Ramazan ERGÖZ

Oğuz DOĞAN

Human beings make a world for themselves by making sense of their environment. In order for this transfer to be continuous, it must be permanent in human memory. Turning the memory into a place in a cultural sense, human codes should be kept alive in all areas of life and transferred to new generations. There are various transitional periods in human life such as birth, marriage and death. They are essential transitions in human life. Beliefs and rituals formed around the transition periods have an essential place in keeping the cultural memory alive. It is understood that various cultural activities have emerged around death. The beliefs and practices that emerged at various stages before, during and after death bear the traces of thousands of years of the collective subconscious. The lament burned after the deceased is the outward reflection of the pain of a relative lost by humanity with death. The laments are a kind of farewell to the deceased, expressing a short life story of that person pathetically. It is also possible to see the traces of culture in laments. In laments, traces of daily life, tradition and custom, social life, geographical elements, etc. There are many factors. Laments also have the feature of being the bearer of national identity. The laments that result from pathetic events contain codes that will help the individual find his national identity. It is possible to determine the main elements of national identity such as tradition and custom, homeland and language in laments. In this context, there are codes in Pinarbasi laments that will help individuals reach their cultural identity. It is seen that the elements of culture and national identity are intensely included in Pinarbasi laments. In our study, the function of laments in creating a cultural memory and national identity will be emphasised, and Pinarbasi laments will be examined in this context.

Keywords: Culture, Cultural memory, National identity, Lament, Pinarbasi.