Folk Poets of Sivas-Çamşihi Region

Abstract

In Sivas, vvhich is the most-second largest city in Turkey, there are some areas which cali by public because of some reasons vvithout calling by govemment. These areas are Emlek, Elbeyi/İlbeyi and Çamşıhı. These have too many folkloric characteristics, and also they keep their own authentic properties. Each of them is famous for their âşıks. The public of Çamşıhı have bclief of Alevî-Bektaşî. This area's name comes from word of "Çamşeyhi" and it has lots o f villages whose names arc Azizağa, Balova, Başören, Çakırağa, Çamoağa, Dişbudak, Dikmeçay, Eyübağa, İban köyü, Karşı köy, Gölören/Gölveren, Mamoağa, Şahin. There are twenty-nine âşıks in Çamşıhı we could find information about them. We are introducing these âşıks in this study. Some o f them are Ali Rıza, Aziz Toprak, Budala, Çamşıhı, Derili Gulam, Derviş Çınar, Ehlisoydan, E lif Ana / E lif Edna, Ertekin, Feyzullah Çınar, Haşan Şahin, Haşan Yalçın, Haşim Karababa, Hatice Mihrap, Hüseyin Abdal, Hüseyin Gazi Metin, Hüseyin Karababa, İlyas Yıldırım, Karababa (Battal), Karababa (Hacı İbrahim), Karababa (M. Ali), Mahmut Erdal, Metini (Ali Metin), Muhlisî, Nesimi, Sadık Metin, Sıtkı, Şahin, Tamey Ana. The most evident property of Âşıks in Çamşıhı is that most of them can play "saz".There is another property in their poems. It is that their poems generally have subjects of homesickness and Alevî belief.