Turkish Village
Copyright 1965, 1994 Paul Stirling. All rights reserved.
Paul Stirling
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GROUPS, FEUDS AND POWER
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Page 257
a fairly wealthy agnate, a man on his own side in the village quarrels. Two of this man's animals had been found among the crops and impounded, and the headman refused to release them unless he paid a small fin for each beast. When he paid one fine and received only one beast the man grew really angry but the headman stood his ground. On another occasion I found him in his guest room trying to mediate in a disputed case of inheritance (p. 129). I was complled to admire his sagacity when I found him sitting in the headquarters of the Credit Co-operative, beside the manager, collecting the village dues from each man as he received his annual loan. With a bundle of notes in his hand, it was impossible even for a villager to argue that he had not got the money.
In general the headman of a Turkish village exercises no more influence, outside his specific duties as headman, than he exercises before and after being headman. The exceptional efficiency of the Elbashï headman was due to his standing in the village as an individual. In any crisis the only advantage the headman has is the opportunity to act as government contact man, but in purely village matters his office lends him no extra weight.
Leaders in Sakaltutan
In every village a few men have greater wealth, greater outside contacts, and greater internal influence than the rest. Generosity is expected of them. The less fortunate are bound to look to them for help and support, and to offer in return deference and perhaps political support. The terms patron and client hardly apply where an open etiquette of equality is carefully maintained, and where many households are self-sufficient and can cope with their emergencies by the exchange of reciprocal services with equals. No formality attaches to relationships of dependants, but nevertheless, openly or covertly, vaguely defined followings do attach to certain leading men.
Both Elbashï and Sakaltutan were divided in this way into two groups. In both villages the rich helped the poor with special problems such as wedding hospitality and loans of food or cash, presents at festivals and so on. In Sakaltutan however, the violent lineage hostilities cut across these groups, which were
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