Yezidis

ETHNONYMS: Self-designation: Duasen (pi, Dâseni); Iz(e) di, Yazîdî. The origin of the term "Yezidi" is uncertain; many scholars believe it to be cognate with the Persian iixedy "deity, angel." The Yezidis are often referred to as "devil worshipers" by their Muslim and Christian neighbors.

Kinship

Kin Groups and Descent. The Yezidi tribal structure consists of at least two levels: the bav, comprising all the descendants of a single ancestor, subdivided into groups ( bra ) of immediate relatives. In general, family bonds are of greater importance than those pertaining to the tribe.

See also Kurds

Bibliography

Badger, George P. (1852). The Nestorians and their rituals, with the narrative of a mission to Mesopotamia and Coordistan in 1842-1844. London: Joseph Masters.

Bittner, Maximilian (1913). Die heiligen Bücher der Jeziden oder Teufelsanbeter. Vienna: Denkschriften der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

Empson, R. H. W. (1928). The Cult of the Peacock Angel London: H. F. Witherby.

Guest, John S. (1987). The Yezidis: A Study in Survival London and New York: KPI.

Joseph, Isya (1919). Devil Worship: The Sacred Books and Traditions of the Yezidis. Boston: Gorham Press.

Layard, A. H. (1849). Nineveh and its remains, with an account of a visit to the Chaldoean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis or Devil-worshippers. London: John Murray.

Lescot, Roger (1938). Enquete sur les Yezidis de Syrie et du Djebel Sindjaar. Beirut.

Menant, M. J. (1892). Les Yezidis. Paris: Ernest Leroux. "Yazidis" (1934). In The Encyclopedia of Islam, pp. 1163—1170. Leyden: E. J. Brill.

MARCELLO CHERCHI, STEPHANIE PLATZ, AND KEVIN TUITE