Have you ever noticed the various traditional figures on the body of old Eastern women?
Keeping the history of nations alive is achieved through cultural elements, and to continue to pass down our culture, we must promote them to the younger generations. My experience as a 16-year-old Kurdish girl gave me a good understanding of my own culture, but I think our knowledge of our culture is lagging. As a result, I began working to get to know the components of my culture better and introduce them to others. Throughout this article, I intend to discuss a special kind of tattoo, Deq, that I have seen on various parts of the bodies of older women and men around me since I was a child.
This tradition, which bears traces of Mesopotamia, is becoming popular through Fatma Temel's work, the youngest and only female artist practicing this art form. To gain a comprehensive understanding of Deq, I visited her studio and did a fantastic interview:
+ Firstly, I am very grateful that you've accepted our offer.
- You're welcome; it is my pleasure.
+ We are going to start with a cliché: who are you? Please tell us about yourself.
- My name is Fatma, and my surname is Temel. I am 25 years old and was born in Mardin, Derik. I graduated from İstanbul Bilgi University, and later on, in 2019, I attended Dicle University's Press and Broadcasting Faculty.
+ So how would you describe your job, what do you do?
- I started Deq in 2018 and learned how it is made and the techniques. I improved myself by doing it on myself first and then to other people around me. I didn't stop doing journalism; I continued. I also worked on Deq and its models.
+ Deq is not a very popular art form, so how did you develop your interest?
- Frankly, I saw and experienced it from the older adults around me since I was little. However, in 2018, I became more interested in it and I started asking questions to those around me such as "Why are you doing it, what does it mean?" This curiosity arose while I was out of town because being away from my culture revealed its value again. As I said, I started asking around, especially the aunties where I lived, who had a lot of knowledge and learned about the motifs and techniques.
+ You mentioned that Deq was a part of our culture before I could. What makes this culture so important to you?
- The fact that Deq is both a culture and an art is awe-inspiring in itself, but one of the things that impressed me the most is that women express the problems that they could not say in the past with those motifs. For example, the sun motif, the first deq I made for myself, represented rebellion for me, and all motifs are meaningful as they have a history of almost 5,000 years.
+ The importance of motifs cannot be ignored, but before moving on to them, as a biology student, I would like to learn the differences between modern tattoos and deq.
- As you said, they both have different structures. While the ink is used in modern tattooing, DEQ is obtained from breast milk, soot, and sometimes animal bile. Using needles, that substance is inserted into the skin until it is absorbed into the skin. The reason why breast milk is used is to ensure the rapid healing of the wound and to prevent chemicals from mixing with the body. Also, mythologically, the Goddess Anahti is believed to protect the mothers of girls who drink milk.
+ Influential! Going back to motifs, we know that new motifs continue to be found, but do we have a chance to limit or classify them?
- Yes, I still come across new motifs. This studio has been open for approximately 1.5 years, and I have visited various villages during this period. But unfortunately, this has an end, when the last representatives, that is, the oldest people with deq, die, we will not be able to reach new motifs. For this reason, I am currently doing research for a book about these motifs so that we can continue this culture.
+ And finally, how does being the youngest and only female artist to do this affect you?
- When I was opening this studio, I did not think I could achieve so much about Deq; I was just aware of the importance of this culture and wanted to raise awareness. But now, with this being featured in the news, people's interest in this field has increased, and they have started to research, which I'm proud of.
+ We are all proud of the rising interest in this field as a part of this culture and its development under your leadership! Thank you very much for this interview.
- Do not mention it; I am grateful for that opportunity.