Tetritsqali Alpine Settlement (Yaylas): An Authentic Monument of Georgian Identity in Turkey

Abstract

For Georgians living in Turkey, the markers of self-identification comprise shared historical memory, cultural identity, spiritual connection to certain historical territories, and traditional ethnocultural heritage. These markers are especially well preserved in areas where Georgians live in compact settlements and in communities that have not undergone displacement. While ancestral traditions persist to some degree across all regions, the seasonal cattle-breeders’ summer settlements – yaylas – remain particularly notable for preserving core elements of traditional ethnoculture. Here, a distinctive cultural microcosm has developed, within which collective memory has preserved Georgian ethnocultural values and the defining attributes of Georgian national identity with remarkable completeness. The paper explores the traditional life and activities of the yaylas which, exemplified by the Tetritsqali Alpine Settlement, remain remarkably similar to those in their historical homeland.

The Tetritsqali summer pastures serve as seasonal settlements for the inhabitants of the Devskeli Valley villages – Araveti, Devskeli, Bagini, Shuakhevi, and others. The Devskeli Valley begins on the Karchkhali Ridge and merges with the Chorokhi River near Borchkha. Each village in the valley has its own “mountain” (yayla), where herders drive their cattle during the summer months. The care of the livestock and the processing of dairy products are overseen by a meshorde (female herder).

Even after living for many years within a foreign political, economic, and sociocultural environment, the indigenous Georgians have retained their ethnic self-identification and the core markers of national identity. Their language, customs, oral traditions, and rituals, as well as key elements of material and spiritual culture, have been preserved to a remarkable degree in this community. These include the entirely archaic type of dwelling – the thatched jargvaluri house with a skylight in the roof, an earthen floor, and a hearth (ojakh); wooden structures used for storing firewood; livestock-related customs; weaving traditions; traditional forms of mutual labor assistance; Georgian gastronomic culture. Other significant elements comprise the customs of ziarati (pilgrimage) and memkhlioba/menkhlioba (kinship ties); legends and rituals associated with Marsklava Lake; and the festival of Shuanoba/Marioba, notable for its distinctive features (horse-shoeing, door-to-door collection of food, ritual washing in the waters of Tetritsqali, perkhuloba (collective festivity), singing, horse racing, improvisational verse contests, samoba dancing, and more). Most importantly, many of these rituals have survived in nearly unchanged, archaic forms, allowing for an authentic reconstruction of ancient Georgian beliefs, concepts, and ritual practices