Ink-redible! Shop in Turkey revives traditional Kurdish tattoo made with breast milk

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In the city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey, a local female entrepreneur opened up a shop to keep alive a Kurdish traditional and unique tattoo technique called deq.

Deemed culturally significant in the hearts of many Kurdish women, deq dates back to the 6th century, and it’s made with breast milk and soot or ash.

“Unfortunately this tradition has not been kept alive any longer. I hope it will have momentum with my efforts. It is vanishing each day. Because new kinds of tattoos exist and people prefer those. This kind of traditional tattoo is different in terms of how it is done and what its forms (motifs) mean,” said Fate Temel, 24, owner of the Deq Art shop.

“In terms of its technique, breastfeeding milk which is taken from a mother who gave birth to a baby girl and gas lamb soot are used. We use baby girl’s milk as it is believed since old days it brings in abundance. That is why it is preferred,’’ she explained.

‘‘Deq motifs change from one region to another. For example, women historically have had combs drawn onto their ankles as in those days it was used to attract other side whilst washing feet by the water wells. Some deq motifs change from one tribe to another,’’ Temel added.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘I was doing this kind of tattoo in Mardin before. I have decided to open up this shop as after migrating from Mardin to here, people around me started asking for tattoos. I was able to apply tattoos to my close network in my home, this was not a problem but new people wanted to have it too. So I could not accommodate them at home any more and decided to open this shop.’‘

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘I was living in a village in Mardin and I was seeing different forms of deq on faces of elderly women in weddings which I found quite attractive at that time. I have been very curious about deq since my childhood. I was wondering why they have had these deqs as we do not see many women these days any longer wearing deq.’‘

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘Unfortunately this tradition has not been kept alive any longer. I hope it will have momentum with my efforts. It is vanishing each day because new kind of tattoos exist and people prefer those. This kind of traditional tattoo is different in terms of how it is done and what its forms (motifs) mean.’‘

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘In terms of its technique breastfeeding milk which is taken from a mother who gave birth to baby girl and gas lamb soot are used. We use baby girl’s milk as it is believed since old days it brings in abundance. That is why it is preferred.’‘

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘Deq motifs changes from one region to another. For example women historically have had combs drawn onto their ankles as in those days it was used to attract other side whilst washing feet by the water wells. Some deq motifs changes from one tribe to another.’‘

SOT, Fate Temel, Tattoo artist (Turkish): ‘‘I want this tradition to continue. I am opening up the first deq studio in the region. I will keep putting in efforts so that deq motifs and culture is transferred to future generations.’‘

SOT, Cagla Solgun, 19-year-old customer (Turkish): ‘‘I have been seeing deq on people around me including my relatives. All deq has different meanings. The one I have has different meaning too.’‘

SOT, Cagla Solgun, 19-year-old customer (Turkish): ‘‘Mine is called life tree which means life has good and bad sides that we need to embrace. That is why I wanted to have this. I like it.’‘

SOT, Cagla Solgun, 19-year-old customer (Turkish): ‘‘My grandma had deq on her chin and forehead. I was always curious about them. I heard a new place is opening up so I came to get it done.’‘

M/S Fate Temel explaining the meaning of the three dot deq to her 55 year-old customer (Turkish): “The three dots mean luck, chance and beauty.” *UPSOUND*

SOT, Hulya Turgut, 55-year-old customer (Turkish): “Luck, health I hope it will bring into my life. But mostly I have get it done for health reasons. I hope it will make me healthy.’”

SOT, Hulya Turgut, 55-year-old customer (Turkish): “Youngsters should get it done as well to make this tradition live. Do not be scared. It does not hurt that much (laughs).”

#DeqTattoo #Diyarbakir

Video ID: 20211105-040

Video on Demand: https://ruptly.tv/videos/20211105-040
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