Yörük - Kinship



Kin Groups and Descent. The term "Yörük" denotes membership by patrilineal descent in an ashiret or a kabile, usually glossed as "tribe" or "clan," according to context. Descent ideology refers to the common descent of all Yörük tribes without specifying a single ancestral figure nor the linkages among various tribes. Most Yörük agree that there were twelve core or original tribes; there are many more tribes today, and Yörük differ greatly as to which of these are among the original twelve. What is termed a "tribe" has little or no political significance today but is important as a social referent and as a source of personal identity. Mahale, or suhle, designates subdivisions within the tribe (lineages); at this level, genealogical reckoning is much more precise, and economic and social interaction among members is more significant. The term aile refers to family within the context of patrilineal descent and is often coterminous with the household. There is a strong sense of family honor; one important but unnamed grouping is that circle of close patrilineal relatives who are expected to rally to the defense of—or exact vengeance for—a wronged kinsperson. Economic and social interaction is most intense among patrikin. It includes arrangements for selling milk and producing cheese, processing and marketing wool, and the like.

Kinship Terminology. Normal Sudanese terminology is used, as is the case throughout Turkey. The relative ages of siblings are indicated in terms of address; kin terms are widely employed as terms of address to signify age and/or status differentials.


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