Kürecik'te Geleneksel Kadın Dövmeleri Pastoral Kültür Havzasında Bir Etnografik Belgeleme ve Sembolik Sistem Analizi

This study ethnographically documents the traditional tattoo culture among women in the Kürecik region of Akçadağ district, Malatya province. Now largely disappeared due to modernization, migration, and social change, this practice is examined through the remaining examples observed on the bodies of elderly women and through oral narratives. Approximately twenty distinct motifs were identified and typologically classified, including dot sequences, star/sun forms, cross signs, diamond chains, and especially the ram horn motif. Findings reveal strong iconographic parallels between Kürecik tattoo motifs and the region’s carpet and kilim weaving patterns. The ram horn, dot sequences, and geometric symbols carry shared symbolic meanings such as fertility, strength, and protection from the evil eye. These results indicate that tattooing and weaving traditions draw from a common symbolic repertoire deeply intertwined with pastoral lifeways. By documenting this vanishing tradition, the study contributes to the preservation of Anatolia’s intangible cultural heritage. This article is part of the broader research project titled “Kürecik Cultural System.”