Rope halter production in small groups in the context of occupational folklore: The example of Ünye

A profession can be performed individually or as a group, requires education, knowledge and skills, and provides income by producing goods or services. Professions are very important for people in terms of its rules being determined and practiced by the society it belongs to. Occupational folklore, which is seen as an activity of professional folk groups, stands out as one of the research areas of folklore. In this context, the subject of this study is the rope-halter making profession, which is defined as a small group in Ünye district of Ordu province. This study constitutes the examination of the folkloric elements that the families who continue to produce rope and halter in the traditional way include; within the framework of their unique traditional expressions, cultural creation processes, performance environments and performers, within their professional folk lives. In order to determine the elements that affect the folklore of the profession, such as what changes and transformations the profession and its practitioners have undergone from past to present and what position the profession will be in terms of its future, information has been compiled by interviewing resources about the profession who reside in Ünye and those who do not. In the study, folklore theories and methods based on field research were used. In the first part, information was given about the subject, purpose, method and importance of the research. In the second part the history, physical environment, cultural structure and economic situation of Ünye district are explained and the study area is introduced. In the third chapter, the concepts, terms and definitions that are the subject of the study are explained in order to better understand the research. In the fourth chapter, information about the traditional methods, the raw materials, tools and construction techniques used in rope-halter production is given. In the fifth chapter, information about the traditional performance environments, performers and functions of the profession, compiled from source people through interviews and observations, is discussed from past to present. In the conclusion section, the current situation of the profession and its practitioners was evaluated in the light of the information obtained from the study field and recommendations and suggestions were made for the future situation.