"KEEP ME SAFE, MY TALISMAN ..."
January 23, 2018 | 09:33 |818
The Central State Archive of Turkmenistan is the largest repository of historical documents. Many of them are evidence of the antiquity and originality of the culture of the Turkmen people. For example, notes of ethnographic expeditions of the early XXth century, describing decorative and applied art, associated with beliefs in the forces of nature, and with the first ideas of a person about the world around him. One of such objects of scientific study was the manufacture, explanation and use of amulets-dougas in the Turkmen lifestyle.Vladimir ZAREMBO
Here are some fragments from the notes of the participants of the ethno expeditions. Stylistics and spelling of documents are preserved.
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"The inhabitants of the aul of Hasan-Kuli (now Esenguly, ed.) are fishermen-yomuds, excellent seafarers, plowing the Caspian Sea in all directions on their boats. Aul strikes with its clean appearance and the neat, albeit small, streets. ... The nets and ligaments of dried fish, hanging near the houses, add to the true picture of a fishing village. In search of the amulets belonging to the sea, we found amulets - "douga", located in fishing boats. They are placed in the bow of the boat - "tomaz", in a special decorated place with an inscription from the Koran. The amulet has seeds of wheat, salt and coal, as symbols of life and death. On both sides of the boat in the edges of its skeleton - "eret" there is also a "douga" for guardian angels - "pereshta" (Turkmen "perishdeh" - ed.).
On the Shih spit in the Tazebar aul the doors of the tents have a "douga" of various shapes. Of particular interest were the following: the dougas from the root of the steppe acacia "seden", made in the form of a small doll, the head of which was a ball of blue cloth with salt and charcoal - for the longevity of children; a bag of land from Mecca - "mekkennyn tofri"; triangular douga "salanchak", hung on cradles - to protect the newborn from the evil eye; beads of light blue, blue and green, strung on a black and white rope "aladzha" - an amulet-charm from evil forces; skillfully carved rosary of salmon vertebrae, considered by the coastal Turkmen as "the most free fish".
In the same aul we were present at the completion of the construction of a new boat. The whole village participated in turning the boat upside down for its final finishing. Then each participant of the ceremony threw a handful of sand into the boat as a sign of general joy and received a piece of churek. In the end, the oldest woman of the village, who touched the edges of the boat with her own hands, as if wanting a boat of a long life, was brought to the end.
In the village of Dahart, we drew attention to the "duz torba" - a carpet bag of very beautiful work for salt, intended for a girl getting married. In another tent on the "tyunuk bug" - a rope serving to secure the top of the tent, "mutton bones" hung for happiness in a better world. Bones were taken from a ram, sacrificed at the festival of Kurban-Bayram;
Of the amulets seen in the village of Kara-gel (Cheleken Island), the following are of interest: an amulet in the form of a silver tube with a prayer inside - "tumar" worn on the belt or on the chest; douga in the form of a little book-Heikelche; douga worn on the shoulder - "geridi-doga"; the quadrangular douga, worn on the hand - "kol douga"; douga made of silver in the form of a bow and arrow, hung on the back of the child (the boy) - "ok kai" - from the evil eye.
In the village of Kara-gel we got acquainted with the master of boats Aman-Khoja-Atam-ogly, who at that time was drawing the draft of the future boat on the sand. With a hatchet, nails, a rope and a Persian measure of length, he calculates a boat drawing of any load capacity and was considered to be the master trustworthy among the yomuds (the Turkmen tribe name - ed.).
Yomud women wear a necklace with a dark-green stone "aal" from Mecca, which, according to belief, helps from bleeding, and an amulet from the grass "dagdan", also found in goklins (the name of the Turkmen tribe - ed.).
One sailor from Hasan-Kuli, Saspar-Klych, in Krasnovodsk (now the city of Turkmenbashi - ed.) told about an amulet "harkur" consisting of two pebbles - one round and the other with a hollow. A round pebble must be inserted into the groove of the other - then the hatred for you of another person will pass forever.
In Jebel, on the shoulders and back of the children's dressing gown are sewn three embroidered triangles "olpak". It is also believed that the wolf's paw facilitates rheumatic pain and fever.
In the old Chardjou (nowadays the city of Turkmenabat - ed.) as an amulet people use the "dolon ochag" - a little lamb bone with black and white woolen threads, with beads "goz monjuk" hanging on the ends. For the same purpose, a piece of dough is threaded onto a string of "aladzha" and put on the neck of the child, or hung on the cradle.
In one of the tents we saw eight empty eggshells hung in the children's corner - "for the health of the newborn." Eggs were prepared in ritual food - "govurma yumurtga" - fried eggs on melted lard with onions, eaten by the mother of the child and her close women."
At the mazar of Saint Ali, passers-by stopped to attach a piece of cloth on the shaft with the request enclosed in it, or after a sick child has touched it. Here we met two dervishes, extremely colorful: in pointed caps wrapped in turbans, and with trunks tightly bound with leopard skins."
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... The centuries pass through time, but the faith of people in the miraculous power of talismans remains. Amulets can still be seen today on young girls and elderly women, in towns and villages.
They, just as many centuries ago, are sewed to the garment of babies in the hope that talismans used by distant ancestors will protect a small life from diseases, that even a tiny bead in which faith in luck is embedded will help the ship to overcome difficulties in its distant wanderings. Faith is a great power.
Yes this is indeed so. Although it would be fair to note that some see it as a tribute to fashion. However, the overwhelming majority of modern Turkmen touchingly cares for talismans as an immutable respect for the heritage of distant ancestors.
