This article deals
with the importance of taking the ‘ocak’ (family) system into account on the studies
about the tradition or the ‘ocak’s and groups that are called as Alevi. Today
the tradition that is called as Alevi have a traditional
structure which constitutes an ‘ocak’ system. As a matter of fact, the examples that are widespread in Anatolia such
as; Ağuçan, Baba Mansur, Hacı Bektaş, Dede Garkın, Hasan Dede, Keçeci Baba,
Hubyar, Şücaaddin Veli etc. make the matter clear. All the ‘ocak’s named
Alevi have chains of authorities (silsilahs or shajaras) and they
are also affiliated with various Sufi orders. These differences are the main
reason for the emergence of some differences about main elements among the
members of the Alevi tradition. Depending on these differences, different
understandings and practices have emerged in the acceptance of “Haq, Muhammad,
Ali”, four doors and forty levels, manners and ceremonies/etiquettes, books
about Alevi manners and ceremonies/etiquettes, ‘cem’s , ‘semah’s, mystical poems (deyiş) and musical ballads (nefes)
recited during cems, social institutions such as ‘musahiblik’. The fact
of organization that emerged with urbanization was formed in a framework
centered on Ocak system. For this reason, it is very important that all studies
about Alevi traditions and their members to take the ‘ocak’ system into account
for producing healthy results. This is actually a reality that is often
expressed in tradition: “One path, a
thousand-one practices.”
Summary
This article deals
with the importance of taking account of the ‘ocak’ (family) system on the
studies about the tradition or the ‘ocak’s and groups that are called as Alevi.
The
expression of “Alevî Tradition” in the title of the article means the
conception shaped in the context of sufi life of the ‘ocak’s and groups that are called as Alevi. While the word “ocak”s expresses
the traditional structure which is the topic of our article, the word “groups” expresses
the affiliation
in the context of organization within the framework of different understandings
arising due to urbanization.
The tradition that is
called as Alevi today is traditionally based on structure which constitutes an
‘Ocak’ system.
It
is important for our subject that “Ocak” includes the meaning of “clan,
lineage, family in addition to it’s the meaning in Sufism. Among the Alevi
called groups, the term “Ocak” and its system refers to the families of the
grandfathers, who lead manners
and ceremonies/etiquettes, considered as members of the holy
lineages (Sayyid, believed to be descended from Ahl al-Bayt ) and people of
miracles, and the organizations formed around these families. Among the members
of the Alevi tradition, every ‘dede’ and a ‘talib’ (disciple) belong to an
“Ocak”.
Alevi
called communities have been organized around the main “Ocak”s or head “Ocak”s,
which are traditionally known as Metbu Ocak, and have carried this “Ocak”
system to the present day by forming sub“Ocak”s connected to the main “Ocak”.
As a matter of fact, the examples that are
widespread in Anatolia such as; Ağuçan, Baba Mansur, Hacı Bektaş, Dede Garkın,
Hasan Dede, Keçeci Baba, Hubyar, Şücaaddin Veli etc.make the matter clear.
In this context, the word “Alevi” has been used as
a parent naming for groups like
Bektashis, Erdebil Sufiyan Süreği Talibleri (Kızılbash), Tahtacıs, Hubyars,
Dede Garkınlıs, Ağu İçens, Baba Mansurlus, Keçeci Babalıs, Kureyşanlıs,
Sinemilis etc.
These
“Ocak”s are named after the names of people who are considered as guardian/ saint of a lineage/tribe or “Ocak”. The
historical background of this is that the nomadic tribes, who settled in the
soil to form villages, emerged as groups of dervishes.
According to data obtained by the studies on this
subject there are five main elite groups (ana ocaks) among Alevis namely Hacı
Bektâş Ocağı, Dede Garkın Ocağı, Baba Mansur Ocağı, Avuçan/Ağuçan
Ocağı ve Hasan Dede Ocağı
and several sub-groups affiliated with them. It is suitable to give the main
elite group of Hacı Bektaş and its sub-groups as an example to better
understand the structure of main body and affiliated sub-groups. Sultan
Samıt, Güvenç Abdal, Koçu Baba, Hüseyin Gazi, Seyit Cemal Sultan, Şeyh/Işık
Çakır, Sarı İsmail and Kızıldeli (Seyit Ali Sultan) are the sub-groups that are
affiliated with Hacı Bektaş.
All the these Ocaks have chains of authorities (silsilahs
or shajaras) and they were also affiliated with various Sufi orders.
These differences are the main reason for the emergence of some differences
about main elements among the members of the Alevi tradition. Depending on
these differences, different understandings and practices have emerged in the
acceptance of “Haq, Muhammad, Ali”, four doors and forty levels, manners and
ceremonies/etiquettes, books about Alevi manners and ceremonies/etiquettes, ‘Cem’s , ‘semah’s, mystical poems (deyiş) and musical ballads (nefes) recited during cems, social
institutions such as ‘musahiblik’.
These groups maintained their existence in some way or
another by having connections with movements like Vefaiyya, Kalenderîyya and
Haydarîyya. In addition to this, they were also affiliated with various Sufi
orders such as “Abdal order”, “Ak̲h̲ī
order”, “Malami order” and “Uwaysi order”.
All Alevi groups still have
a formation constituted from metbu lodge (the lodge of the main elite
group) and its other smaller lodges based on the system of main elite group and
sub-groups affiliated with it. For instance according to the records, the lodge
which is said to be connected to main body of Dede Garkın is currently in
village of Dedeköy in the town of Derik. There is a lodge known as Şeyh Safî or
Karadirek connected to Şah İbrahim Velî among the sub-groups affiliated with
Dede Garkın in Malatya Hekimhan Mezirme (Ballıkaya) that is considered as the
center of this group. There are two lodges as part of İbrahim Hacı Obası, which
is affiliated with the main body of Şah İbrahim Velî, one in the village of
Kesik Viran near Sarıoğlan and another in the town of Karaözü of Sarıoğlan.
The
naming of mystical poems (deyiş) and musical ballads (nefes) recited during cems to exhilarate as “deyiş” ve “nefes”, shows the
difference of Ocak.
The different perspectives about Musâhiblik, as it
is perceived as achieving privilege by Bektâşîs, as manners and ceremonies needed for entrance to a sufi order by some other “Ocak”s and as making brotherhood covenants of the
families who enter to sufi order by other “Ocak”s are clear evidence that the
these different “Ocak”s originates from
their different mystical traditions and different conceptions.
However, the radical changes
experienced due to modernity, secularization, industrialization, urbanization,
specialization, migration etc. have radically shaken the social corporate
structures like Dedelik, Düşkünlük and Musahiblik etc.
In parallel to the
socio-economic developments in Turkey, “ocak”s and groups named Alevî moved to
cities, they were organized under endowments and associations which they have
founded in the cities.
The fact of organization that emerged with urbanization was formed in a
framework centered on Ocak system. For this reason, it is very important that
all studies about Alevi traditions and their members to take the Ocak system
into account for producing healthy results. This is actually a reality that is
often expressed in tradition: “One path,
a thousand-one practices.”
Bu
çalışmada Alevî nitelemeli gelenek ya da ocak ve gruplar hakkında yapılacak çalışmalarda
ocak sisteminin dikkate alınmasının önemi ele alınmaktadır. Bugün itibariyle daha çok Alevî ismiyle
anılan gelenek, geleneksel olarak ocak sistemine dayanmaktadır. Nitekim
Anadolu’da yaygın olarak varlığı devam eden Ağuçan, Baba Mansur, Hacı Bektaş,
Dede Garkın, Hasan Dede, Keçeci Baba, Hubyar, Şücaaddin Veli vb. örnekler bu
hususu açıkça ortaya koymaktadır. Söz
konusu ocakların her biri farklı silsilelere ve tasavvufî gelenek mensubiyetine
sahiptir. Alevî nitelemeli gelenek mensupları arasında bu geleneğe rengini
veren ana unsurlarda dahi bazı farklılıkların ortaya çıkmasının temel nedeni söz
konusu bu farklılıklardır. Bu farklılıklara bağlı olarak Hakk, Muhammed, Ali
kabulü, dört kapı kırk makam anlayışları, yürütülen âdâb ve erkân, söz konusu
âdâb ve erkâna dair eserler, cemler, semahlar, cemlerde ve semahlarda okunan
deyiş ve nefesler, musâhiblik gibi toplumsal kurumlar vb. farklı anlayış ve
uygulamalar ortaya çıkmıştır. Şehirleşmeyle ortaya çıkan örgütlenme gerçeği de başlangıçta
yine ocak merkezli bir çerçevede teşekkül etmiştir. Bu itibarla Alevî gelenek
ve mensupları hakkında yürütülecek bütün çalışmaların ocak sitemini dikkate
alması sağlıklı sonuçlar için son derece önemlidir. Bu gereklilik aslında
gelenekte sıkça dile getirilen bir gerçekliğin de gereğidir: “Yol bir, sürek
bin birdir.”
Kıymetli Hocalarım, Bütün emekleriniz için çok teşekkürler. Kolaylıklar diliyorum.
Primary Language | Turkish |
---|---|
Subjects | Religious Studies |
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 31, 2019 |
Submission Date | December 16, 2019 |
Acceptance Date | December 26, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019Volume: 12 Issue: 2 |
_____________________________________ ISSN 1309-5803 e-Makâlât Mezhep Araştırmaları Dergisi _______________________________