An Assessment Of Camel Plays Based On Animal Imitations

Abstract

Beneath the surface of Anatolia's history lies a well-established tradition of plays. If we go way back, it is known these plays have mystical and ritualistic aspects. Over time, these plays have turned into theatrical plays binding the society together, entertaining and providing them a good time. In this study, "camel plays" carrying traces of the culture of camel breeding in many parts of Anatolia will be exemplified. Lifestyle in Anatolia bounded by the land and animal breeding emerges in the cultural identity and memory of society. This influence is spread across all areas with life styles and its impact on vocabulary. It is possible to identify this influence in daily life, traditions and oral cultural artifacts. Among oral cultural artifacts, camel plays are living traditional plays. During onsite surveys on the culture of camel breeding conducted, it is seen that camels had their part in many areas of life in past but in time, their numbers decreased and function within life evolved into wrestling therefore they remained for entertainment purposes only. In many parts of Anatolia, especially during winter months, festivals or wedding ceremonies, camel plays based on animal imitations are performed. The remarkable point in this study is that camel plays still exist within collective memory of society even in places camel breeding has long started to fade. Contribution of camel plays on the sustainability of culture derived as a result of literature scanning will be assessed in this study.