Music and musicianship in Camel wrestling rituals

Camel wrestling, a ritual affixed to a date on the calendar and seen in the western parts of Turkey from Canakkale to Antalya, is held at various places from December till end of the March every Sunday and has economic, cultural and social dimensions. After making references to the hierarchic character of life, to the statuses of manhood, to a prestige contest and to the world of values, and establishing and presenting life as 'just a game', it attaches itself to 'more than just a game'. Music, as in all other rituals, is a quintessential part of camel wrestling. Music is performed by 'Roman' and 'Abdal' musicians who have been professional musicians throughout history. Musicians, in this masculine atmosphere of camel wrestling, are predominantly male. There are a few female musicians, albeit in small numbers, who have come to the event together with male members of the family and perform masculine music. Furthermore, child musicians, who are the apprentices of their fathers or older members of the family, are a common sight at almost every wrestling event. Musicians, who are at the 'lower' strata of the social structure and are temporarily elevated to a 'higher' strata during the administration process of the rituals, perform various kinds of musical pieces. Among the ritual centered services rendered by them are taking the camels around as ritual announcers at a place rented from relevant authorities, performing the 'Koroglu Havasi', which has symbolic value during camel wrestling, at the entrance of the venue where the 'carpet night' is held for the owners of the camels and also provoking the animals into fighting via music during the rituals. Among the services rendered that are not related to rituals are performing music for the people at the rented tables and playing music for a fee under the name 'disco' frequently observed at camel wrestling rituals. Besides experiencing temporary status change, being hired to perform music in accordance with the wishes of the patrons in an environment that presents itself open to interventions also serves the role to preserve the status and to feed the prestige of the audience. İngilizce Anahtar Kelimeler: 1- Camel Wrestling 2- Ritual 3- Gypsies 4- Music 5- Professional Musicianship