Folk music, local dances and summer pasture festivals in rural areas of the Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey

Abstract

The Eastern Black Sea Region is located in the north-eastern corner of Turkey. The region is a mountainous area where livestock and transhumance have become important economic activities for rural population. The villagers move into the yayla (Yayla: a temporary settlement in mountain pastures; plural: yaylalar) during summer to find pasturage for their herds. People of the Eastern Black Sea Region, especially those living in rural areas, have to work very hard to make a living. Therefore, they have a very active and vibrant lifestyle. This lifestyle of the people has also made impact on the folk music and local dance. Yayla festivals have been celebrated traditionally for hundreds of years as part of the transhumance culture in the region. The aim of present study is to explore and understand the folk music, dances and festivals which are related each other in rural area of the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Qualitative research techniques have been used in the study. Keeping in view the aim of the research, qualitative data have collected through personal observations and in-depth interviews with fifteen people during summer and autumn 2010. Semistructured interview forms have been used to collect information during in-depth interviews. All of the collected data have been analyzed by descriptive analysis techniques.The findings of the research show that traditional yayla festivals of Eastern Black Sea Region, where local dances are played on folk music, are still continued. However, both the change in function of yaylas and transformation of yayla festivals into tourism product has threatened the unique cultural heritage in terms of degradation and extinction