MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Amed – Deq (tattoo) is a Kurdish tradition, more common among women. But the practice of deq has begun to be forgotten.  Today, you can see deqs on the faces or bodies of old women. The history of deq dates back to ancient times. Each motif of deq has a different meaning. Fatê Temel, who was born and grew up in the Derik district of Mardin province, has opened a workshop in Amed (Diyarbakır) to keep deq tradition alive. She practices deq to the people come to her workshop. She only draws moon, sun, star and comb, known as the motifs of deq. She both keeps deq tradition alive and gives information about this tradition to those who don’t know anything about this tradition.

She uses breast milk and ash

Deq is a permanent tattoo. The ink of deq is made of breast milk, particularly milk from a lactating mother who has weaned a female baby which is believed to make the tattoo stick permanently, sheet metal soot, or ash. The application of Deq includes embroidering the mixture into the skin through the use of needles.

Fatê Temel is one of the women who still practice deq. When she first saw deq on the face of an old woman in her village, she decided to learn more about this tradition and began to practice it on her chin. People in the village asked her to perform deq on their bodies and she shortly became professional in practicing deq.

“Each motif has a meaning”

We visited her workshop and she told us about the history and motifs of deq. “The origins of deq are unknown. But we know that it was begun to be used in Mesopotamia. The motifs of deq were found in Göbekli Tepe (a Neolithic archaeological site near the city of Şanlıurfa in Southeastern Anatolia). It is more commonly found among Kurdish women but is also observed among men. Women actually used deq to express their feelings. The motifs of deq vary from tribe to tribe. Some motifs are moon, sun, star, comb, and gazelle. In the past, people understood which tribe you belong to when they saw your deq,” she told us.

“I opened this workshop to keep this tradition alive”

Stating that this tradition is usually performed in Mardin, Şırnak, Urfa, and Diyarbakır provinces, Fatê Temel said that nowadays, we see deq mostly on bodies of old people, young people don’t perform this tradition. “I performed my first deq on my body. Then, people asked me to perform deq on their bodies, too. After being professional, I decided to open this workshop to keep this tradition alive. I opened this workshop about a month ago.”

“People’s interest makes me happy”

Stating that many people come to her workshop and are interested in her work, Fatê Temel said, “People’s interest makes me happy. By drawing these motifs, I show this tradition to the next generations. I just focus on the motifs of deq tradition. Each motif has a meaning. I feel more special and happy to do this work and take such a step.”