Game and hunting in Turkish culture from past to present

In this study titled Game and Hunting in Turkish Culture from Past to Present, the place of hunting in world history and its situation in Turkish history and culture were discussed. The aim of this study is to examine in depth the place of Turkish hunting in Turkish culture from history to the present in the light of the information obtained. In this regard, information in historical written sources is one of the basic data sources. In addition, the information obtained by interviewing the resource persons who keep the Turkish hunting tradition and culture alive is the second main data source for the study. One of the aims of the study is to define the Turkish hunting culture in general terms, which lives in today's oral culture, by evaluating the information obtained from these two basic data sources. The study consists of six main sections. In the first part, information was given about hunting and basic concepts related to hunting, hunting animals, hunting weapons and basic hunting techniques, as well as the development stages of hunting in world history. In the second part, the status of hunting in Turkish culture was discussed. The main purposes and functions of hunting in historical Turkish culture, the hunting weapons used, hunting techniques and tactics, the beliefs that developed regarding hunting, and the rituals and practices formed around these beliefs were included. In other chapters, the situation of hunting in today's Turkish oral culture was discussed from various aspects. In this context, field work was carried out. This field work was carried out in two main areas. The information obtained from the source persons using face-to-face interview and focus interview methods in the Aegean Region, which is the central study area, was examined in terms of oral and written Turkish culture. The data obtained were compared with the information in the second part of the study. Thus, the connection between today's Turkish hunting culture and the old Turkish hunting culture was examined. Additionally, hunting-related beliefs and practices in Turkish hunting culture were evaluated from a functional perspective. The second main area of the field study was two provinces from each of the six geographical regions in Turkey. The data obtained from the surveys conducted with at least ten people from these provinces were analyzed with the SPSS program. The analysis results were used to determine whether the information obtained from face-to-face interviews was also available in other regions outside the Aegean Region. Again, this information was evaluated as preliminary information for future studies on the subject.