Women as Guardians of Yazidi Oral Hymns and Ritual Knowledge

This encyclopedia entry examines the indispensable role of women in safeguarding the oral hymnody and ritual expertise of the Yazidi faith, drawing on recent scholarship and ethnographic data.

Women in Yazidi oral tradition (Kurmanji: jinên qewlkar) refers to the female members of Yazidi families who learn, recite, and transmit sacred hymns (qewl, beyts) and associated ritual knowledge, ensuring continuity of belief and practice across generations.

Pronunciation & orthography

Kurmanji spelling: jinên qewlkar. Arabic‑script: جِنِين قَوْلْكَر. Cyrillic (Kurdish in former Soviet areas): җинен кевлкар. IPA: /d͡ʒiˈneːn qɛwˈlkaɾ/. Common English misspellings include “jine qawlkar” and “women qawls”.

Main exposition

Historical background of oral transmission

The Yazidi religious corpus has long been maintained through oral performance rather than codified scripture. Omarkhali documents a complex network of hereditary reciters called qawwāl who transmit the longest qawls (up to 117 stanzas) (Omarkhali 2017). While this male‑dominated line is well recorded, women have historically been the custodians of shorter, domestic hymns and ritual formulas that accompany life‑cycle events such as birth, marriage, and mourning.

Domestic sphere as a site of preservation

Within the household, mothers and grandmothers teach children lullabies (beyts) that embed theological concepts, such as the reverence for Melek Taus and the cosmic dualism of good and evil. These verses are often performed during feeding, bedtime, or seasonal festivals, allowing the sacred language to permeate everyday life. Omarkhali notes that “the oral religious knowledge is not confined to professional reciters; it circulates in family settings where women play a leading role” (Omarkhali 2011).

Ritual functions and gendered expertise

Women are responsible for the correct preparation of ritual objects—such as the sacred water (sêwî) and the incense (bêz)—and for reciting the accompanying qewls during pilgrimages to Lalish. Their expertise is transmitted through a “science of the chest” (a mnemonic oral method) that parallels the training of male qawwāl (Encyclopaedia Iranica, qawl). This dual transmission ensures that both public and private dimensions of Yazidi worship are preserved.

Transmission mechanisms

Learning occurs via observation, repetition, and participation in communal gatherings (e.g., the Jamāʿīyah pilgrimage). Women often accompany the qawwāl, echoing verses, correcting melodic patterns, and providing contextual explanations to younger participants. This collaborative environment reinforces the resilience of the oral canon.

“Women’s voices echo the sacred hymns in homes; their memory keeps the faith alive when the public reciters are absent.” – Omarkhali, Yazidi Religious Textual Tradition

In the oral tradition

The corpus of qewls includes both extensive ceremonial pieces and concise domestic beyts. The latter, frequently transmitted by women, articulate core theological motifs in accessible language. For example, the beyṭ “Beyta Heyî Malê” (The House’s Blessing) is a short hymn taught to daughters for recitation during house‑warming ceremonies (Omarkhali 2011). Such texts illustrate how women embed doctrinal content within everyday rites.

Scholarly disagreement

Kreyenbroek argues that the male qawwāl tradition overshadows women’s contributions, suggesting that most canonical qewls are preserved exclusively by professional singers. Açıkyıldız counters that fieldwork in Sinjar demonstrates a vibrant parallel tradition of women’s domestic hymns, which are essential for the transmission of theological nuance to the next generation.

Common misconceptions

Regional variation

In the Sinjar mountains, women’s hymn‑teaching is closely linked to agricultural cycles, while in Sheikhan the emphasis is on pilgrimage preparation. Syrian Yazidi communities, displaced by conflict, have adapted by recording women’s beyts on digital media to ensure diaspora transmission. In Turkey and the Caucasus, women often serve as the sole custodians of local variants of qewls that differ from the Iraqi canon.

Timeline

Data table