Cultural Practices and Semi-Nomadic Life Style in Hasanpasa (Tefenni) Village

Livestock activities have an important place in Turkish culture and economic structure. It began among Turks who were migrant settlers in the steppes of the Central Asia and continued in Anatolia where they migrated. Today migration-type lifestyle among Turks has changed but it still remains in different regions of Turkey. Burdur is one of these regions. The study was carried out in the village of Hasanpasa in Tefenni where semi-nomadic lifestyle based on sheep breeding still exists. Sheep breeding is carried out in winter in the stables in and around the village. During spring the sheep are fed in the highlands starting from the foothills of Rahat Mountain, which lies to the south and southwest of the village. Rahat Mountain has rich vegetation and highland areas which provide shepherds with an opportunity to carry out their economic activities. The semi-nomadic lifestyle that was developed within these conditions has been maintained in the village for many years and gained an important place in the cultural identity of the villagers. The aim of this study is to investigate semi-nomadic animal husbandry activities based on sheep breeding and cultural characteristics related to these activities. The study is designed with an ethnographic (cultural analysis) approach qualitative study. The purpose of the ethnographic studies is to define and interpret the culture of a particular group. In the study the related studies were reviewed. Then I made a field visit to Hasanpasa and the nearby area including Rahat Mountain. At this step, I made observations and interviews to collect qualitative data. In the study it is found that there are numerous cultural practices and activities closely related to the semi-nomadic lifestyle. Some of them are as follows: "coban ugurlamasi" which is sending off the shepherd who goes to the plateau engagement tradition took place at the plateau, and ceremonies like Yunum (Boget) and "koy katim" in which the sheep mate with the males. On the other hand, it is observed that interest in the semi-nomadic life decreases due to reasons such as rural-to-urban migration and young people s disinterest in sheepherding profession. Moreover, leads to decrease in the cultural activities in the village. Some suggestions have been presented for the preservation of this lifestyle that has been going on for centuries and its transmission to future generations in the study. First local authorities and non-governmental organizations should work to improve tourism activities by including these cultural elements in the activities. For instance, Yunum (Boget) ceremony should be celebrated as a fair supported with events such as concerts, folk dances and socio-cultural events (e.g. photo exhibitions). Event organizers can organize competitions for herds and the owners and give awards for winners in Yunum (Boget) ceremonies. "Coban ugurlamasi" (send oft) activity can be role-played as a tradition and visitors can join to watch and be a part of it. Finally, Yunum (Boget) ceremony should be made a part of the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.