Kurdish Culture - 1870 Words

Kurdish Culture Anita Palomo Anthropology 101 Mr. Steven Sager January 21, 2013 Kurdish Culture The Kurdish people are an indigenous ethnic minority found in the country of Iraq, also in parts of Turkey, North West Iran and smaller areas of North East Syria and Armenia. Ethnically parallel to the Iranians, the Kurds in the past traditionally nomadic herders but are currently mostly seminomadic. The majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims. The Kurds are the most populated ethnic group in the world that does not have their own independent country. The Kurds, one day may become independent, but there are still numerous issues that are unresolved in a region saturated with war and disagreements over coveted natural resources (oil). Prior to the†¦show more content†¦Everyone does whatever they can to resolve any conflicts or misunderstandings that may be carried from the year before. Even though most Kurds are no longer nomads, they continue to celebrate important dates associated with that way of life. These include lambing time, celebration before moving the herds to summer p astures, shearing time, and the time of return to the village in the fall. Islamic holidays vary in importance among individual Kurds. The Kurdish nation is very proud of its extravagantly rich oral literature, such as poems, tales, songs, and proverbs. Story-telling, is a highly valued form of communication within the Kurdish culture. The Kurdish language is very different from Arabic and Turkish Languages. There are two major dialects in the Kurdish language, Kurmanji and Dimili-Gurani. These dialects most likely were passed down orally There is no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and music mostly performed in night gatherings is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs are epic in nature, such as the popular lawiks which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes of the past like Saladin. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autumn. Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratoryShow MoreRe latedEssay on How Culture Impacted on Kurdish Community Mental Health590 Words   |  3 PagesCulture is an experience, knowledge, values, beliefs, religion, notions of time, spatial relations, attitudes, meanings, concepts of the world, hierarchies, and possessions acquired by a community in the course of generations. Culture is a part of every human being. It does not matter where someone was born or lived. Every single human being is surrounded by culture that effects his or her life. Culture influence our beliefs, expectations, norms and how someone will think and act. 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