Zeybek warriors and their eagle dance

[TheMagnificent]

Zeybeks

Zeybeks were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in the Aegean Region (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegean_Region) of the Ottoman Empire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire) from late 17th to early 20th centuries.
Before the establishment of the Republic of Turkey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Turkey), large concentrations of Zeybeks could be found in the Ionian coast of Asia Minor and more particularly in western Anatolia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia), near the city of Izmir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izmir).
They acted as protectors of village people against landlords, bandits and tax collectors. A leader of a Zeybek gang was called Efe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efe_(zeibek)) and his soldiers were known as either Zeybeks or Kızan. Kızan was generally used for newly recruited or inexperienced Zeybeks. There was generally a tribe democracy in group. Decisions were taken in a democratic way, after the decision was taken Efe has an uncontroversial authority. They followed definite rituals for all actions; for example, the promotion of a kızan to zeybek was very similar to Ahi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahi_Beylik) rituals.
Zeybeks had a special dance in which performers simulated hawks and eagles. Romantic songs about their bravery are still popular in Turkish folk music. The yatagan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yatagan) sword was their primary weapon, but most of them carried firearms as well.
The Zeybeks fought against the Greek invasion of Western Anatolia during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922. Their guerrilla warfare gave time for Turkish resistance to form a defense. After the formation of a Turkish national army, most of them joined and continued their resistance.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeibeks


Zeybek dance

The zeybek is a form of folk dance peculiar to Western, Central and southern Anatolia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia) in Turkey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey). It is named after the Zeybeks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeybeks).
All zeybek dances have a common characteristic form, but the positioning of the arms and body differ according to the different regions. The rhythm is also very characteristic, a pattern of nine slow beats: 9/4 = 2+2+2+3 beats or 3+2+2+2 with occasional variations.
Zeybek melodies can be divided according to their tempo: ağır (slow) and kıvrak (fast). The ağır zeybek have rhythmic patterns of 9/2 or 9/4, which begin with an introduction called gezinleme in free style where the dancers wander freely before starting to dance in time with the rhythm. There is, however, no gezinleme introduction in female zeybek dances. Kıvrak zeybek have rhythmic patterns of 9/8 or 9/16.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeybek_dance

Some nice examples of zeybek dance:

Yağar Yağmur Zeybeği
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Tavas Zeybeği
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Koca Arap Zeybeği
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Kostak Ali Zeybeği (solo)
a-Tp9MiZu30

Kostak Ali Zeybeği (group)
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Tekeler Zeybeği & Kostak Ali Zeybeği
29S5_1PuAMo

Maltepe Askeri Lisesi Zeybek Ekibi
s9BIBDkLhVM

http://th06.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/246/9/8/efelik_efendiliktir_artwork_by_utkugrafik_by_utkug rafik-d5deeqm.jpg

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4042/4294215220_60b574bf38_z.jpg?zz=1

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3598/3596980606_0ae3ec2d25_b.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3306/3596286769_9a3a801de8_b.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2726/4022947500_d0a97ed6b7_b.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2747/4022186069_de8ff126dd_b.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2600/3932005247_7c08ccce57_b.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3278/2804914195_f8242a9eeb_z.jpg

http://torbali.bel.tr/resimler/2012/08/efeler-konsere-cikacak.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eYjlQbItvKM/UIRiaOkj-mI/AAAAAAAABF8/VtaVND03ulU/s1600/efeler.jpg

http://www.dansatolyesi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/zeybekatolyesi.jpg

http://img02.imgfotokritik.com/fk_new/lowres/3/0/1/301337/1758705-top-oynayan-efeler.jpg

[Wild North]

Interesting! Were they a tribal group, originally? Original Turks? And if, did they preserve their ethnic purity for centuries?

[MfA_]

I was in folk team in highschool prep. We were doing doing similar figures like shown by Maltepe millitary.. It's quite magnific and vigorous, though the costumes they gave us were all same size and quite small :/

[Su]

Cok guzel :)

[Svipdag]

I notice a similarity between the Zeybek dances and some of the Hopi Kachina dances. Perhaps the similarity lies in the fact that they are both emulating eagles.



[FORTASSE] "DECIPIT FRONS PRIMA MVLTOS" - QVINTVS HORATIVS FLACCVS

[Onur]

Interesting! Were they a tribal group, originally? Original Turks? And if, did they preserve their ethnic purity for centuries?
Zeybeks was the Robin Hoods of Turkey because they were stealing rich people`s money and properties, giving it to the poor Turkish villagers. They became as some kind of heroes among them and thats why, these villagers composed folk songs for them. Thats how Zeybek music and dances has been born.

Their fate has been changed after the Greek invasion of Anatolia because when Turkey had no army between 1919-1921, these Zeybek groups was doing guerrilla warfare against the Greek army and they played a key role for the Turkish resistance. After Ataturk formed a new army, they joined him and fought as a soldiers too.

[Onur]

As a side note, Greeks also have this type of dance and they call it as "Zeybekiko"!

Zeybekiko is some kind of variation of Turkish zeybek dance of Aegean Anatolia. Anatolian immigrants brought this dance to Greece along with all the instruments and music style too. After that, they created a faster and more vibrant dance called "Sirtaki" by using zeybek dance figures as base.

The dance style of the famous movie "Zorba the Greek" is also a zeybek dance.

Greeks claims this music and dance as their own, like they claim for most of the Turkish stuff but their self-claimed Greek national dance is in fact a ripoff from Turkish zeybek.

[Su]

uY2YQPS2vo8

[TheMagnificent]

Thanks for the input, Onur; very informing.

Çakal Çökerten Zeybeği ('the zeybek that makes jackals kneel')
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İnce Hava Zeybeği
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İnce Hava Zeybeği, another great performance of the same zeybek
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Seymens, the Zeybeks of Central Anatolia:


Seymen

Seymen is the name of an irregular militia tradition in Central Anatolia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Anatolia_Region), not unlike Zeybeks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeibek) of the Aegean Anatolia.

Originally, Seymen was a rank in the Seljuk military, introduced at the time of the Battle of Manzikert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manzikert) in 1071. After their triumph, they became protectors of Turkish tribes who had started to settle all around Anatolia. They were the police force in Konya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konya) for a time, but after the Mongol Invasion, Seymens were disbanded. However, the Ottomans reintroduced Seymens in the 13th century.
In the Ottoman society, the Seymen tradition continued to exist as a paramilitary youth organization. They were known for their unique uniforms and arms.
During the Turkish Independence War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Independence_War), Seymens took up arms once again and fought against the invading forces. Ankara, the stronghold of Seymens, ultimately became the capital of the new Turkish republic.
The traditional Seymen dance, also associated with the province of Ankara (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankara_Province), is known as Misket (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misket).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymen

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hOWRgn9Pm6I

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Ankaral%C4%B1Seymenler.JPG

http://www.beytepeilkogretim.k12.tr/upload/newsa255.JPG

http://www.altindag.bel.tr/Reshims/FotoAlbum/seymen_3.jpg

http://asemmuzik.com.tr/images-akademik/2003/seymenoyunlari_clip_image002.jpg

http://www.cayyolu.com.tr/haber_resim/an%C4%B1tkabir_seymen.jpg

http://resim.ihlassondakika.com/441868.jpg

[Absinthe]

Greeks claims this music and dance as their own, like they claim for most of the Turkish stuff but their self-claimed Greek national dance is in fact a ripoff from Turkish zeybek.

http://www.ublvd.com/board/images/smilies/boo_hoo.jpg

[Cannabis Sativa]

http://www.ublvd.com/board/images/smilies/boo_hoo.jpg

Truth hurts huh sweetie?

[Absinthe]

Truth hurts huh sweetie?
Nagging hurts. :wink

[TheMagnificent]

Seymens welcoming Atatürk to Ankara
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[Onur]

Nagging hurts. :wink
Well, if you Greeks wouldn't try to monopolize these cultural elements by absurdly claiming like "these are ancient hellenic dances", then neither me nor any Turkish guy would say anything to you. If you are getting hurt about this, it`s because of you Greeks again.


Here is a Greek band playing the famous Zeybek song "Izmir`in kavakları", composed around 1890s, in the name of a famous Zeybek rebel named "Çakırcalı Mehmet efe". Greeks calls the song as "Tsakitzis" as Çakırcalı in Turkish;
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87ak%C4%B1rcal%C4%B1_Mehmet_Efe

[Queen B]

Truth hurts huh sweetie?

Its stupidity that hurts, actually.
Sirtaki is a faster version of Hasapiko. Hasapiko was brought by the Greeks of Constantinopole, and it has its roots in Byzantine empire.

Even Zeimpekikos isn't a turkish dance. Its even more ancient than Hasapiko/Sirtaki, and it dates back to antiquity. (Zeu - Zeus, Mpekos - bread )

It was also called as the dance of the eagle, due the similarity to Eagle's movemnts. (Eagle - the holy bird of Zeus )

But nice try, anyway :cool:

[Su]

RIP Ataturk ve Zeybek:

44AngAbUO4c

[Onur]

Absinth, you sent me a rep. comment like "blahblah..." and Dandelion here immediately responded here. Read this one to see the real blablabla;

Sirtaki is a faster version of Hasapiko. Hasapiko was brought by the Greeks of Constantinopole, and it has its roots in Byzantine empire.

Even Zeimpekikos isn't a turkish dance. Its even more ancient than Hasapiko/Sirtaki, and it dates back to antiquity. (Zeu - Zeus, Mpekos - bread )

It was also called as the dance of the eagle, due the similarity to Eagle's movemnts. (Eagle - the holy bird of Zeus )


Now Absinth, you see what i meant? She connected the Zeybek dance with Zeus and his holy bird and Sirtaki with Byzantine era :D:picard1:

But ofc no need to ask her like if these dances comes from Zeus, then why all the terminology she mentioned is pure Turkish like "Hasapiko, Kasap havası, zeybek". Now i wonder if Zeus was speaking Turkish too? Maybe Zeus was playing davul, zurna and dancing Tsiftetelli with Aphrodite too? Is that so Absinth?

[Absinthe]

Well I've given you my opinion and here it is once more:

Since Greeks and Turks have had a very long period of cultural interaction as well as a 400 year period of living "under the same roof" so to speak, a lot of cultural elements are a result of the interaction of the two and one cannot say today whether they are "Greek" or "Turkish" are they are, imo, both and neither at the same time.

I have no special interest myself in discovering teh tr00 origins of Zeybek/iko. But I am very entertained as to how you keep nagging, frequently unprovoked, about Greeks, in every single thread there is, like a bitter old lady. You need more fun in your life, me thinks. :wink

[Hayalet]

To be fair, the word, zeybek, has an unclear etymology. But "Zeus bread" seems a bit forced to me as well. :icon_cheesygrin:

[Queen B]

Now Absinth, you see what i meant? She connected the Zeybek dance with Zeus and his holy bird and Sirtaki with Byzantine era :D:picard1:

But ofc no need to ask her like if these dances comes from Zeus, then why all the terminology she mentioned is pure Turkish like "Hasapiko, Kasap havası, zeybek". Now i wonder if Zeus was speaking Turkish too? Maybe Zeus was playing davul, zurna and dancing Tsiftetelli with Aphrodite too? Is that so Absinth?

Onur, YOU started this thread, and YOU first mentioned Greeks, to discard anything related to Greeks.
Now you cry out loud because I responded to your sayings? You irrelevantly connected zeybekiko with Sirtaki, when in fact is connected with Hasapiko.

So, the etymology is what it makes it Turkish or Greek? So, because of ''Zeybek'' and ''Hasap'' they must be Turkish right?

According to this, surtaki is Greek, because its a Greek word...
Then Hasapiko, which was also called as makelarikkos (makelaris -> Butcher) ,dating back in Byzantine era, is also Greek then :tongue

Your words:D


Enjoy ''your dances''

[Queen B]

I have no special interest myself in discovering teh tr00 origins of Zeybek/iko. But I am very entertained as to how you keep nagging, frequently unprovoked, about Greeks, in every single thread there is, like a bitter old lady. You need more fun in your life, me thinks. :wink
No Greek starts so many threads, and no Greek responds to debate.
Its Onur that always derails the threads, or making his known comments ''But Greeks'' and ''Greeks that'' in every single thread.

But I agree on your characterisation. Bitter old lady. Reminds me of the spinsters that they always bother about you, because you have a life, and they don't :D

[Onur]

Since Greeks and Turks have had a very long period of cultural interaction as well as a 400 year period of living "under the same roof" so to speak, a lot of cultural elements are a result of the interaction of the two and one cannot say today whether they are "Greek" or "Turkish" are they are, imo, both and neither at the same time.
No Absinth, Dandelion convinced me this time. As she said, this must be from Zeus.

I strongly believe that this song was the tune between Hera and Zeus during their special nights in Olympia;
zkt47_-cXhw

[Queen B]

No Absinth, Dandelion convinced me this time. As she said, this must be from Zeus.

I strongly believe that this song was the tune between Hera and Zeus during their special nights in Olympia;


Noone mentioned tsifteteli, Einstein. Its obvious that this was danced in Harems, by the eunouchs and their lovers :D

[Cannabis Sativa]

Now Absinth, you see what i meant? She connected the Zeybek dance with Zeus and his holy bird and Sirtaki with Byzantine era :D:picard1:


Thanks to Skies, they have never seen Semah yet. If they saw, they would probably think that those people are probably worshipping Zeus with Falcon figures. :D

[TheMagnificent]

İki Parmak Zeybeği
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[Onur]

I had this in my youtube favorites. It`s music only but it`s awesome;

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[Svipdag]

It would be so nice if we could have a simple discussion of ethnic folkways
which DIDN'T degenerate into an interethnic squabble. Too many threads are not only getting far off topic, biut they are turning into exchanges of vulgar personal insults which are prohibited by the Rules of this forum. Where are the moderators ?

One thing is sure: the argumentum ad hominem is not dead. It is alive and flourishing on the Apricity !


"O TEMPORA O MORES" - MARCVS TVLLIVS CICERO

[Ice]

islamoglu zeybek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I0GGrQGprI

[Petros Houhoulis]

Zeybeks was the Robin Hoods of Turkey because they were stealing rich people`s money and properties, giving it to the poor Turkish villagers. They became as some kind of heroes among them and thats why, these villagers composed folk songs for them. Thats how Zeybek music and dances has been born.

Their fate has been changed after the Greek invasion of Anatolia because when Turkey had no army between 1919-1921, these Zeybek groups was doing guerrilla warfare against the Greek army and they played a key role for the Turkish resistance. After Ataturk formed a new army, they joined him and fought as a soldiers too.

You know that the real Robin Hood was actually opposing the British Monarch or rather his replacement while the king was crusading, while the Turkish "Robin Hoods" seem to have been hired by the Ottoman Sultan in order to steal from his Christian subjects and not allow them to gain wealth and power while the stupid Muslims were fading away as a relic of the past, don't you?

As far as the use of irregular troops by the Ottoman government, their role and actions have been rather well documented:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bashi-bazouk


A bashi-bazouk or bashibazouk (Turkish başıbozuk, or delibaş, literally "damaged head", meaning "free headed", "leaderless", "disorderly") was an irregular soldier of the Ottoman army. They were particularly noted for their lack of discipline.

Although Turkish armies always contained bashi-bazouk adventurers as well as regular soldiers, the strain on the Ottoman feudal system caused mainly by the Empire's wide expanse required heavier reliance on irregular soldiers. They were armed and maintained by the government, but did not receive pay and did not wear uniforms or distinctive badges. They were motivated to fight mostly by expectations of plunder.[4] Though the majority of troops fought on foot, some troops (called akinci) rode on horseback. Because of their lack of discipline, they were incapable of undertaking major military operations, but were useful for other tasks such as reconnaissance and outpost duty. However, their uncertain temper occasionally made it necessary for the Turkish regular troops to disarm them by force.[3]...

...The bashi-bazouk were notorious for being brutal and undisciplined, thus giving the term its second, colloquial meaning of "undisciplined bandit" in many languages. A notable example of this use is in the comic series The Adventures of Tintin, where the word is often used as an expletive by Captain Haddock.
Their use was abandoned by the end of the 19th century. However, self-organized bashi-bazouk troops still appeared later.
The term "bashibozouk" has also been used for a mounted force, existing in peacetime in various provinces of the Ottoman empire, which performed the duties of gendarmerie.

One of the main reason there were many genocides within the Ottoman empire has to do with the use of irregular troops who were fighting in order to plunder and rape the unfortunate subjects of the Sultan who had the bright idea to rebel against the Sultans' despotic rule... In contrary the East Roman empire which preceded the Ottomans did not make use of ordinary bandits. The troops had to be payed instead of looting the land with some exceptions when campaigning in enemy territory and a few stupid Roman rulers who disobeyed the Roman laws and customs, at least temporarily.

As for the way the Zeybek music and dances were born, we can be sure that they come from local customs and dances predating the Ottoman empire, and we can rule out any relation between the really Turkish customs of Central Asia and those local customs...

[Petros Houhoulis]

As a side note, Greeks also have this type of dance and they call it as "Zeybekiko"!

Zeybekiko is some kind of variation of Turkish zeybek dance of Aegean Anatolia. Anatolian immigrants brought this dance to Greece along with all the instruments and music style too. After that, they created a faster and more vibrant dance called "Sirtaki" by using zeybek dance figures as base.

The dance style of the famous movie "Zorba the Greek" is also a zeybek dance.

Greeks claims this music and dance as their own, like they claim for most of the Turkish stuff but their self-claimed Greek national dance is in fact a ripoff from Turkish zeybek.

Of course this music and dance are our own. We had customs, dances and civilization long before the Turks arrived in modern Turkey, and all of the modern Turkish dances originate from our dances from before the Turkish arrival. Of course dances evolve over time, but you have to bare in mind that when those "Zeybekiko" dances evolved the Aegean coastline of Turkey was still full of Greeks... It is more likely to suggest that the entire modern Turkish culture is a ripoff of the Medieval East Roman cultures, with Greek prominently among them, and not at all related to their original Central Asian Turkish culture...

[Proto-Shaman]

Stop murdering linguistics, Altoy.

[TheMagnificent]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvizEV8rG3w


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kjLSyeb1ek