Shamanistic Rituals to Âşıks Performances: Symbolism of Summoning Spirits
Religions May 27, 2024 Ünsal Yılmaz Yeşildal, Banu Güzelderen, Fatih Düzgün
Âşıks, Turkish improvisational poets, are seen as inheritors of shamanic functions, with poetic roles shifting from shamans to ozan (bards) and then to âşıks from the 15th–16th centuries. They share parallels with shamans in upbringing, development, and societal status. Âşıks honor deceased masters by reciting their works, a practice called “usta malı söylemek,” aiming to connect with ancestral spirits. This resembles shamans invoking spirits of departed ancestors for celestial and subterranean journeys. Interviews with 34 âşıks across Türkiye, analyzed via document analysis, found all were nurtured in a master–apprentice tradition. They consciously evoked masters’ spirits during performances, and while regional and age variations existed, reciting masters’ poems elevated spirits, and neglecting it was seen as potentially harmful to tradition, themselves, and their surroundings.