Fisherwoman folklore: The example of İzmir and Muğla

Fisherwomen who practice deep sea fishing with small and medium size fishing boats in Mugla and Izmir provinces of the Coastal Aegean Region constitute the focal point of this research project. The complitaion process has taken place in these three provinces, as well as 5 districts and 3 villages under their jusrisdiction. 20 days were spent for compliling purposes in Izmir, where the research team resides. The archieve has been created with the contributions of 44 human subjects interviewed in the above-listed cities, and consists of 13 hours of video footage, 8 hours of voice recording, and 3962 photography. Women make up 30 of this human subjecr group, and have various occupations such as fish net making, fish net repairing, mussel selling, and direct fish sale. In addition, some fisherwomen have secondary jobs including hostel management, farming and boat tours. Interviews have generall been conducted with fisherwomen in the 50-60 age range. The objective of this project is to examine fisherwomen's sea and fishing related oral culture products, pre, mid and post-fishing trip ritual and supersitious exercises to increase the amounf of fish caught, and to be protected from the evil-eye and bad weather conditions as well as the master-apprentice relation as a method of teaching the job to younger women. This project also includes fisherwomen's sea and fishing activities related cultural lives, beliefs and traditions, accounds of fishermen in regard to how the occupational and cultural elements of fishing is changing over time based on social gender norms, and oral culture products such as stories, legends, anectores, folktales, proverbs, idioms, encouragements and imprecations. Keywords: Fisherwomen, Occupational Folklore, Coastal Aegean, Izmir, Mugla.