to test and to
In the 1980s the three categories had grown to ten. More than
"know previously unknown" guest ashik:. forty ashiks challenged one another in the following categories: 1. the
When the ashiks traveled long distances. they met different
best seven poems of the year; 2. giizelleme (a poetry of praise); 3.
people, saw interesting places, and were exposed to new ideas. Many
composing poetry without the saz; 4. reciting poetry: 5. dudakdegmez
people who had never had the opportunity to leave: their villages,
(one's lips should not meet while composing poetry. This is
because of poor traveling conditions, eagerly awaited the return of the
accomplished by consciously leaving out certain letters of the alphabet);
ashiks so they could hear news and anecdotes about the world from the
6. folk _songs; 7. folk songs with a hikaye; 8. improvised folk songs:
ashiks. In order to satisfy people's curiosity. ashiks frequently talked
9. heroic songs; and 10. songs of other ashiks.
about the places they had seen, and even those which they had not seen.
Since 1966 there has been a great deal of publicity about the
For example. in his hikaye Salman Bey Ashik ~enlik described
Ashiks' Festival in Konya. With the financial support of the Turkish
Istanbul. Egypt, and England. 7 places he had never been to.
Government books have been published by the National Folklore
In the past, ashiks were the only means of transmitting news and
Research Institute in Ankara. The festival in Konya gets substantial
ideas throughout northeastern Turkey. On long winter nights, villagers
coverage in the press. Articles and photos of the successful ashiks
would sit in public guest rooms hoping that an ashik would stop in
appear in local and national newspapers. National television and radio
their village, bring them news and sing songs. 8 Today, because of more
programs broadcast the results of the competitions in each category as
sophisticated communication systems ashiks are not in as much demand
well as interviews with the winners during and after the festival.
as their predecessors were. Ashik Reyhani, who is keenly aware of the
The Konya Festival became important for ashiks because people
impact of mass media, said that "a new idea originating in a village is
everywhere began to measure the talent of an ashik by the number of
immediately in Ankara or vice versa ... " Radio, television, tape
p~es he had won in Konya. Winning a prize in any category makes it
recorders, the spread of literacy, 9 and better roads have usurped the
eas~er for them to appear on national television or radio. This is very
entertainment and informative functions of past ashiks. Fifty years ago,
desirable because they would have a much larger audience than a coffee
ashiks traveled to reach their audiences, today the audiences travel to
house audience in a rural Anatolian town. For example, Ashik Murat
 114 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
<;obanoglu was virtually unknown until he won the first prize in song
dueling in Kanya (1966). In the following years he won prizes in other
categories. Today people from all over Tu~ey come to his coffee house
in Kars to listen to him. Since he is a super star he is among the first
ashiks to be invited to the ashiks' festivals held throughout Turkey. He
told me that a company in istanbul had sent him an offer to make a
movie, which he declined. Because of his popularity, a political party
had nominated him for the parliament (the party lost the election in
Krus).
The number of ashik festivals held throughout Turkey increased
rapidly because of the great success of the Annual Ashiks' Festival in
Kanya. Each town tried to organize a festival. Some of these festivals
are named after fruits. such as "the Peach Festival", "the Apricot
Festival", and "the Orange Festival". In some cities the ipdependence
day of the city is celebrated or well known ashiks of the past are
commemorated. On all of these occasions the best ashiks are invited
from all over Turkey to perform and challenge each other in song duels.
In addition to these local festivals, the International Art and Culture
Festival, held annually in istanbul. 'kives ashiks the opportunity to
perform. Some sound recording companies in istanbul- also organize
competitions among all of the ashiks in Turkey. They award "The
Golden Record Competition" for the best folk song, and "The Golden
Saz Competition" to the most successful ashik of the year. The
photograph and life history of the winner appear in several national
newspapers.
Contemporary ashiks take advantage of every possibility to
spread out their names. In one instance a nineteen-year-oltl ashik and his
friend decided to perform together in a coffee house in the town of
Gi:ilctikwithout the written permission of the local military authorities.
They assumed that if they got arrested and the local newspapers printed
their pictures and wrote long stories about them they would become
well known in that area. Unfortunately, newspapers did not show any
interest in this story and after spending five days in jail the young
ashiks were released on $40-50 bail (a lot of money for someone who
makes less than $600-800 per year). This example illustrates the
importance of fame and how some ashiks will go beyond the legitimate
ways to make a name for themselves.
STRATEGIES TO GAIN PRESTIGE AND
RECOGNITION
Let me first define the notion of strategy. The word is derived
from the Greek language, originally meaning the "art of the general," 14
and is applied to various kinds of competitive situations. The everyday
Strategies tc Gain Fame. Prestige, and Recognition 115
usage of the concept of strategy implies some kind of over-all plan
which a basketball coach, a marketing manager, or a competing ashik
might employ to achieve a certain goal. In song dueling a strategy
specifically refers to the course of action undertaken by the ashiks to
create the best possible impression.
In any competition a party attempts to gain something that the
other party also wants. In a song duel both ashiks expect to receive
social and economic rewards.' Using poetry and music, the competing
ashiks try to place their opponents at a disadvantage in order to
maximize their prestige, recognition, and tips which they receive from
the audience.
The ashiks employ one of the following strategies to take
control of the interaction process in the song duel thereby putting their
opponents at a disadvantage: 1. they may propound riddles and ask
questions about religion, geography, literature, local or national history
or specific events: 2. they may insult the opponent's musical, poetical
or physical appearance in a witty and funny way: 3. they may challenge
the opponent by not using certain letters of the Turkish alphabet (b, f.
m, p, v) in their poetry: 4. they may lay traps by using various poetic
devices.
1. The Strategy of Propounding Riddles and Asking
Questions
Historical Use of Riddles
Until recently, propounding riddles and asking questions was one
of the most important strategies used in song dueling. In fact, riddles
seem to be prevalent in daily interaction not only in song dueling but
in almost every speech community around the world. In Turkish and
other cultures riddling was a common way to test the wisdom of the
opponent. The penalty for an incorrect answer was often death. For
example, in Greek literature the monster Sphinx was sent by Hera to
Thebes to ask the following riddle: what walks on four legs in the
morning, on two at midday, and on three in the evening. The Sphinx
ate each of the Thebians who incorrectly answered the riddle. Oedipus
saved his life by solving the riddle (a man crawls as an infant, walks
upright as an adult, and uses a staff in old age). The Sphinx then
committed suicide or perhaps was killed by Oedipus. 15
Among the ancient Turkic peoples there are many stories of
riddle contests. In these stories riddling is not always treated as a simple
adult pastime or as a matter of social entertainment, but is seen as a
serious competition with serious consequences.
116 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
... the asking and answering of riddles is traditionally
regarded as an ordeal applied to people of intellectual
pretensions as a test of culture in general, and of
proficiency in natural science and the language of poetry
. parttcu
10 · lar ... 16
In the story of The Two Princes, for example, two heroes compete
with each other to find out who possesses the greater degree of
knowledge and wisdom. Instead of slaying one another they decide to
propound riddles. In other words, they used a riddle contest as an
alternative to military combat:
Let us not fight and kill one another, but let us solve each
other's riddles. If you can solve them all I wip give
myself up to you with all my people. If you cannot solve
them. I will take you and your people.
At the end of the riddle competition Altm Tschatschli.n emerged
victorious because he knew three more words than Jaran Tschatschli.n.
The daughter-in-law of Jaran Tschatschli.n, however, saved him by
defeating Alttn Tschatschli.n in a subsequent riddle contest. She took her
father-in-law out of a hole seventy fathoms deep and instead buried his
opponent in the hole. As a result of this contest Altm Tschatschli.n's
people were taken away by Jaran Tschatschan. 17
Another story, Ak Kobak. contains several riddle contests. In
the Kurdak version of the story. for instance, a riddle competition takes
place between the hero Ak Kobak and the messenger of Kidli.n Khan.
The messenger tries to avoid fighting with his enemy Ak Kobak by
substituting combat with a riddle contest as "a test of wit and
culture." 18
According to Hermann Vambery, the riddle contests were also a
favorite form of social entertainment among the Kazak and Kirgtz. The
competitions were usually held between two groups. consisting of only
girls or boys. Both teams tried to overcome their opponent with riddles
or improvised poetry. Whoever could not understand a riddle or
· a g ift to th e wmner.
. 19 I
responded in an unacceptable way had to give
some of the folk stories of Central Asian Turkic groups. riddles were
used to test the intelligence of a suitor who asked for the hand of a lady.
Radlov gives an exampie from the Altaic Turks where the bride's father
tests the future candidate by asking riddles. In a Kaz~ stoti<' Talim Ktz
agrees to marry a prince who successfully solves her nddle. 0
Su-ategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 117
To The Victor Goes The Saz
In some Turkish folk stories fro!ll Anatolia, riddling plays an
important role for the heroes who try to marry daughters of rich and
prestigious people. 21 Those stories (hikayes) which contain
biographical information of past ashiks 22 portray the hero as being in
constant search for his beloved. Wherever the hero goes in the course of
this search, he enters into a 'song duel and wins all of them by posing
riddles about religious matters. In the search for his sweetheart Ashik
Emrah arrives at the coffee house in Tabriz and hangs his saz on the
wall. signifying that there is a guest ashik in town. 23 After
propounding riddles and challenging his opponents' wit and knowledge
in a song duel. the ashiks of Tabriz place their instruments in front of
Emrah. Tradition requires that the one who cannot come up with a
reasonable answer must recognize the opponent's talent and wisdom by
handing his instrument to the victor. This is also the case in the hikaye
of Ashik Garip and $ah Senem and Erc~li Emrah and Selvi.
As early as the first half of the nineteenth century there are
references to actual song duels which mention the custom of handing
the instrument to the winner. In the song duel between Muhibbi (1823-
1868) and the Armenian Co~kuni from Petranos (Hasankale), Ashik
Muhibbi challenges his opponent's knowledge by asking a series of
questions about the ruddy ox: 24 what the ruddy ox is, how it came into
being, and how many feet and horns it has, and so on. Ashik Muhibbi's
opponent has trouble giving satisfactory answers and towards the end of
the contest he gives up and says:
Ustam kurban olam al bu saz1m1
Onu ben bilmenem A~1kMuhibbi.
My Master please take my saz
I don't know it Ashik Muhibbi. 25
The same custom was reported to me by a contemporary ashik,
Deryami, (born 1926) who, in 1949 participated in a song duel in
n Ardanm;:. (northeastern Turkey). Ashik Deryami asked his opponent the
following riddle:
Gel yavrum dikkat et benim soztime
Nereye giden yolun iki yolu var
Oyle bir Kuranda ayet gordilm ki
Be demeden altl tane dalt var.
118 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
Come my son pay attention to my words
To which place there are two ways
In the Koran I saw a verse
Without saying "B" it has six branches.
Since Ashik Deryami's opponent was unable to read the Arabic script.
he could not identify this particular Koranic verse. stopped singing and
lost the contest. At that moment an elderly man from the audience
approached the minstrels and said, "according to our custom the one
who loses has to hand his instrument to the victor." While he was
talking he took the loser's saz and put it on Deryami's lap. Just as the
victor in the hikayes. Deryami returned his opponent's instrument,
kissed him on both cheeks. and thereafter they became good friends.
~ I started in 1950 and in the northeast I met sixty ashiks all
Yesterday's Sacred Riddles, Today's Secular Riddles
One of the important strategies used in song duels is to ask
riddles of a predominantly religious tj.ature, thereby testing the religious
wisdom of an opponent. Past ashiks usually asked questions such as:
how many holy books exist, what are their names, when was Adam
expelled from paradise, what did he eat in paradise, where did he go first,
what was the name of the mountain he went to, where did he finally
find Eve. how many angels lift the earth. what surrounds the throne of
God, what is the substance of that throne, in the mosque of the heaven
who calls to prayer. how big is the inside of that mosque, how many
times did the Prophet Muhammacl have God's revelatio~ and when did
God create the world. 26
Choosing a question similar to the one mentioned above, the
twentieth century Ashik Huzuri (1886-1951) defeated his talented and
experienced opponent by asking "Why don't fish have tongues?"
According to folk belief, fish collaborated with Satan in Paradise so
God punished them by removing their tongues. Ashik Kemali was
unable to give an acceptable answer and the elderly listeners who acted
as a jury declared him as the loser. 27
Contemporary ashiks in northeastern Turkey do not usually ask
each other questions and riddles of a religious nature: the audience is
neither interested in knowing "why fish don't have tongues" or whef.'.E!
Adam went after he was expelled from Paradise. Before the separation of
church and state in 1926 and shortly thereafter, religion and religious
questions were prominent topics of discussion. Religion was more
important than it is today, covering all aspects of daily life, and even
appearing in the coffee houses and in the song duels of ashiks. In the
past, ashiks were forced to be knowledgeable about the Koran and about
religious matters.
Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 119
... in the olden days the religious leaders of a village
formed a jury to decide who the winner of a song contest
was. For this reason past ashiks stressed religious
knowledge, mystical and spiritual beliefs. and values in
song duelings (interview with Ashik Reyhani).
According to Ashik Deryami. if there was no religious leader
(hoca) in a village, the people went to the next village and invited the
religious leader of that village to sit on the jury. Deryami recalled that
sometimes "people from a village went all the way to the city and came
! '
back with the miiftii." (official expounder of Islamic law). Ashik
Reyhani pointed out that some past ashiks were even the officiating
priests (imam) of village mosques.
of whom could recite the Koran. Thirty to forty were
imam .... Ashik Mehmet of Sosgert could read the old
script very well (the old script refers to the Koran).
Dursun Cevlani was the tax collector, he also could read
the old script. Ashik Cemal Roca of Kagizman was the '''
imam of the village of Camt~lt. Ashik Nihani Baba was
the imam of the village Go~ken. Ashik Efkari Baba was
a lawyer. Ashik Miidami was one of those old teachers. he
was great and very powerful. Ashik Hicrani of Bayburt
was the imam of the village Akbulut.
Today. most ashiks in the northeast cannot read the Arabic or the
Latin script. According to the survey which I conducted. eighteen out of
forty-seven ashiks (about 40%), have elementary school degrees. The
remaining 60% were not entirely illiterate, some of them could read
although they had difficulty with it.
There wasn't any school building in our village, I
remember that our neighbor had a small room in which
we used to gather and try to learn how to read. We took
dried dung to that room and sat on it .. .In our village there
were fourteen or fifteen students .. .I went to school only
one month or one and a half months and I never had a
pencil or a notebook ... 28
Ashik ilhami Demir was born in 1932. Five years before his birth the
1927 statistics showed that about 95% of the people in the small
villages of Turkey were nonliterate. In some areas of eastern Turkey the
percentage was as high as 99 %. 29 One of the reasons for such an
astonishingly low literacy rate was the problem of using Arabic script
 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
120
to write Turkish. The Arabic alphabet, for example, contained only
three vowels whereas Turkish had eight. In general. the Arabic alphabet
was not well suited for Turkish writing. In order to solve this problem.
the Turkish National Assembly passed a law (1928) which banned the
use of Arabic letters and introduced the Latin alphabet. Consequently.
ashiks born after 1928 did not learn the Arabic script and were unable to
read the Koran.
Another reason that the new generation of ashiks had trouble
understanding the poetry of past ashiks was because the latter used
many Arabic and Persian words. During the Ottoman Empire Turkish
became a hybrid language referred to as Ottoman Turkish. Arabic and
Persian words were used in Ottoman Turkish although the grammar of
each of these languages were very different. In accordance with the
reforms instituted by Atatilrk in the 1920's an attemptiwas made to
replace all of the Arabic and Persian words with Turkish words. As a
result, thousands of new words were produced from the roots of Turkish
words. Today, in spite of the rejection and resistance of conservatives
this replacement process continues. .
After religious education was banned (1925), all of the medreses
and pious establishments were closed. Today's ashiks do not have the
opportUoity to learn the Arabic letters and the religious s~ries. If ther
do not attend elementary school it is very hard for them to unpress their
audiences. Since the young-ashiks do not understand Persian or Arabic
they do not understand Ashik $enlik's or Ashik Stimmani's poems.
They memorize those poems but make many mistakes in
pronunciation. This brief historical background explains the current
situation of the new generation of ashiks in Turkey. ,1
Rather than asking about the Koran and religious events,
contemporary ashiks usually insult each other in a witty and humorous
way. They also ask questions, and riddles which will interest and
entertain the paying audience. Their riddles, however, are usually of a
nonreligious nature. They often challenge one another's knowledge of
recurrent social problems, important national events, national history
or. as in the following examples, local history:
Dinleyii).soztimil i;:ifte1!$1klar
Kimin geW?bayram1dir bu Bayram
Her tarafta albayraklar dalgalt
Kimin geW?bayram1dir bu Bayram
You both listen to my words
Whose arrival is celebrated today?
The flags are waving everywhere
Whose arrival is celebrated today? 30
Strategies w Gain Fame, Prestige. and Recognition 121
Ashik Virani was referring to Atatilrk who was the first president of
modem Turkey after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. On October
4, 1924 Atatilrk visited the city of Kars for the first time. Since then
his visit has been commemorated and annually celebrated. Many people
in the audience seemed to know the correct answer and were therefore
very interested in Ashik Dadll$oglu's reply. But, he did not know the
reason for the celebration and gave a wrong answer. This greatly amused
the audience and helped Ashik Virani to achieve his main goal of
entertaining and capturing the attention of the audience. At the same 'I
time, because of his knowledge of local history Ashik Virani gained I
some prestige.
Similarly, Ashik Erzade challenged his opponent's knowle'dge of
important local events.
Dinle 1!$1ksana bir sualim var
Bil$ harfi K sonu N geldi Kars'a
Karada ordunun Bil$Komutaru
Bil$ harfi E sonu N geldi Kars'a
Listen to me ashik I have a question for you
The initial letter is K and the last letter is N, came to Kars
He is the chief commander on the ground forces
The initial letter is E and the last one is N, also came to Kars.
The first name of the supreme commander of the Turkish Army (1982)
was Kenan; the initial letter is K and it ends with the letter N. The
name of the other general who accompanied the chief commander was
Ersin. The first letter of his name is E and the last one is N. After the
military takeover in September 1980, General Kenan Evren became the
head of the military government in Turkey. Ashik Erzade was testing
his opponent to see if he knew the names of both generals.
In the coffee house, riddles and questions do not necessarily have
to deal with serious topics such as local history and current local
events. Since the major goal is to entertain the audience rather than to
win the song duel, the subject matter of the questions and riddles can be
anything. Ashik ilhami said that,
The ashik who is able to compose poetry spontaneously
can make anything a riddle. He might ask a question about
a tape recorder or about a radio in a riddle form ...
 Strategies to Gain Frune. Prestige. and Recognition 123
122 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels

Ashik <;:obanoglu:
2. Insulting As A Strategy Zaten gez~in ceylana benzer
Tezer misin. tezmez misin bilemem
Using their traditional knowledge, wit, skill and talent ashiks Arasira tirdek gibi sekersin
insult each other in funny and witty ways in order to hurt the feelings Yiizer misin, yiizmez misin bilemem.
and lower the self-esteem of the opponent. They also do this to gain
prestige and reputation. To use this strategy effectively, an ashik must Your walking resembles an antelope anyway
know what his audience considers to be humorous. He must also Whether or not you can be fast, I don't know
understand the area's social and cultural rules and know what he can or Sometimes you waddle like a duck
cannot insult. For instance, it would be improper to make sexual 31
Whether or not you can swim. I don't know.
allusions about his adversary's immediate female relatives, wife or
daughter. but it would not be improper to attack his opponent's Not only are the opponent's arms. neck or manner of walking the
grandmother, mother-in-law or. in rare cases, his sister. targets of an attack but his hair and mustache can also be the subject
. There ru_-ethree basic groups of insults. The first grqµp (A) deals matter of an insult. Once. while I was sitting with Ashik Virani (figure
with the physical appearance of the opponent--his torso, lfneck. arms, 5-1) in the coffee house. he realized that he needed a shave and rushed to
heig~t. face, hair or manner of walking and talking. The second group a barbershop before his performance. When he returned to the coffee
(B) includes the opponent's intellectual life. talent, habits and beliefs. house his hair was nicely trimmed and combed. This. however. did not
The last grou~ (C) consists of insults relating to the opponent's family
impress his opponent:
members-- his father, grandfather, grandmother. and especially his
mother-in-law. Ashik Dad~oglu:
Sru;:mtaram~sm ic;:inbo~ ama
Ben senin forsunu bozmaya geldim.
A. Insulting the Opponent's Physical Appearance
Although you combed your hair your inside is empty
A competent ashik would describ~ and caricature his opponent's (You don't have any brains]
physical characteristics in an exaggerated and humorous way. He would I came here to destroy you.
usually compare him with an animal such as a hare. camel. duck. or
giraffe. All of th~e animals connotate different things; for instance, a Ashik Virani counterattacked his adversary by accusing him of having
hare. giraffe or camel represents a body which is out of proportion: long hair which is associated with femininity. and no mustache which
is a symbol of masculinity:
Ashik <;:obanoglu:
Ayak uzun, viicut klsa bir tav~an gibi. Sac;:uzun biyik kesenin
Vay haline, vay b~ma.
Legs are long, body is short like a hare.
Damn the one who cut his mustache
Ashik ~eref: But has long hair.
Tipine bakmca zilrafa boylu.
Later in the same contest, Ashik Virani noticed that the cuff of his
Looking at you. you have giraffe-like height.
opponent's pants was caught in his right sock.
Ashik <;:obanoglu:
Ashik Virani:
Kolu uzun. boynu ince bir deve gibi.
Pantoluna bak sen pac;:arudiizelt.
Arms long. neck is slender like a camel.
Look at the cuff of your pants and correct it.
Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 125

Since the people considered this remark to be funny they laughed and
applauded to show their support. Ashik Dad~oglu did not like the
remark and immediately responded:

Benim pantalonumu b~1ma kakun

Bu meclis gilldil ~~aka benzer
Dilnkil r,:trakgelm~ r,:tkm~ k~1ma
Hele boyuna bakm r,:ay,lakabenzer.

You criticized my pants

The audience laughed and applauded
You. the new apprentice. are competing with me
Look at his height he looks like a Milvus. [meaning an
inexperienced, dumb person].

Another evening Ashik Virani attacked Ashik Dad~oglu's dark

skin by likening it to unprocessed dung: 32

Dertli clan her derdini yaziyor

Derdi ii;:erdendircandan beziyor
Yilziln yaban tezegine benziyor
A~ verip tilstilrecem ben seni.

The one who suffers writes all of them down

His suffering inside. makes him tired of his life
Your face resembles dried dung
I'll fire and bum you down.

In like manner Ashik $eref insulted his partner Ashik ilhami:

Var m1dir efendim ~km sevab1
Gozilniln ir,:indevardir kitab1
Tipin ayru kara kiltilk hesab1
Yaracakum ama zamaru ger,:ti.

Is it a good deed to be in love

There is a book in his drawer
Your type is like a log [meaning you are uneducated and do not
have fine manners]
I wanted to split you [educate you] but it is too late.

Ashik ilhami:
Karpe kuzu meter. anasin emer
Gilzeller beline bagltyor kemer
Tipin deve gibi s1rt1nasemer
Vuracakum ama zamaru ger,:ti.
 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels Strategies to Gain Fame, Prestige. and Recognition 127
126

A young lamb blears and sucks its mother Listen to my words <;obanoglu
The pretty ones wear belts on their waists I couldn't teach you good manners
F9r years we have competed with each other
Your type is like a camel
I wanted to put packsaddles on your back but it's too late. 33 But I couldn't wake you up from your sleep [You are an unwary
person].
Other parts of the opponent's body can also be caricatured and insulted:
Ashik <;obanoglu:
Dinledim sozilnil Y~ar Reyhani
Ashik $eref:
$eref der ki sozlerimi duyarsm Ben seni bu ~ten ytldiramadun
~ senedir i;:arpcymzKonya'da
Anlay1pta alemlere yayarsm
Elliili;:numara ayakkab1 giyersin <;alC?tunben seni oldilremedim.
Uzun Omer'den golun nicedir?
I listened to your words Y~ar Reyhani
$eref says that you hear my words I was unable to scare you
You understand and disseminate them For five years we fought in Konya
You wear size fifty-three shoes I tried but couldn't kill you.
Your arms are long like Uzun Omar.
During the interview Ashik Reyhani told me that he wanted to tell his
In Turkey the largest size man's shoe is45-46. Size fifty-three would be opponent in a hidden way that killing someone is a rather beast-like act
equivalent to a size 19-20 in the United States. Uzun Omar was one of and that therefore he was like a beast.
the tallest persons who ever lived in Turkey. His name is known
throughout Turkey. even in the villages. Ashik Reyhani:
Ye bugilnil efkar etme yarma
<;ilnkil dilnya kalmamcytir Karun'a
Ashik <;obanoglu
<;obanoglu der ki bu bir s1Z1dtr Koca Avrupa'da ayaklanna
Anlma yaztlmC? bu bir yazidtr Bir i;:iftayakkab1 olduramadun.
M~allah parmagm bizden uzundur
Bir g~ olan elin nicedir? Eat today, don't worry about tomorrow
The world is transitory, even Karun did not survive [Karun was a
<;obanoglu says that it's a pain very rich man whose name was mentioned in the Koran]
It's your destiny written on your forehead To your feet in all of Europe
M~allah [used for admiration] your finger is larger than me [He I couldn't find a pair of shoes which fit.
is 6' 2" tall]
What about your big hand? According to Ashik Reyhani, not being able to find the right sized
shoes in all of Europe indicated that <;obanoglu clearly did not have
In much the s~e way, two well-known ashiks of northeastern Turkey, human feet.
Ashik <;obanoglu and Ashik Reyhani, teased each other in front of an When they insult each other both ashiks generally exaggerate the
audience consisting of Turkish guest laborers in Germany: characteristics of the opponent's body parts and make accusations which
are unusually absurd and untrue. If, however, there is a genuine sore
Ashik Reyhani: spot, it will never be touched or discussed. For instance, one of the
Dinle bu sozilmil sen <;obanoglu most respected ashiks of northeastern Turkey is Ashik Mevlilt ihsani
Ben sana erkaru bildiremedim who lost both of his eyes at the age of ten in an accident. During my
Ytllar boyu t;:arpC?trtzberaber stay in Kars and Erzurum nobody insulted this man's eyes, nor did any
Ben seni uykudan kaldiramadun. one make the slightest allusion to his blindness. The insult cannot be
128 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
too close to reality or it will be taken seriously and might cause
problems in the relationship between the dueling ashiks.
B. Insulting the Opponent's Intellectual Life. his Talent. his
Habits, and Values
The insult section of a song duel is the most entertaining part for
the audience. People are almost always attentive when the competing
ashiks tease each other's intellectual and personal qualities with rhymed
verses. One of the most common targets of attack is the opponent's
intelligence:
Boyun fazla uzun ak11m bilmem
Acaba usulda halin nicedir?
You're too tall but I don't know,lbout your intelligence
I wonder how your manners are.,,
(Song duel between Ashik <;:obanoglu and Ashik $eref)
In the first year of the Annual Ashiks' Festival in Konya, Ashik
Mi.idami attacked his young opponent Ashik <;:obanoglu in the
following manner:
Boyun i;ok uzam~ akltru bilmem
Agladirsam gozi.in yru;;irusilmem.
You are very tall but I don't know about your intelligence
If I make you cry I won't wipe your tears. 34
In a song duel Ashik $eref accused Ashik Mihmani of not
having enough brains to think intelligently. 35
Paran i;oktur ama akhn ki yoktur
Senin her. yarunda noksan paradir.
You have lots of money but since you don't have any brains
Money will be short in every aspect of your life.
Later in the same song duel Ashik $eref continued to accuse his
opponent:
Biraz aktl gerek bunu d~i.ine
Kendine kuyuyu kazanstn A~tk.
Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 129
It requires a little brain to think about that
Ashik. you are laying a trap for yourself.
Since Ashik Mihmani was considered to be a high strung person by the
people in the coffee house. $eref attacked him as follows:
Sana ben r;ok ~ey diyecem aroma
Delisin sen r;abuk ktzanstn A~tk.
I want to tell you many things
But you're crazy and get mad easily.
A competent ashik can easily identify the appropriate situations
in which he can insult and make negative comments about his
adversary's intelligence, manner. values or ignorance:
Ashik $eref:
$eref der ki gi.izel r;tkttk meydana
A~tklar ge~ deme devrana
Bo~una fetvay1 gosterme bana
Elif okumazsm ci.izi.ibilmezsin.
$eref says that we performed well in front of the audience.
Ashiks drink and whirl [like mystic dervishes]
Don't threaten me uselessly
You don't know elif and how to read the Koran.
The first letter of the Arabic alphabet is elif which resembles the
small letter 'l' in shape. Because of its simple shape everyone can
recognize it easily. If. however. someone is unable to recognize it,
he/she would be considered an uneducated person. There is an expression
in Turkish which describes such an ignorant person: "Elifi gorse mertek
sanar" meaning that if he/she sees the elif he would think it is a post.
Using this expression Ashik $eref insulted Ashik <;:obanoglu.
$eref der soze uyarsm
Bunu aleme yayarsm
Elifi mertek sanarsm
Oku da yaziru gorim.
$eref says that you follow the words
Disseminate them everywhere
You would call elif a post
Read and let me see your writing.
130 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels

If one ashik accuses his opponent of being nonliterate or of not

knowing how to walk or talk, almost everyone in the audience realizes
that it is an exaggerated statement. As a result, such insults are not
taken seriously. In the. following verses Ashik $eref tells Ashik
Mihmani that he does not know how to walk and how to taste and
enjoy food (figure 5-2. ).

Bana ge~ek soyletirsin Mihmani

A~tkWc.tasen bir sozti bilmezsin
Doktorla, merhemle senin neyin var?
Ytirilmeyi burda izi bilmezsin.

Mihmani, you force me to tell the truth I

I
As an ashik you don't know any words [anything] i .3
,oo i
Why do you talk about doctors and remedies? 0
[q'
You don't know how to walk and to follow tracks. -0
o:s
Cl \
~
Another quatrain:
Ben sana ne deyim ha1in bozukri,lr
:a
Ill

Erkarun bozuktur, yolun bozuktur <:

-0
D~in saglam degil, dilin bozuktur a
Lezzeti, tad1. tuzu bilmezsin. -~
8
.c::
What should I tell you. your behayior is corrupted
Your basic principles and your way is corrupted i
~
Your teeth are decayed and your tongue is corrupted :a
Ill
You don't know how to taste and enjoy things. ,1 <:
c-i
A talented ashik knows not only the structural rules for '
I/")

composing poetry. but he also knows the cultural and social rules. He f
;:I
knows what to say in order to accuse his opponent of being a cultural co
~
deviant. For instance, it is not considered good behavior to break one's
confidence or to steal poor people's property:

Ashik Virani:
Her olur olmaza s1m0 diyersin
Gidip muliannete boyun egersin
Fakir fukaranm mallO yiyersin
Vurup burda kusturacam ben seni.

You reveal your secrets to anyone

You go and bow your neck [show humility] to vile ones
You swindle poor people [meaning you acquire their goods]
I'll hit and make you throw it up.
(song duel between Ashik Virani and Ashik Dad~oglu)

i
132 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels Strategies to Gain Fame, Prestige. and Recognition 133

One night in a song duel between Ashik Mihmani and Ashik Are your words an arrow thrown at me?
:;,eref the topic of discussion was the importance of money: Aren't you two meters high?
Does Vehbi Kor;: [the richest businessman of Turkey] have more
Ashik :;ieref: brains than you?
Tam otuzbe~ ytldir bunu soylersin The one who exploited Adana is Sapanc1 [another rich
Senin dilindeki aslan paradir businessman].
Allah onun ir;:insana vermem~
Herzaman cebinde noksan paradir. Ashik :;,eref:
Sozlerin bo~una uzanir miyd1?
You have repeated the same thing for exactly thirty-five years Gelinler giyinip bezenir miydi?
The major topic of your talk is money Aklt noksan olsa kazanir m1yd1?
That's why God didn't give it to you Bacalardan r;:ikanduman paradtr.
Money is always short in your pocket.
Would your words be so uselessly long
Ashik Mihmani: Would the brides dress up so nicely
Parasiz yigidin dili ~alrunaz If Vehbi Kor;:didn't have brains he wouldn't be rich
:;iaktmaz elleri ktna yalrunaz The smoke which comes out of a factory's chimney is money.
Paras12 mollalar hatim okumaz
Aglatan, okuyan Kuran paradti;l Ashik Mihmani:
Yoksulun bacasmdan duman r;:tktyor
Without money a man cannot speak Adam gene beni terse itiyor
His hands cannot applaud or apply henna [His hands cannot do Paranm dildilgi.i her an otilyor
much] Nasreddin Hoca'dan kalan paradtr.
Without money the mollas wouldn't read the Koran
Money makes them cry [for God's mercy] and read the Koran. Smoke is coming out from the chimney of the poor
You are forcing me to take a wrong step
Ashik :;ieref: The whistle can be heard anytime
Senin o sozlerin gerr;:ek mutlakur From Nasreddin Hoca 36 we learned that it is the money.
Hele buralarda sozlerin hakur
Paran r;:oktur amma akltn ki yoktur Ashik :;ieref:
Senin her yarunda noksan paradir. Hayat dedikleri yalandir yalan
Daglarm b~mdan ger;:iyorduman
Your words are absolutely true insanltk paradan ilstiln herzaman
They [your words] are especially correct here Senin o fikirin noksan paradir.
You have lots of money but since you don't have any brains
Money will be short in every aspect of your life. Life is perishable
The fog is passing the peak of the mountains
Ashik Mihmani: Humanity has been always more valuable than money
Senin bu sozlerin bana ok mudur? This is the idea that you miss.
Uzunlugun iki metre yok mudur?
Vehbi Kor;:'un aklt senden r;:okmudur? Ashik Mihmani:
Adana'y1 yiyen Sapan paradir. Yedi r;:ocuksabah erken agltyor
Ona yirmi ekmek versin insanltk
Baba diye cigerimi dagltyor
Olmil~ mil gelsin de gorsiln insanltk.
 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 135
134

Seven children cry early in the morning Ashiks aren't insensitive

Let humanity give them twenty loaves of bread Don't think that they're without anxiety
They say Baba and make me suffer greatly Five hours awake and tomorrow sleepy
Is humanity dead, let it come and see. Are you the one who sleeps nineteen hours?

The song duel continued for a long time in this fashion. In another song duel Ashi.k Mihmani accused his adversary of not
In another song duel. negative stereotypes about the Gypsies being a good believer of Islam:
were expressed. The Gypsy's reputation for telling fortunes. and being
itinerant is reflected in the insult section of a song duel betwee~ Ashi.k Bana yiiklenmeyle az mt kazandtn?
<;obanoglu and Ashi.k $eref. Beynamaz oglusun farzt bilmezsin.

Didn't you make a lot of money by accusing me?

Ashik <;obanoglu:
You're the son of a beynamaz [the one who does not perform the
I
Ne guzel konu~tun carum karde~im
Sen bir anstn balm nicedir daily prayer] and you don't know the crucial duties of Islam.
Hele bugun ~din kurmu~sun diize
Fincana bakarstn faltn nicedir? Two well-known ashiks of northeastern Turkey. Ashiks Reyhani
and <;obanoglu attacked and criticized each other's lack of interest in
You talked so nicely my broth.~r religion in the following way: 37
You are a bee, how is your honey
Today you set up your tent on a flat surface Ashik Reyhani:
Looking at the coffee cup how is your fortune telling coming Sen nereden tezdin orman kiban
along? Akibetin toprakttr bakma yukan
A~tk sofu olur oynamaz ban
Ashik $eref: Ben sana bir namaz ktldtramadtm.
<;ok soyledin sozlerini bilmi~im
Gab anlay1p gah1 boyle giilm~iim Where did you come from, you the gentleman of the forest?
Fala bakttm KtZtlay'dan i;:alm~stn ·'1 [Gentleman of the forest is another way of calling someone a
Senin suttndaki i;:ulunnicedir? bear which is an insulting word]
Don't look up, your ultimate end will be to return to dust
I knew your words [because] you repeated them several times Ashiks are devoted Muslims they won't dance the Bar [a folk
Sometimes I understood. sometimes I laughed at them dance in Erzurum]
My fortune telling informs me that you stole it [your clothes] I couldn't make you perform a prayer.
from the K1Z1lay[Turkish Red-Cross]
What about your bad looking clothes that you wear? Ashik <;obanoglu:
Sozlerin noksansiz tamamdtr tamam
Personal habits and beliefs can also be the subject matter of an Her ~e kadimdir Hazreti Hiidam
insult. Ashik ·c;obanoglu, known to sleep a lot, was teased by his Ben cemaat oldum sen de bir imam
opponent Ashi.k $eref in the following way: Ben sana kibleyi bildiremedim.

A~tklar degildir asla duygusuz There is no shortcoming in your words at all

Zannetme ki bu pazarda kaygusuz The eternal God is in charge of everything
~ saat ayakta yarm uykusuz I became a member of the congregation and you became an imam
Ondokuz saat yatan sen misin? I couldn't teach you where Mecca is [Muslims tum in the
direction of Mecca when they perform their daily prayer,
implying that his opponent is dumb and uninterested in praying].
 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels · Srrategies to Gain Fame, Prestige, and Recognition 137
136

C. Insulting The Opponent's Family Members Ashik Mihmani:

Arkad~ kap1y1geriden c;:alm~
In a song duel certain kinds of insults elicit similar responses. Siilalesi bo~ bo~una kocalm~
For example, attacking an opponent's descendants always evokes an Bu kalle~lik deden Salih'ten kalm~
C::ingenc;:adtrtndasizanstn A~tk.
identical counterattack:
Our friend knocked on the backdoor
Ashik :;,eref:
:;,eref der ki bu sirlan sezersin His descendants uselessly become older
Kalem altp sattr sattr yazarsm You inherited dishonesty from your grandfather Salih
Bu ~am burada boyle gezersin You are the one who got very drunk in the tent of the Gypsies.
Sizin neslinize belli demC?ler.
Grandfathers. grandmothers, and particularly mothers-in-law. are
:;ierefsays you perceive the secrets the common targets of an opponent's insults. If the ashik's parents are
With a pen write them down line by line. not alive they may also become the subject of an insult.
Tonight you walk here [up and down]
But your descendants are called "known" [a cynical remark] Ashik c;:obanoglu:
c;:obanoglu der ki baksan davama
Ashik Mihmani: .1 Sen aldanma dostum benim gavgama
Bunu duyanlar kalbinden gtildil 0 ki anaru vermedin babama
:;iehadet kalbimin pastnt sildi Ceketin sallama nenem yorgaru gibi.
C::iinkiideden Salih akluna geldi
Kokiiniize "siyah telli" demC?ler c;:obanoglu says hear my case
Don't be wrong about my fight my friend
Those who heard this laughed from the heart Since you didn't give your mother to my father
Pronouncing God's name took the rust off of my heart Don't swing your jacket like my grandmother's blanket.
I thought of your grandfather Salih
Your roots [your ancestors] are called "black wires". Sometimes, making fun of each other's grandparents includes some
obscene elements which are not considered to be serious by the
If one ashik attacks his opponent for being dishonest and deceitful. his performers and the audience. This permitted disrespect towards
opponent will usually take the negative quality one degree further: grandparents or mothers-in-law entertains the audience tremendously.

Ashik :;ieref: Ashik ilhami:

Bulut gelmez ise yagmur yagar m1? He~eyi y~ ilah
:;;afakatmaz ise giin~ dogar mi? Dogru sozler degil giinah
Bir koltuga iki karpuz s1gar m1? Gaynanaru bana nikah
Bazan kall~ olur tezersin A~tk. Gtldtr da para isteme.

Would it rain if there is no cloud? God created everything

Would the sun rise before the dawn? True words are not a sin [to tell the truth is not a sin]
Would two watermelons fit under one arm [a proverb]? Give me your mother-in-law
Ashik. sometimes you become treacherous. But don't charge any money.
138 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
Occasionally the degree of obscenity is beyond expectations:
Kaynanarun eline
Verecegim bu gece.
In your mother-in-law's hand
I will give [my penis] tonight.
In another song duel grandparents are again the subject matter of
obscenity:
Ashik ilhami:
Bakma ilham' m haltma
Zerraf isen bak altma i Boyun i;:ok u~
Nenen dedemin altma ' Aglaursam goziln y~m1 silmem
Sevgiyle gei;:meyi sever.
Don't look at ilham's deed
If you're a jeweler look at the gbld
Your grandmother would like to be
Under my grandfather with affection.
Making jokes about mothers-in-law and grandparents usually
takes place if the two competing ashiks are in the s~e a~e grou~,
fairly equally competent, and have a good personal relattonship. _Ash~k
Reyhani, for example, told me that_in a s~ng d~el he would ~ot J<:>ke~
a "nasty way" with his friend Ashik M. Ihsaru becausi; of his fnend s
age.
In discussing "joking relationships" Radcliffe-Brown argues that
there are two main categories of relationships:
In one the relation is symmetrical: each of the two
persons teases or makes fun of each other. In the other
variety the relation is asymmetrical: A jokes at the
expense of B and B accepts the teasing good humouredly
but without retaliating; or A teases B as much as he
pleases and B in tum teases A only a little ... 38
If the relationship is symmetrical each of the competing ashiks makes
fun of the other and shows disrespect for each other's personality, and
the physical characteristics of their relatives. If the relationship is
asymmetrical, that is, if they do not know each other well enough, are
not in the same age group, or there is an imbalance of competency,
then they usually refuse to compete with each other. Once in Erzurum
six ashiks were sitting in front of six hundred people on the stage and
Strategies to Gain Fame, Prestige, and Recognition 139
performing solo songs one after another. When the organizer of the
evening announced that the ashiks were to have a song duel, the
youngest ashik openly asked to be withdrawn from the competition
because he said he could not reply to the older ashiks' insults with the
same intensity.
If two ashiks have an asymmetrical relationship and for some
reason the less competent and younger one cannot withdraw from the
duel, then he will acknowledge his opponent's superiority and will not
reply to his insults. In such a case, as Radcliffe-Brown points out. "A"
teases "B" and "B" in return teases only a little or, as in the following
example, not at all:
Ashik Mildami:
akhru bilmem
Ham tosun harmanda dogru i;:ekmezgem
Mildam moduluyla bizlenmeyesin.
You are very tall but I don't know about your intelligence
If I make you cry I won't wipe your tears
Young bulls wouldn't pull the threshing machine correctly
Don't get hurt with Miidam's needle [Mildami's words].
Ashik <;;obanoglu:
<;;obanoglu gonill klrmam yaparim
Cenab1 Mevlamdir daim siperim
Y~i;:a bilyilgilmsiln elin operim
Gel b~sak desem nazlanmayasm.
<;;obanoglu wouldn't break hearts but restore them
God is always my protector
You're older than me I would kiss your hand
If I suggest reconciliation don't act coquettishly.
Like Ashik <;;obanoglu, Ashik Reyhani also showed his respect for the
elderly master Ashik Nihani by refusing to retaliate.
Sen usta ben i;:irakhepisi hava
Operim ellerin beklerim dua.
You are the master. I am the apprentice and the rest is
unimportant
I kiss your hands and expect your prayers. 39
140 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels ·
Ashik $eref and Ashik ilhami were good friends, both were
equally famous and equally competent, except that Ashik ilhami was
six years older than $eref. Although they teased and mocked each other
outside of the coffee house, Ashik.ilhami always protested when Ashik
$eref insulted him during the song duel. Ashik ilhami felt obligated to
reaffirm the social group's value that one should respect his elder.
Ashik ilhami:
Deminki sozilne i;ok danlm1~1m
Erkanma tilkilreyim vay senin
insan bilyilgilne sayg1 gosterir
Vicdaruna tilkilreyim ben senin.
I am very offended because of your words a while ag6
I spit at your conduct
One should show respect to his elders
I spit at your conscience.
The above text communicates the basic value of showing respect to
elderly people in the society. Although Ashik ilhami did not really
expect that kind of respect from Ashik $eref he was transmitting this
value to the younger listeners in the audience. It is impossible,
however, to infer this by looking at the verbal message of Ashik
ilhami's song alone because human beings do not communicate only
through verbal messages. One should take into consideration the
context of the situation, the vocal and linguistic patterns: and the body
movements. 40 Messages other than verbal are referred to as
metacommunications.
These metacommunications can even negate or deny the
explicit meaning of the verbal message (for instance, it is
rather a common occurrence to hear 'no' on an explicit
verbal level and at the same time to experience 'yes' on a
metacommunicative level. the latter being the real
message). 41
While demanding respect on the explicit verbal level Ashik ilhami's
voice, face, and body were transmitting and qualifying other messages
which denied or contradicted his statement. People "not only say
something, but they also qualify or label what they say. "42 Through
metacommunicative messages Ashik ilhami qualified his statement and
defined the relationship as symmetrical. Such subtle communication
often takes place in song duels. Sometimes the explicit verbal level is
relatively meaningless and the message of the encounter takes place at
Strategies t.o Gain Frune. Prestige, and Recognition 141
the metacommunicative level. Other times. as in the following
example, the explicit meaning of the verbal message is denied.
Ashik Reyhani:
Mihmani'nin dergahmdan donmeyin
Lamba gibi yanm yanm sonmeyin
Buna deli derler hi<;inanmaym
Gonlilmiln $ah1, Sultani budur.
Don't tum your back to Mihmani
Bum like a lamp but don't get extinguished
They call him crazy don't believe them
He's the Shah and Sultan of my heart. 43
Looking at the fourth line above one would think that Ashik Reyhani
is a great admirer of his opponent Ashik Mihmani. The reality,
however, contradicts this explicit verbal message. About six months
ago Ashik Mihmani questioned Ashik Reyhani's poetic and musical
talent in front of a large audience (600 people) in Reyhani's home town
of Erzurum. When Mihmani finished his performance and went back
stage, Reyhani physically attacked him and ten people had to restrain
Ashik Reyhani from starting a physical fight. In the third line when
Ashik Reyhani said: '~They call him crazy don't believe them" he was
actually reminding the audience of the fact that Ashik Mihmani was
considered to be a high strung, half-crazy person by the local people of
Kars. Although the explicit message was "don't believe them" the
implicit message was, "do believe them, he is crazy."
3. A voiding Certain Letters Of The Turkish Alphabet As A
Strategy
The ability to spontaneously generate infinite lines of poetry in a
song duel requires a great deal of skill and years of hard work. The
ashiks have to follow strict musical and poetic rules to compose their
poetry. Nonetheless, under the demands of rapid composition even the
most competent ashiks make mistakes in rhyming or in placing the
correct number of syllables in a line. Even more difficult is the
challenge of creating poetry while avoiding certain letters of the Turkish
alphabet. Only a few ashiks have mastered this skill.
In the Turkish alphabet five consonants (b, f. m, p, v) cannot be
pronounced without closing the upper and lower lips (like the English
B). Therefore, avoiding those letters while telling poetry is called
Dudakdegmez, literally translated as "lips don't touch." However, under
the pressure of rapid composition one of the competing ashiks might
142 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels

use a prohibited letter without even noticing. To prevent this from

happening. ashilcs place a pin in their mouths between the upper and
lower palettes before beginning the performance. If an ashik accidentally
uses one of those five letters his lips close, the pin pricks him and his
palette might even slightly bleed. Thus, the pin will make him
instantly aware of his mistake. Then, there would be no argument as to
who the competent one is.
This acrobatic way of dealing with letters of the alphabet keeps
the audience interested because they want to see who can perform with a
pin in his mouth. The most famous Annual Ashilcs' Festival in Konya
promotes this kind of competition (see figure 5-3. ). In this festival
Ashik Hasan Salmani challenged other ashiks with the following
stanza:
}
Ashik Salmani: '
Ey Hasan gontilden yananlar gelsin
Sulara kaulanlar akanlar gelsin
Dudag1 igneyle r;:lkanlar gelsin
Herkes usta olan dilleri tarur. )

Hey Hasan, those who are burning from the heart

Those who flow like water
Those who put the pin between the lips should come
44
Everyone will recognize the master tongue [master Ashik].

Everyone in the audience easily recognized the master who avoided the
prohibited letters in his spontaneous poetry. Although his pen name
was Salmani. he used his real name (Hasan) in the concluding stanza to
avoid the letter "M" (Salmani). Similarly, the late Ashik Emrah used a
45
second pen name (I~1g1)to avoid the letter "M" in his poetry.
In the Konya Annual Ashilcs' Festival, the president of the
festival invited Ashik Rahmani and Ashik Dad~oglu onto the stage,
and asked them to use the following rhyme in their poetry while
avoiding the five consonants:

A~ka ~lk veren can nerde kald1?

Where is the dear friend who brightens the love.

When the two ashilcs had their song contest about thirty-five ashilcs
were sitting behind the contestants on the stage. One of the ashilcs
helped Ashik Dad~oglu to find a word without the forbidden letters.
Ashik Rahmani heard the ashik who whispered the right word.

144 The Song Contests of Turkjsh Minstrels
Ashik Rahmani:
Arkadan konu~an ileri gelsin
Eger ehli ise sazlan alsm
A~k.tnderyasma derinden dals1n
Derya nerde kald1, in nerde kald1?
The one who is talking in the back should step forward
If he is a real master he should take the saz
And dive deep in the ocean of love
Where is the ocean and where is the lair? 46
It is a real challenge to avoid the prohibited letters because competing
ashiks are also concerned with rhyming each verse and placing the
correct number of syllables in each line.
j pattern, to explicit and implicit messages of his opponent's poetry in
' order to respond properly. Some ashiks, however, stop next to people
4. Various Strategies To Gain Prestige
During a song duel competing i;shiks try to use every means to
impress the audience. For example, if an ashik remains silent for a
short time when expected to sing, the silence becomes a qualifying
message. On the other hand, if an ashik replies so quickly that he does
not need to play his saz before coming up with an answer, it suggests
that he is a competent and intelligent~t able to find quick and witty
responses.
When two competing ashiks appear together in front of an
audience one of them delivers a short speech. In that sp~ch he briefly
talks about himself and his adversary. It is likely that the audience will
be aware of their achievements, so the ashik may present himself and
his opponent in a very humble way. In the Middle East, people are very
impressed when a competent person shows modesty. Some of the most
famous ashiks use this strategy to make a good first impression before
the actual song duel begins. On occasion an ashik will refer to his
opponent as his "young friend" (genr;:arkad~) implying that he is the
one with greater experience and expertise: "To describe who says what
to whom would be to describe most of the social strUcture ... "47
As I noted earlier, in the province of Kars each of the major
ethnic groups has its own favorite traditional tunes. Depending on the
ethnic structure of the audience on a given night, ashiks will sing their
poetry to one of these local tunes. If an ashik comes from a
neighboring city the local ashik will usually choose to improvise his
poetry to the most unfamiliar and complex tune. Ashik Reyhani, who
is a talented musician, once complained to me that the ashiks in Kars
always begin singing Azeri tunes. He finds these tunes difficult to
respond to because they are not well known in Erzurum. One of the
·~.
Strategies to Gain Fa.me, Prestige. and Recognition 145
favorite strategies of ashiks in Kars is to use unfamiliar ethnic tunes to
put the visiting ashik in a difficult position.
Ashiks never sing together at the same time, although one may
softly play the opponent's song on the saz while the other is singing.
Some ashiks, however, greatly increase the volume of their
instruments. Combined with the constant noise of tea glasses and
conversation, the loud accompaniment of the opponent's saz sometimes
makes it difficult to follow the ,performing artist's singing. When this
happens, he stops and asks everyone to quiet down.
An ashik can effectively use unspoken elements to show the
audience that he can handle his opponent without paying much
attention to his music or poetry. For example, during a song duel when
the first ashik sings, the second one has to listen to the rhyming
they know to chat, drink tea, and to smoke cigarettes, thereby creating
the strong impression that they do not take the opponent seriously.
USING POETIC DEVICES AS A STRATEGY TO
RIDICULE THE OPPONENT
Some poetic devices are used to mock opponents and assert
superiority over them. Ashik Ruhani of Tortum told me that every
ashik prepares certain tricky poems early in his career. He tries not to
use these poems unless he is having a lot of trouble because once he
reveals them, he "loses his weapons." During the course of an
interview, Ashik ilhami of Kars revealed one of his "weapons" to me.
A few months later I heard him use it in a song duel against Ashik
:;ieref:
Ashik ilhami:
Egil arkana gec;eyim
Ktlaytm Hakka namaz
Beyle gel agztna bas1m
Ya ktztlctk ya da kiraz.
i!
Bow down, let me go behind you [The audience begins laughing]
Let me pray for God [the ashik stops singing and says: "I made
you an imam and I became a member of the congregation"]
Come closer let me press in your mouth
Either cherry or come! cherry.
i !
After hearing the first line the audience has the impression that Ashik
ilhami is about to suggest having sex with his opponent. He surprises
146 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
the listeners in the second line, however, by dropping the idea of sexual
advancement and instead suggesting that he was actually referring to the
religious practice of namaz, one of the essential Islam~c duties. A
person begins a namaz by standing upri~ht ~d the~ b?wmg_ from the
hips a fixed number of times. In the third line Ashik Ilham1 uses ~he
verb basmak; combined with a noun, this verb is used to descnbe
sexual intercourse. Again, in the fourth line he changes the anticipated
meaning and offers his opponent different kinds of cherries. This is one
of the strategies in which words and phrases with double meaning are
used.
His opponent Ashik ~eref tries to reply in the same fashion:
Uzat ta eline verim
Ya keman ya bir telli saz
Don de sirtma yilkleyim
Ya bir davul ya da bir caz.
Let me put it in your hand
1
Either a violin or a stringed instrument
Tum around and let me load you with
Either a drum or jazz.
Eline vermek (to put in one's hand) is another sexual expression. Like
his opponent, Ashik ~ref surprises his listeners in the secon~ line by
putting a musical instrument in his opponent's hand. Ashik ~eref
would have been embarrassed in front of the audience had he not been
able to respond to his opponent with the same i,;:kind of sexual
suggestions, . 0 yarin elinde senek oldum ben
Another strategy is to lay a trap for the opponent by usmg a
word with which only a few words rhyme. Among ashiks in
northeastern Turkey, this is called a Kapamk Ayak (locked rhyme) or
Dar Ayak (tight rhyme). In the following example, since it is extremely
difficult to find words which rhyme with cadde or Cidde the second
ashik may not be able to respond.
Dinle s9zlerimi sana soyleyim
Caddede ce harfi A~ik X
Gormek ii;:inHak'tan budur dilegim
Cidde'de ce harfi A~ik X
Listen to my words I am telling you
In cadde (street) there is the letter C Ashik X
It is my wish from God to see
In Cidde there is the letter C Ashik X.
Strategies to Gain Fame, Prestige, and Recognition 147
In other cases, the second ashik may find words which rhyme but
are obscene or vulgar. In the following example orak (reaping hook)
and tarak (comb) rhyme perfectly:
c;:ayir geldi bii;:melerin zamaru
Orak anama lazim Baba Erzade
Nazire de olsa bunu unutma
Tarak anama lazim Balm Erzade
It's time to cut the grass
My mother needs a reaping hook [orak], Baba Erzade
Although it's an imitative piece of poetry
.1
My mother needs a comb [tarak], Baba Erzade. I
The second performer is at a loss because there are not enough words
which rhyme with orak or tarak that can logically be used by the
mother. One of the few rhyming words which immediately comes to
mind is the vulgar word yarak meaning phallus. In such a case, the
second singer would either make himself look ridiculous by singing
"my mother needs a phallus" or he would stop singing. If a singer
cannot come up wi.th an appropriate response he is considered
incompetent and his prestige as a poet and musician will diminish.
Ashiks often use words which immediately bring vulgar words to
mind, or words that ridicule the opponent. Consider the following
examples:
Yillardir bu ~km dertlisiyim ben
A~km i;:ii;:egineany1m an
Gonill yaylasmda sinek oldum ben.
For years I am suffering from this love
I became a senek (?) in her hands
I am a bee for the flower of love
..:ame a fly (sinek) in her heart.
I b't:.
One of the few words which rhymes with senek or sinek is inek (a
cow). The ashik who sings the stanza above expects that his opponent
sings "I became a cow" which means "I became an imbecile person.·
In another song duel Ashik Mevlilt ihsani made his opponent
Erzade to sing "I am rolling in the ashes" which, according to local
people, is done only by donkeys. In Turkish to be a donkey means to
be an ass.
 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels
148
Hilnerli billbillilm ben kaneryeyim
Yattun yuvarland1m giiller i9inde
Gilc;:lilbir camis1m bilirsin neyim
Yattun yuvarland1m goller i9inde
I'm a talented canary
I laid and rolled in the roses
I am a strong water buffalo
I laid and rolled in the Jakes.48
There are not enough words which rhyme with giiller i9inde or goller
i9inde. The second ashik sang kiiller i9inde and 9ullar i9inde: "I laid
and rolled in the ashes." and "I laid and rolled in the horseclothes." In
this way the responding ashik was backe_d~to a come~ and fo_rc~dto
either make a ridiculous rhyme, or to admit his opponents supenonty.
NOTES
1. In this chapter quotations and informatiqp. from Reyhani
were taken from the interviews which I conducted with him on February
10, February 20, September 9, and September 21. 1982.
2. Quotations and information from Ashik Deryami were taken
from the interview which I conducted with him on November 2, 1982.
3. Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organization,
Talcott Parsons, ed. (Glencoe: The Free Press, 1968), pp. 132-133.
4. Lewis A. Coser distinguishes between "realistic" and
"nonrealistic" conflicts. See his book The Function of Social Conflicts
(Glencoe: The Free Press, 1964), p. 49.
5. John Dewey, Human Nature and Conduct (New York: The
Modem Library, 1950), p. 226.
6. Coser, ibid., pp. 122-123.
7. Ensar Aslan, 9dd1rl1A~Jk $enlik (Ankara: Sevinc;:Matbaas1,
1975), p. 399. . when he arrived in a town because: "There was neither a loudspeaker nor
8. Adil Ozder, Dogu Illerimizde A~Jk Ka.cyJl~malan (Bursa:
Emek Basimevi. 1965), p. 4.
9. Until 1965 65% of the population in the province of_Kars
were illiterate. Dogu Anadolu Bolgesi (Ankara: imar ve Iskan
Bakanllg1, 1970), p. 1957. In 1982, in the province of Kars only thirty-
Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 149
three out of 765 villages did not have an elementary school. Kars Haber
(Local Newspaper) December 3, 1982.
10. Saim Sakaoglu. "Halk ~airleri Bayram1" Milli Egitim ve
Kiiltiir 11 (1981):81.
11. Mahmut Kemal Yanbeg. "Halk Edebiyati: 1938 de
Bayburt'ta Saz ~airleri Haftas1" Tiirk Folklor Ar~tirmalan 8
(1963):3072-74.
12. tbrahim Aslanoglu. Sivas Halk $airleri Bayram1 (Sivas:
II
n.p .. 1965), pp. 9-10.
13. Mehdi Halic1 and Mesut Dogu. Tiirk Halk $iirinin Alt:Jn
Kitab1 (Kenya: Dogu~ Matbaas1. 1970). p. 5.
14. International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences (N.P: The
Free Press. 1968), p. 281.
II
15. The Oxford Classical Dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press.
1970), p. 1009.
16. Nora Chadwick and Victor Zhirmunsky. Oral Epic of
Central Asia (Cambridge: The University Press. 1969). p. 188.
17. W. Radlov, Proben der Volkliteratur der Tiirkischen Stiimme
I (St. Petersburg: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaft), pp. 201-204.
18. Chadwick and Zhirmunsky, ibid .. p. 188.
19. Hermann Vambery, Das Tiirkenvolk (Osnabrock: Biblio
Verlag, 1885, 1970), p. 295.
20. Radlov, Proben I. pp. 60-61. and Proben III. pp. 387-389.
21. ilhan B~gi:iz, "Functions of Turkish Riddles," Journal of
Folklore Institute 2 ( 1965): 134.
22. ilhan B~gi:iz. "Turkish Folk Stories About the Lives of
Minstrels," Journal of American Folklore 65 (1952):332.
23. This custom was reported to me by Ashik Reyhani of
Erzurum: "I am from Erzurum. I am performing in this coffee house. If
an ashik from outside of Erzurum comes to this coffee house and hangs
his saz above my instrument it means "I am here to fight with you as
an antagonist.• Hanging one's instrument above the other means "I am
higher. better than you." If the guest ashik hangs his instrument behind
my instrument it tells me that he follows my footsteps: "I will do
whatever you ask me to do." Hanging his saz under my saz would mean
: "I am an apprentice, I don't know much." If the saz of the guest ashik
is in front of my instrument it gives the message that the guest ashik
won't stay very long in this town. He will stay for a short
time ... Nowadays this custom has ceased." Ashik Deryami also told me
that he always used to hang his saz on the wall of the coffee house
anything else to make announcements. People who came to the coffee
house saw my saz and realized that there was a guest ashik in their
town."
150 The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels Strategies to Gain Fame. Prestige. and Recognition 151

24. According to folk belief in Turkey. the earth is on the horn 42. Haley, ibid .. p. 322.
of a ruddy ox. If. for example, the ox shakes his head there will be an 43. Song duels between Ashik Reyhani and Ashik Mihmani
earthquake. were recorded on September 22, 1982.
25. Ozder. ibid .. pp. 29-33. 44. Hallet and Dogu. ibid .. p. 15.
26. See the song duel between Ashik Elfazi and Muhibbi. also 45. Fahrettin M. K1rztoglu, "Halk Edebiyat1 Deyimlerimiz,"
Ashik Erbabi and Mahir in Ozder's book. pp. 35-41 and pp. 43-50. See Tiirk Dili (1962):352.
also the song duel between Ashik $enlik and his son Ashik Kaslffi in 46. Song duels between Ashik Rahmani and Ashik Dad~oglu
Asian's book, pp. 82-88. were recorded on October 28; 1982.
27. Ozder. ibid .. pp. 64-79. . 47. Randall Collins, Conflict Sociology Toward an Explanatory
28. Quotations and information from Ashik Ilhami were taken Science (New York: Academic Press, 1975, p. 113.
from interviews which I conducted with him on August 11. and October 48. Song duels between Ashik Mevlilt ihsani and Ashik Erzade
12. 1982. were recorded on November 22. 1982.
29. ilhan B~goz and Howard Wilson, Educational Problems in
Turkey 1920-1940 (Bloomington: Indiana University, 1268). p. 128.
30. Song duels between Ashik Virani and Ash1k Erzade were
recorded on October 4. and November 19. 1982. Song duels between
Ashik Virani and Ashik Ali Dad~oglu were recorded on February 14.
March 17. and September 2 3. 1982 .,
31. Song duels between Ashtk <;:obanoglu and Ashik $eref were
recorded on June 23. and July 6, 1982. '
,I

32. Unprocessed dung is cows' or sheep's droppings found on the

ground which is picked up and mixed with hay and then dried in the
sun. The local people call unprocessed dung "wild dung." .
33. Song duels between Ashik $eref and Ashik Ilhami were
recorded on June 23. 26, 28. and July 6, 7. 1982.
34. Hallet ve Dogu. ibid .. p.69.
35. Song duels between Ashik $eref and As~k Mihmani were
recorded on October 20, and 23. 1982.
36. Ashik Mihmani is referring to a well known Hoca story.
One day while Hoca was going to the market he asked a group of
children if they needed something from the market. All children asked
him to bring back a toy but one child gave Hoca money and wanted a
whistle. When Hoca returned. the children asked him why he did not
bring what they asked for. Hoca gave the whistle to the child who paid
him in advance. and said: "The one who pays plays the whistle."
37. This song duel took place in Germany between Ashik
Reyhani and· Ashik <;:obanoglu. Interview with Ashik Reyhani. on
February 22. 1982.
38. A.R. Radcliffe-Brown, Structure and Function in Primitive
Society (Glencoe. Illinois: The Free Press, 1952), p. 90.
39. Hallet and Dogu. ibid .. pp. 69, 77.
40. Jay Haley. "An Interactional Description of Schizophrenia,"
Psychiatry 22 (1959):323.
41. Gerard Egan. Encounter: Group Processes for Interpersonal
Growth (Belmont. California: Brooks/Cole, 1970). p. 170.
 THE SONG CONTESTS
OF TURKISHMINSTRELS
·,
,,_ Improvised Poetry Sung
to Traditional Music

Ydd1ray Erdener

GARLANDPUBLISHING, INC.
NEW YORK & LONDON
1995