Abstract:

Established in 1946, and consisting of 191 member countries including Turkey, UNESCO has recorded Emine Karadayı, from the Sarıkeçili Yoruks, in the "Living Human Treasures National Inventory of Turkey" prepared by the General Directorate of Research and Education of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in the field of natural dyeing and weaving. Emine Karadayı, born in 1965 in Mersin/Gülnar, is an illiterate but award-winning weaving and natural dyeing master who weaves sacks reflecting the cultural values of traditional Yoruk life. This study examined the sack weavings of Karadayı, an award-winner in the categories of weaving and natural dyeing within the scope of intangible cultural heritage, and the Sarıkeçili Yoruk life, which are at risk of disappearing. The motif, pattern, and composition applications of the weavings carry traces of Yoruk life and culture. The Yoruk lifestyle, culture, and handcrafts are at risk of extinction in recent years. In this study, sacks still in use in Yoruk life were examined in terms of pattern, color, and composition characteristics. The Sarıkeçili Yoruk have named a large portion of the sacks they use as Alaçuval. The sack weavings examined in this study have been grouped by names such as Topakyanışlı, kirmenli, koçboynuzlu, sandıklı, alaca, pıtraklı according to their patterns; flour sack, clothes sack, food sack according to their usage areas; and Wool, Coarse, and Black sack according to the materials used.