Differences between Tushetian and Pshav-Khevsuretian "Lament in Voice", rules of conduct and old Tushetian children's games
In the previous post, I
introduced Georgian "Lament in Voice": what it is, by whom it is
performed, in what occasions etc. On the question: Why it is – I’ll write
another post, where I'll exclusively go into the function and role of this
particular lament and its practice. Here I want to write about some details,
interesting info's, I found in ethnological/ anthropological texts. There are
unfortunately no English translations of these texts. I'll still put the sources
of literature below. The titles are translated by my-self.
"Lament in Voice" is
a kind of lamentation that is specific for the east Georgian mountain regions
Pshavi, Khvesureti and Tusheti. All three regions held this practice, though
there were some differences between them. Pshavian and Khevsuretian styles are
more similar to each other, as those regions are neighboring each other over
continuous mountain chains. The Tushetian lament is a bit more distinct from
them. The "Lament in Voice" varies not only in context, rules and framework but also in its poetical structuring.
I'll go a bit technical here
and tell you that in Pshavi and Khevsureti the sung text had usually nine
syllables per line, whereas the Tushetian lament would hold twelve syllables
per line. This structure was a tendency and not always strictly followed, as
the most important feature of this lament was its improvisational nature, due
to which every lament was unique and highly individual, depending on who would
perform, when and for whom.
Deriving from the evanescent
nature of this lament, each and every lamenting song in voice was seen as a
unique expression that should not and could not be ever repeated again. It died
in and with its occasion. The song was in this way metaphorically and ontologically
woven into the life-death cycle. There were only some exceptions when the once
sung laments were allowed to be repeated. And mostly due to these exceptions do
we have insights about those lamenting songs, as they made it possible to have
survived in documented form.
In Pshavi and Khevsureti the "Lament in Voice" songs would be memorized by men and sung during the practice of scything the fields. Scything the fields was in Pshav-Khevsureti a task for men. Due to the steep hill slopes, it was considered a job of high-risk. Women were taking on more tasks of handcrafting and homework. (I thought about this gender division by tasks and interpreted it as a way the community ensured its own collective longevity. The women, as people of reproductive sources, would be kept safe and away from high risk jobs. In these mountain regions there is generally a high degree of strict gender division and a strong touch of patriarchal structuring). So only the men would go scythe the fields and whilst scything they would sing in the process. This branch of folk songs is called "Mtibluri"/"მთიბლური", which means: "Scyther's" (scythers songs). And the vast majority of this scyther’s songs, the most prominent and frequent one was "Gvrini". "Gvrini" was named particularly the song of “lament in voice”, that was sung during scything practices. I find it to be a beautiful practice, which connects the direct life-death cycle in nature (scything the meadow/ the dying of grass) with the sorrow of the experienced death through loss of dear one's. I will write another post, where I go into more detail and depth of this particular practice/song "Gvrini".
The taboo of repeating, re-singing
the once sung lament in voice was stricter in the region of Tusheti. This taboo has even its own word: "Ar Kham" / "არ (ქხ)ამ". But also there was an exception. It was approved for women to hum
"laments in voice" quietly by themselves whilst working on their
house tasks or handicrafts, sewing, knitting, cooking etc.. This particular
practice was called "ზუზუნი"/"Zuzuni",
which means "humming". "Humming" was not to be practiced
publically but only in their private home space. Because of this societal
habit, far less Tushetian lamenting poetries and songs have arrived in our times.
In all three mountain regions,
the handling of grief and the posture of its expression were quite stoic. They
would not lose themselves overtly in emotions through shrieks and cries, but
channel the grief more as a tempered river of melody and poetry. They would keep their
bodies in straight postures, leaning just sometimes forth on the walking stick of
the deceased. Only when the "Lamentor in Voice" would be channeling
directly the dead person's soul, let's call it be possessed by them/him/her,
would they lose control of self, start trembling, grinding the jaw, shaking, rocking the body forth and back. This would continue until finally, the dead person’s
soul would talk through them. At this point, they'd start the song. This “possession”
was called in Khevsureti "Adzrakheba"/ "აძრახება" - which means - "to make someone speak". It is an
interesting part, and to me also a key component, of this lamentation practice,
so I will write a whole another post about that exclusively.
Now let me speak a bit about the
rules of who was allowed to lament in voice, for whom, and when. The rules were quite strict. The mother of a dead young one was not allowed to lament, A wife
was not allowed to lament over the loss of her husband, also it was not seen
well when men lamented over dead ones. On occasions, when these rules were
broken, these people would start their lament with an excuse. They'd excuse
themselves and state that their pain was too big to withhold the grief from
output. It is culturally interesting how and why this rules existed. The last
one – that men were not allowed to lament - can be explained through the gender
expectation that was put on the gender "Man" in those areas. Men were ought not
to cry and show sorrow. The other two rules about the wife and the mother, are
more unintelligible to me. I can't interpret it myself and I also couldn't
find further details to these rules in the texts. I will follow that inquiry
though, and as I'll get to know more people from Tuscheti and Khevsureti I’ll hopefully
gain some more insight and inform you too.
Another interesting question
to me is: Was "Lamenting in Voice" something you'd rehearse? In the
text of N. Azikuri I found an interesting fragment regarding this question. Other texts highlighted the inability of training in something as "lament
in voice". As the biggest teacher was death itself and only in experiences of loss you'd be given the circumstances, the
"opportunities", to try out your "lament in voice" skills.
Also, not everyone who experienced sorrow and grief would have been able to
lament in voice as it called for an affinity to poetry and musicality. Although
this commentary is certainly valid, it was interesting to me to read about an
anthropological observation of children's games in a Tushetian village in older
times. N. Azikuri (p. 11.) cited an interview with an elderly woman who
recalled her childhood times in the mountains. She talked about a game they’d
play as girls. They’d gather up and pick one girl who was most beautifully
dressed and had the most beautiful jewelry on that day (The Khevsuretians,
Pshavians and Tushetians, used to give the dead special and beautiful clothing.
If the deceased was poor and didn't have anything nice to wear, the family
would buy new beautiful clothing for the occasion of the death rite.). The one
with the beautiful dress would lie down and play the dead. The others would
start lamenting and repeating the things they heard from actual death rites and
learned from the elder “lamentors in voice”. One girl would go further away and
then come back directed towards the one lying as dead. This girl would play a “lamentor
in voice” from another village, who was invited for the death rite. I find that
an interesting piece of oral history. It tells so much not only about this particular
culture, but also about children's behavior and the adeptness of that what is
normalized in society.
See you in next posts.
Enjoy.
- ნ. აზიკური, მგოსანნი გლოვისანი, მეცნიერება, თბილისი 1986. / N. Azikuri, Mgosanni
Glovisani, Mecniereba, Tbilisi 1986. ("Mgosanni
Glovisani" means "Poets/Poetresses of Grief" (There is no
gendering in Georgian grammer. The word "poet" is written
gender-neutral, though the lamentors in voice were traditionally
women.))
- ა. არაბული, სამგლოვიარო პოეზია, თბილისი 2006. / A. Arabuli, Samgloviaro Poesia/ Grief
Poetry, Tbilisi 2006.
- ე. თათარაიძე, თუშური ხმით ტირილი, სადიპლომო ნაშრომი, თბილისის შრომის წითელი დროშის ორდენოსანი სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტი, თბილისი 1984./ E. Tataraidze, Tushetian Lament in Voice, Diploma Thesis, Order of the red Banner Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi
1984.
- ზ. კიკნაძე, ქართული ფოლკლორი, თბილისი 2008, გვ. 306-324. / Z. Kiknadze, Georgian Folklore,
Tbilisi 2008, pages 306-324.
- გ. ჩიტაია, მასალები საქართველოს ეთნოგრაფიისთვის, ტ. III, თბილისი 1940. / G. Chitaia, Material for Georgian
Ethnography, Vol. III, Tbilisi 1940.
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