Page 35 - Demo

33Respect for Masters / Ustalara Sayg%u0131the fourth-generation craftsman. Ironically, instead of helping his father leave the craft, Orhan %u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu found himself drawn deeper into the world of yemeni. He says, %u201cWhile I was trying to get my father to quit making yemenis, I realized they were pulling me in instead.%u201d But before delving further into his journey, let%u2019s first explain what a yemeni is for those who may be unfamiliar with this traditional craft.When people hear the word yemeni today, they often think of the headscarf tied around the head. However, yemeni refers to items that cover both the head and the feet. That%u2019s why traditional shoes are also called yemeni. In Gaziantep, the craft of making yemenis is known as k%u00f6%u015fkercilik, the artisans are called k%u00f6%u015fker, and master yemeni makers are referred to as k%u00f6%u015fker ustas%u0131. The word k%u00f6%u015fker comes from the Persian term ke%u015ffger, meaning %u201cshoemaker.%u201d While yemeni making once flourished in cities like Gaziantep, %u015eanl%u0131urfa, Kahramanmara%u015f, Diyarbak%u0131r, Antakya, and Adana, it has largely vanished from these regions, surviving only in Gaziantep, Kilis, and Kahramanmara%u015f.Mehmet Orhan %u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu was literally born into this thousand-year-old profession. Though he spent much of his childhood apprenticing alongside his grandfather and father, both of whom were shoemakers, he struggled to learn the trade at the time%u2014perhaps because his heart wasn%u2019t fully in it back then.Becoming a Yemeni maker while trying to become a stationer....%u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu works in various jobs to learn the trade and open a stationery shop. Finally, with a few old pairs of yemenis left over, they kept the stationery on one side of sine bak%u0131n ki babam%u0131za yemenicili%u011fi b%u0131rakt%u0131rmaya %u00e7al%u0131%u015f%u0131rken, bir bakt%u0131m ki yemenicilik beni i%u00e7ine %u00e7ekmi%u015f%u2019 diyerek anlat%u0131yor ilgin%u00e7 hikayesini. Ama %u00f6nce biraz ba%u015ftan ba%u015flayal%u0131m ve bilmeyenlere yemeninin ne oldu%u011funu anlatal%u0131m. %u015eimdilerde yemeni deyince insanlar%u0131n akl%u0131na hemen ba%u015fa ba%u011flanan yemeni geliyor. Oysa yemeninin anlam%u0131 aya%u011f%u0131 ve ba%u015f%u0131 kapatan demek. Dolay%u0131s%u0131yla ayakkab%u0131 niyetine giyilene de bu isim veriliyor. Gaziantep%u2019te yemenicili%u011fe %u201cK%u00f6%u015fkercilik%u201d yemenicilere %u201ck%u00f6%u015fker%u201d, yemeni ustalar%u0131na da %u201ck%u00f6%u015fker ustas%u0131%u201d deniliyor. K%u00f6%u015fker kelimesi Fars%u00e7a %u201cke%u015ffger%u201d kelimesinden t%u00fcremi%u015f ve ayakkab%u0131 yapan anlam%u0131na geliyor. Gaziantep %u015eanl%u0131urfa Kahramanmara%u015f, Diyarbak%u0131r, Antakya, Adana%u2019ya kadar yay%u0131lm%u0131%u015f olan yemeni yap%u0131mc%u0131l%u0131%u011f%u0131 zaman i%u00e7erisinde Gaziantep, Kilis ve Kahramanmara%u015f d%u0131%u015f%u0131nda di%u011fer illerde tamamen bitmi%u015f. Mehmet Orhan %u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu%u2019nun ailesinde ise b%u00fcy%u00fck dededen kalma bir meslek olarak Gaziantep%u2019te 130 y%u0131l%u0131 a%u015fk%u0131n s%u00fcredir devam ediyor.%u0130%u015fte Mehmet Orhan %u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu da kelimenin tam anlam%u0131yla bin y%u0131ll%u0131k bu mesle%u011fin i%u00e7ine do%u011fuyor. %u00c7ocuklu%u011fu yemenici olan dedesinin ve babas%u0131n%u0131n yan%u0131nda y%u0131llarca %u00e7%u0131rakl%u0131k yaparak ge%u00e7se de, belki de o d%u00f6nemlerde pek g%u00f6nl%u00fc olmad%u0131%u011f%u0131ndan bu mesle%u011fi %u00f6%u011frenemiyor. K%u0131rtasiyeci olaca%u011f%u0131m derken, yemenici olmak%u2026.%u00c7ak%u0131ro%u011flu ticareti %u00f6%u011frenip bir k%u0131rtasiye d%u00fckkan%u0131 a%u00e7mak i%u00e7in %u00e7e%u015fitli i%u015flerde %u00e7al%u0131%u015f%u0131yor. Sonunda k%u0131rtasiye d%u00fckkan%u0131n%u0131 a%u00e7%u0131yor. Ellerinde %u00f6nceden kalma yemeniler oldu%u011fu i%u00e7in d%u00fckkan%u0131n bir k%u00f6%u015fesinde k%u0131rtasiye malzemeleri varken di%u011fer k%u00f6%u015fesinde de yemeniler duruyor.