One of the additions to our library during the last days of December 2016 was Պոլսահայ Անգիր Բանահիւսութիւնը - Istanbul Armenian Oral Tradition, edited by known linguist Hrachya Adjarian. As stated by the publishers, this title comes as completion to a series of studies on Western Armenian oral tradition. Adjarian's this work is published in 2009 by Yerevan State University, with the financial support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
In the introduction, Adjarian has shared the story of the editing process, by that giving insights on the history of Istanbul of the time. The work that had started in 1890 was almost complete by 1897. But censorship and persecutions followed the Istanbul pogroms, and the drafts were confiscated by the Sultan's soldiers, and 7 years of scholarly labor was wasted. Adjarian starts the work once again, and finishes it in 1912 with the help of his sister Armenuhi Adjarian. This volume is a precious resource for historians of oral tradition, folklorists, ethnographers and philologists and many other similar professions. It is also a valuable reference for those interested in the Istanbul Armenian community.
Traditional prayers, lullabies, songs, stories, fables, sayings, wishes curses are all present. If you are from Istanbul, the very first pages of the book will take you back to your childhood. Many of the lines that you thought your grandmother invented them just to make you sleep, are actually present in the pages of this book.
Փիսի փիսի փամպուխի
Էպուշումի սանտուխի
Էս պարոնին տղան էմ
թագաւորին փեսան էմ
Չըքտըմ դիվան եոլունա
Դիվան ելու պիթ-փազար
Իչինտէ այը կէզէր...
Songs, lullabies, fables and even the everyday habits as they are were going to be forgotten... If people like Hrachya Adjarian and Gomidas, did not keep the record of the culture, did not combat forgetting, by that transferring the heritage to the coming generations.
Other than the mentioned work of Hrachya Adjarian, our library has other works by him. Կեանքիս Յուշերէն (From Memories of My Life, Antilias, 2003, 104 pages), Բանասիրական ուսումնասիրութիւններ (Philologic Studies, Yerevan, 1976, 276 pages), Հայոց Դերը Օսմանեան Կայսրութեան Մեջ (Armenian's Role in the Ottoman Empire, Yerevan, 1999, 21 pages).
When talking about Istanbul Armenian folklore or oral tradition, we should mention another, more recent study by Verjine Svazlian, Պոլսահայոց Բանահիւսութիւնը: Պատմամշակութային Ակնարկ (Istanbul Armenian Oral Tradition: A Historical and Cultural Glance). One of the most important authorities of Armenian oral tradition studies, Verjine Svazlian's book is published in Yerevan in 2000 (592 pages). If we talk about the history of Istanbul Armenians in general, from among the many references, we should first mention Hagop Siruni's invaluable work. A six volume study, Պոլիս եւ Իր Դերը (Istanbul and its Importance, Antilias, 1965), is one of the most important Houshamadyans (memory books).
You can view Hrachya Adjarian's books in the library catalogue here.
