Some time ago
newspapers reported that there is only one man left in the world who
speaks a certain language and that when he dies the language and that when
he dies the language will be forever lost. It will not be, the first or
the last language to be lost, but it is sad to know it happens. Turkish
weavers are not quite so close to the loss of the language of motif and
colour but there is concern that the end may not be too many years hence.
Most new carpets
and kilims are produced in factories or in cattage industry situations
where the motifs and colours are dictated by producers and distributors.
The colours and motifs are being changed to suit the western market and
its influence. To be a success in the market place, the product must suit
the colours and furniture styles used by a different culture. Small woven
signs or simbols are called motifs and overall pattern is called the
design.
As one deciphers
the symbols of a small prayer rug one discovers, for example the
unbearable agony of losing a child; the grief is as real and as fresh as
when the weaver knotted the patterns of her sorrow over forty years ago
and one becomes intenesly aware of the human expression in the carpet or
kilim. Working on such a carpet becomes therapeutic. The carpet becomes a
kind of supreme cominication reaching out to God and men in one
spontaneous proclamation.
There are also
happy kilims and carpets telling of joy and dreams of lasting happiness
though always with an understanding of fate's fickle ways. There may be
embedded in the carpet or kilim a motif the evil eye repeated throughout
the carpet or kilim. Whether an eigth square meter kilim for the long
winter or a shopping bag to carry to market. The kilim is always an
expression of the artistic skils of the weaver and a public message to the
outer world of the family's own history.
The nomad women did
not have to leave home or change her life still to find herself. With her
weaving she could make a statement that would outlast her own lifetime and
posibly those of her children and grand children. It would be seen by
family, friends and visitors for generations and might even end up in the
home of some Western stranger. She would have been proud to have them
exclaimed over her clever design, colour sense and weaving skill. If they
could not read the message she had written so clearly in the colour and
motifs she had used, they could at least apprreciate her betiful work.
To own a carpet or
kilim means two things. Firstly, it is having a beatifully crafted piece
of art, with harmonious colours and exciting patterns, with which to
decorate the house. Secondly, it is like taking a page out of an Anatolian
native's life a page out of a history of a rich, though sadly dyeing
tradition. For those who enjoy the art of old nomadic pieces and would
like to learn a little of their language, the following basic motif
vocabularry is provided.
Status of Weaver
Hair Band (Single) : This sing
expresses the yearning of a young woman to get married. Traditionally in
Anatolian vilages the girls keep their hair long and will not cut it until
they get married.
Ying and Yang :
This motif
singnifies that the weaver is married as well as love and unity. Inherited
from the Far East, this symbol denotes love and unity between a man and
women. A dot of the opposite colour in each half shows that nothing is
pure in nature.
Hands on Hips :
The mother
Goddess of ancient Matriarchal beliefs. At an early stage all superhuman
powers were represented by goddesses. This motif is only shown when the
weaver gives a birth to a boy. The hands on hips shows that she is very
proud.
Hapiness
Motifs such as evil eye and ram's horn signify that the
weaver is happy and she is thanking God for her happiniess.
Eye (Evil Eye) :
This signifies a
bad, or nasty look, which is believed to be encountered by an object which
looks similiar to an eye. In its most simplified form a triangle is used.
Ram's Horn :
The ram's horn
denotes fertility,heroism and power.
Relationship
The chest, comb, fetter and fertility motifs express a weaver's
relationship with her husband and her in-loves.
Chest Comb : The chest and comb
motifs are symbols of the bridge, marriage and happiness in Anatolian
folklore. The chest, or clothes sack among wandering tribes, represent the
girl's longing for marriage, since they contain her trousseau or dowry.
Fertility :
The relationship
between the sexes, and proliferation. Stylised versions of multigrained
plants, for example, wheat and pomegranate which denote fertility.
Fetter
A fetter is used to prevent
horses from running away. In kilims, it represents harmony and
togetherness of lowers.
Family Signs and Birds
Family Sign :
Family, or clan
signs are used all tribal people, to mark their sheep, kilims and other
possesions.
Birds :
Bird motifs have
various meanings. Birds of pray, such as eagle falcon and hawk represent
strength and power. These bird symbols can be found on the Selcuks and
Ottomans. Birds can also symbolize the celestial messenger and longevity.
The phoenix and the dragon fighting symbolize the comming of spring rain.
Animals
From the earliest times people have beleived that by imitating, or
weaving part of a dangereous animal, they will have power over it and
protection from it. Carrying a wolf's paw, a crocodile's tooth or a dried
snake or scorpion is remmant of this ancient belief which is still
practised in some places today.
Scorpion
Dragon
Wolf's Print
Hand (Religious Motif)
The hand of Prophet's sister. This combines the concepts of
fertility and good luck. The hand often has an "evil eye" symbol on it,
etc. protection from evil.
