Letting things come to you
Ethnography stands for scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures. An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on common language, ancestral, social, cultural, or national experience. Unlike most other social groups, ethnicity is primarily an inherited status. But, basically it refers to people. And it will be my stronghold for the writing.
Foreword
In researching about the multi-ethnicity of my country, I got interested in the language and tradition of Bosniak ethnic group. So I first searched the Internet resources and found Abdulah Škaljić’s book on the words that came into our language from the Orient, called ‘Turkish loanwords’ and I read it. Then, I talked with my friend’s mother, an elderly lady called Zlata, about the role of jewellery in their culture. She was born in the Bey’s family and she grew up in a traditional surrounding. I also talked with my neighbor Fata and asked her about their traditional holidays. In the end I went to the ‘Goldsmiths Street’ in Sarajevo and talked with a jeweler about the traditional brooch that caught my attention for its mystic beauty. The results of my researching, notes taking, observations, interviews as well as my memories have been incorporated into my writing spontaneously. The elements interlaced themselves into the story unnoticeably.
Multi-Ethnicity of the Language
I was born and grew up in Sarajevo, ex- Yugoslavia. I have lived in multi-ethnic landscape all my life. I come from Serbian family while all my best girl-friends were of Muslim background, as well as my wedding godmother, Indira Haračić, who lives in Sidney now. I have never reduced myself to nationality, not even after the conflict we experienced in nineties. I love my ethnic landscape and I feel it as a branch on the tree where there are many other branches. I love the tree the most since it gives us all life. I will call it Ethnic Tree. I am also curious about other branches, for, obviously, the nature of the tree is not to have only one branch but many. The tree always implies a bigger hidden picture and you feel it. A story of how nature functions in given circumstances. It attunes to sustain living.
I remember asking my mother why our country is called Yugoslavia not Serbia, for, I had trouble understanding what Yugoslavia stands for. And, I related the French to France and Germans to Germany, and I felt confused. She never gave me any replied. And it hurt me. Now, I know the word stood for South Slavs and it was a multi-ethnic country. I have just had another thought yet. Some European ethnic groups, such as Basque people, do not constitute a majority in any country. They live mainly in Spain. Thus, some people have their homeland named according to their ethnic origin while some do not.
My friends and I shared the language which was called Serbo-Croatian. Yet, our mother tongue had many words of Turkish origin, prevalently used by Muslim population, but not much less by others. Those words entered the language during Turkish domination in the region, and they simply naturalized. Such words are called 'turcizmi' and I will translate them as 'Turkish loanwords'. There are many of them and sometimes we are not aware of their origin while they have entered the literary language as well. Still, there are used more frequently in colloquial speech. Admiral is one of them that reached English, after ‘amir al-bahr’ (captain of the sea). Lemon, ‘limun’ in my language, is of Arabic origin too. I, myself, like the word ‘ašikovati’ which means to courtship, but, only roughly. Namely, it is very difficult to translate words of Oriental origin, which can be Turkish, Arabic or Persian. There is always a little picture or story around it and you have to stuff it in a single word. Hence, the translated word is often missing the full meaning. And, when you say a word of Oriental origin you somehow feel more to it; it contains certain mood and have its space and influence the situation. It occupies the senses fully with its content. It enchants you and you have to submit yourself to it.
The word that appeals me most is ‘sadaka’ meaning voluntary charity and it is not just a word, it is a mannerism with Muslim people. In my opinion, it is more than charity. They gladly share what they have, be it an every- day meal or ‘iftar’ (Arabic: إفطار ifṭār 'breakfast'). It is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. They eat together in celebrating the feeling that they fasted in remembrance of those who are in lack. Once, when I worked in secondary school in Sarajevo, I was invited to one. It was organized in the teachers' room around big oval table. And there were displayed most beautiful delicacies. The scene felt like an art display while I felt privileged to experience it. It was all offered to me with a warm feeling. I felt we shared more than eating. I call it togetherness.
When speaking of the power of the words, I have to mention famous poet of the ancient Orient-Rumi. He turned himself absolutely into the words. Now, his poetry radiates him. He was a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic. I love reading his love poetry; it feels like listening to your heart. In reading Rumi, you do not see the words you are transferred directly to poetic world where you sore as a love thought. At the end of the text given is a link to his book 'Masnavi', with six books of his spiritual writing. There is also a book I recommend reading 'The Road from Mecca' by Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss) for, it can help in discovering the vast and mysterious landscape of the Orient.
Faceted love
In my country there is a beautiful habit of wearing jewellery on every day basis. Yet, it is more practiced by Muslim women. It is in their tradition. Girls have their ears pierced at early age and they are presented with golden earrings. When getting married, they also receive nice pieces of jewellery or their inherit some from their aunts and grandmothers. They also like to have a nice necklace of pearls. They keep their jewellery in the special box called ‘sehara’. It stands for a wooden bow where valuables were kept, including ‘fiancée robe’.
In the jewellery story, there is an exceptional item that I have seen just recently on the coat lapel of my co-worker, and just once. It caught my attention instantly. I was carried away. It looked like a grape bunch, one-in–the world. It was gold, hand-made and glimmering- a traditional brooch called ‘almasli grana’. I will translate it as ‘Almasli Arm’ or 'Almasli Bough'. I asked my colleague to tell me why it is called that and what it meant. She just repeated: ‘It is my ‘Almasli Arm’, like the brooch name implied its meaning. So, I did a little research and discovered its crystal nature. ‘Almasli’ comes from ‘Almas’ which means ‘diamond’ in Arabic, ultimately from Persian - ألماس
Old goldsmiths would craft ‘Almasli Arms’ for rich people who ordered them for their wives. They would buy the gemstones and arrange them in deciding upon the shape of fish, butterfly, peacock, or something else. The craftsman would finally make a brooch of unique beauty. The brooch emanated the client’s power and his love for his wife. The nicety was worn on special occasions, not every day. ‘Almasli Arm’ is not made any more. It can be only inherited within the family, giving the brooch an enchanting value. It seems the brooch prefers to stay hidden, preserving the beauty of its crystal nature made of highly ordered atoms, ions, and molecules.
Empathy
There are many smart sayings you can hear from old Muslim women when drinking coffee with them, like this one: Any effort or ‘zahmet’ and ‘hizmet’ is coated with a big award, in this or that world, not necessarily appearing that way though. ‘Zahmet’ means ‘trouble’ while ‘hizmet’ means ‘tending’. It is within Muslim tradition to have the ‘sabur’, to attain ‘patience’ in letting things come to them in their own secret manners.
Also, they are sensitive to their neighbors. My mother lives in a small place and her first neighbor is the woman called Fata. My mother had a stroke two years ago and I stayed with her for a while. As I work in another place I had to leave her at one point. There was a woman we hired to attend her but on the day I had to leave she was prevented to stay with my mother. I had to find someone to help mother use the ‘plastic toilet duck’, for, she was bedridden. She could not walk at all at that stage of her illness. I called my friends and asked for the favor. Nobody accepted. I was in trouble, I couldn’t stay for another day. Then, mother said: ‘Go and ask Fata’. I rushed to her door and asked her to come to our house. She did not hesitate. There was the three of us in my mother’s sleeping room, Fata and I standing by the bed and my mother lying in bed like a little incapable girl. Feeling very embarrassed, I dared asked her to tend mother in helping her with the ‘plastic duck’ showing her how to do it. Atmosphere was over-intimate. She stood there in all her simplicity and replied: ‘No, problem Svjetlana, just go, you have to take care of your work’. My mother got better and can walk with a walking stick but she still has to be tended by another person. Whenever Fata would receive charity from her community, be it a bag of flour or something else, my mother would be presented some. Whenever my mother is not feeling well she visits her and bring some hand- picked herbs of hers, turnip greens or other vegetables, for we do not now grow the garden due to my mother illness. When Fata celebrates ‘Kurban Bajram’, in English ‘Kurban Bayrami’, the Islamic feast of sacrifice, she always present my mother with ‘kurban meat’. The sheep meat is divided by thirds, so that one-third goes to relatives, one goes to the poor and one-third to whom is most needed. I respect the Muslim tradition as for the aspect of thinking of the people in need.
Multi-modal Ending
In researching the ethnography, I came across meta-ethnicity and pan-ethnicity. The world is always on the move, followed by the words, and people. And I am compelled to mention an extraordinary contemporary artist Dame Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-born British architect. She rarely wore jewellery but her formidable personality, reflected in her architectural masterpieces, illuminates the oriental ethnography of hers.
If interested open these links: Bosniak ethnic group, Masnavi or Video link on Dame Zaha Hadid.
Ethnography stands for scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures. An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on common language, ancestral, social, cultural, or national experience. Unlike most other social groups, ethnicity is primarily an inherited status. But, basically it refers to people. And it will be my stronghold for the writing.
Foreword
In researching about the multi-ethnicity of my country, I got interested in the language and tradition of Bosniak ethnic group. So I first searched the Internet resources and found Abdulah Škaljić’s book on the words that came into our language from the Orient, called ‘Turkish loanwords’ and I read it. Then, I talked with my friend’s mother, an elderly lady called Zlata, about the role of jewellery in their culture. She was born in the Bey’s family and she grew up in a traditional surrounding. I also talked with my neighbor Fata and asked her about their traditional holidays. In the end I went to the ‘Goldsmiths Street’ in Sarajevo and talked with a jeweler about the traditional brooch that caught my attention for its mystic beauty. The results of my researching, notes taking, observations, interviews as well as my memories have been incorporated into my writing spontaneously. The elements interlaced themselves into the story unnoticeably.
Multi-Ethnicity of the Language
I was born and grew up in Sarajevo, ex- Yugoslavia. I have lived in multi-ethnic landscape all my life. I come from Serbian family while all my best girl-friends were of Muslim background, as well as my wedding godmother, Indira Haračić, who lives in Sidney now. I have never reduced myself to nationality, not even after the conflict we experienced in nineties. I love my ethnic landscape and I feel it as a branch on the tree where there are many other branches. I love the tree the most since it gives us all life. I will call it Ethnic Tree. I am also curious about other branches, for, obviously, the nature of the tree is not to have only one branch but many. The tree always implies a bigger hidden picture and you feel it. A story of how nature functions in given circumstances. It attunes to sustain living.
I remember asking my mother why our country is called Yugoslavia not Serbia, for, I had trouble understanding what Yugoslavia stands for. And, I related the French to France and Germans to Germany, and I felt confused. She never gave me any replied. And it hurt me. Now, I know the word stood for South Slavs and it was a multi-ethnic country. I have just had another thought yet. Some European ethnic groups, such as Basque people, do not constitute a majority in any country. They live mainly in Spain. Thus, some people have their homeland named according to their ethnic origin while some do not.
My friends and I shared the language which was called Serbo-Croatian. Yet, our mother tongue had many words of Turkish origin, prevalently used by Muslim population, but not much less by others. Those words entered the language during Turkish domination in the region, and they simply naturalized. Such words are called 'turcizmi' and I will translate them as 'Turkish loanwords'. There are many of them and sometimes we are not aware of their origin while they have entered the literary language as well. Still, there are used more frequently in colloquial speech. Admiral is one of them that reached English, after ‘amir al-bahr’ (captain of the sea). Lemon, ‘limun’ in my language, is of Arabic origin too. I, myself, like the word ‘ašikovati’ which means to courtship, but, only roughly. Namely, it is very difficult to translate words of Oriental origin, which can be Turkish, Arabic or Persian. There is always a little picture or story around it and you have to stuff it in a single word. Hence, the translated word is often missing the full meaning. And, when you say a word of Oriental origin you somehow feel more to it; it contains certain mood and have its space and influence the situation. It occupies the senses fully with its content. It enchants you and you have to submit yourself to it.
The word that appeals me most is ‘sadaka’ meaning voluntary charity and it is not just a word, it is a mannerism with Muslim people. In my opinion, it is more than charity. They gladly share what they have, be it an every- day meal or ‘iftar’ (Arabic: إفطار ifṭār 'breakfast'). It is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. They eat together in celebrating the feeling that they fasted in remembrance of those who are in lack. Once, when I worked in secondary school in Sarajevo, I was invited to one. It was organized in the teachers' room around big oval table. And there were displayed most beautiful delicacies. The scene felt like an art display while I felt privileged to experience it. It was all offered to me with a warm feeling. I felt we shared more than eating. I call it togetherness.
When speaking of the power of the words, I have to mention famous poet of the ancient Orient-Rumi. He turned himself absolutely into the words. Now, his poetry radiates him. He was a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic. I love reading his love poetry; it feels like listening to your heart. In reading Rumi, you do not see the words you are transferred directly to poetic world where you sore as a love thought. At the end of the text given is a link to his book 'Masnavi', with six books of his spiritual writing. There is also a book I recommend reading 'The Road from Mecca' by Muhammad Asad (born Leopold Weiss) for, it can help in discovering the vast and mysterious landscape of the Orient.
Faceted love
In my country there is a beautiful habit of wearing jewellery on every day basis. Yet, it is more practiced by Muslim women. It is in their tradition. Girls have their ears pierced at early age and they are presented with golden earrings. When getting married, they also receive nice pieces of jewellery or their inherit some from their aunts and grandmothers. They also like to have a nice necklace of pearls. They keep their jewellery in the special box called ‘sehara’. It stands for a wooden bow where valuables were kept, including ‘fiancée robe’.
In the jewellery story, there is an exceptional item that I have seen just recently on the coat lapel of my co-worker, and just once. It caught my attention instantly. I was carried away. It looked like a grape bunch, one-in–the world. It was gold, hand-made and glimmering- a traditional brooch called ‘almasli grana’. I will translate it as ‘Almasli Arm’ or 'Almasli Bough'. I asked my colleague to tell me why it is called that and what it meant. She just repeated: ‘It is my ‘Almasli Arm’, like the brooch name implied its meaning. So, I did a little research and discovered its crystal nature. ‘Almasli’ comes from ‘Almas’ which means ‘diamond’ in Arabic, ultimately from Persian - ألماس
Old goldsmiths would craft ‘Almasli Arms’ for rich people who ordered them for their wives. They would buy the gemstones and arrange them in deciding upon the shape of fish, butterfly, peacock, or something else. The craftsman would finally make a brooch of unique beauty. The brooch emanated the client’s power and his love for his wife. The nicety was worn on special occasions, not every day. ‘Almasli Arm’ is not made any more. It can be only inherited within the family, giving the brooch an enchanting value. It seems the brooch prefers to stay hidden, preserving the beauty of its crystal nature made of highly ordered atoms, ions, and molecules.
Empathy
There are many smart sayings you can hear from old Muslim women when drinking coffee with them, like this one: Any effort or ‘zahmet’ and ‘hizmet’ is coated with a big award, in this or that world, not necessarily appearing that way though. ‘Zahmet’ means ‘trouble’ while ‘hizmet’ means ‘tending’. It is within Muslim tradition to have the ‘sabur’, to attain ‘patience’ in letting things come to them in their own secret manners.
Also, they are sensitive to their neighbors. My mother lives in a small place and her first neighbor is the woman called Fata. My mother had a stroke two years ago and I stayed with her for a while. As I work in another place I had to leave her at one point. There was a woman we hired to attend her but on the day I had to leave she was prevented to stay with my mother. I had to find someone to help mother use the ‘plastic toilet duck’, for, she was bedridden. She could not walk at all at that stage of her illness. I called my friends and asked for the favor. Nobody accepted. I was in trouble, I couldn’t stay for another day. Then, mother said: ‘Go and ask Fata’. I rushed to her door and asked her to come to our house. She did not hesitate. There was the three of us in my mother’s sleeping room, Fata and I standing by the bed and my mother lying in bed like a little incapable girl. Feeling very embarrassed, I dared asked her to tend mother in helping her with the ‘plastic duck’ showing her how to do it. Atmosphere was over-intimate. She stood there in all her simplicity and replied: ‘No, problem Svjetlana, just go, you have to take care of your work’. My mother got better and can walk with a walking stick but she still has to be tended by another person. Whenever Fata would receive charity from her community, be it a bag of flour or something else, my mother would be presented some. Whenever my mother is not feeling well she visits her and bring some hand- picked herbs of hers, turnip greens or other vegetables, for we do not now grow the garden due to my mother illness. When Fata celebrates ‘Kurban Bajram’, in English ‘Kurban Bayrami’, the Islamic feast of sacrifice, she always present my mother with ‘kurban meat’. The sheep meat is divided by thirds, so that one-third goes to relatives, one goes to the poor and one-third to whom is most needed. I respect the Muslim tradition as for the aspect of thinking of the people in need.
Multi-modal Ending
In researching the ethnography, I came across meta-ethnicity and pan-ethnicity. The world is always on the move, followed by the words, and people. And I am compelled to mention an extraordinary contemporary artist Dame Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi-born British architect. She rarely wore jewellery but her formidable personality, reflected in her architectural masterpieces, illuminates the oriental ethnography of hers.
If interested open these links: Bosniak ethnic group, Masnavi or Video link on Dame Zaha Hadid.