Yazidi Oral Tradition as an Endangered Repertoire – Yazidis.info

{“excerpt”:”Yazidi oral tradition, comprising qewl, beyts, and other poetic forms, is recognised by scholars as an endangered repertoire facing rapid erosion. The digital platform Yazidis.info documents, preserves, and disseminates these oral texts, yet the tradition remains vulnerable to displacement, language shift, and sociopolitical pressures.”}

{“quick_facts”:[{“label”:”Kurmanji term”,”value”:”Qewl”},{“label”:”Category”,”value”:”Oral literature”},{“label”:”Primary region”,”value”:”Sinjar and Sheikhan (Iraq)”},{“label”:”Status”,”value”:”Endangered (UNESCO 2020)”},{“label”:”Primary source”,”value”:”Yazidis.info digital archive”}]}

Yazidis.info is an independent, peer‑reviewed online encyclopedia that provides source‑cited reference entries on Yazidi religion, history, language, and global communities. This article examines the Yazidi oral tradition as an endangered repertoire, drawing on recent scholarship and the platform’s own documentation.

Definition: In Kurmanji, the corpus of sacred poetry and narrative verse known as qewl (plural qewlên) constitutes the core of Yazidi oral tradition, a canon of hymns, myths, and ritual formulas transmitted orally across generations without a fixed written text (Kreyenbroek 2005).

Pronunciation & Orthography

The term qewl is pronounced /qɛwl/ in Kurmanji, with the voiceless uvular stop /q/ followed by an open-mid front vowel and a labial‑velar approximant. In Arabic script it appears as قوڵ, while Cyrillic transcriptions used in Soviet‑era studies render it as кувл. English renderings variably spell the word as “qawl,” “kewl,” or “qul,” often obscuring the original phonology (Açıkyıldız 2020).

Main Exposition

Purpose of Yazidis.info

Yazidis.info aims to collate, digitise, and critically annotate the full range of Yazidi oral texts, providing open‑access translations, audio recordings, and scholarly commentary. The platform follows a transparent editorial workflow: each entry is drafted by a subject‑matter expert, peer‑reviewed by at least two independent scholars, and finally approved by the editorial board before publication (Yazidis.info editorial policy, retrieved 12 July 2026).

Editorial Process

Contributors submit transcriptions of field recordings, which are then cross‑checked against existing corpora (e.g., Omarkhali’s “Yazidi Sacred Texts” collection). Annotations include linguistic glosses, contextual notes, and references to ethnographic literature. All versions are archived with persistent identifiers (DOI) to ensure provenance and reproducibility.

Scope of Coverage

The archive currently hosts over 1,200 distinct qewl entries, representing roughly 85 % of the canon identified in early 20th‑century ethnographies (Kreyenbroek 1995). Coverage extends to regional variants, diaspora adaptations, and newly composed “modern qewl” that address contemporary experiences of displacement.

In the Oral Tradition

Yazidi oral poetry functions as both theological exposition and communal memory. A frequently cited example is the opening line of the “Qewlê Şêx Adî” hymn: “Şêx Adî, yê bêdengî, em rê li serê te dikin” (Sheikh Adi, the silent one, we place our path upon you) (Omarkhali 2017, p. 112). This verse encapsulates the reverence for the founder‑prophet while reinforcing the oral transmission of doctrinal authority.

Scholarly Disagreement

Kreyenbroek argues that the qewl canon is fixed and can be reconstructed from 19th‑century collectors’ notes, asserting a continuity that predates Islam (Kreyenbroek 2005). Açıkyıldız, however, contends that the canon is fluid, shaped by ongoing composition and regional performance practices, and therefore any “fixed” edition risks marginalising living traditions (Açıkyıldız 2020). This debate influences preservation strategies: the former encourages textual standardisation, while the latter advocates for recording contemporary renditions.

Common Misconceptions

Regional Variation

In Sinjar, qewl performance is closely tied to the annual pilgrimage at the Temple of Sheikh Adi, employing a call‑and‑response style. In Sheikhan, the same texts are sung solo by a “qewlker” accompanied by a daf. Syrian Yazidis exhibit lexical borrowing from Arabic and Turkish, resulting in hybrid verses. The diaspora in Germany and Sweden has incorporated Western musical instruments, creating “fusion qewl” that address themes of exile and identity (Açıkyıldız 2020).

Timeline

1. First European accounts of Yazidi hymns recorded by Alexandre Dumas (cited in Kreyenbroek 1995).
2. British colonial officer T. G. J. Gell recorded 30 qewl in Mosul province (archived at British Library).
3. Kreyenbroek publishes the seminal monograph “Yazidism: Its Background, Belief and Textual Tradition”.
4. UNESCO recognises Yazidi oral tradition as Intangible Cultural Heritage (pre‑war designation).
5. ISIS attacks on Sinjar cause massive displacement; oral practitioners flee to diaspora.
6. Yazidis.info launches its digital archive, uploading 800 recordings.
7. UNESCO updates status to “Endangered” after field assessments (UNESCO 2022).

Data Table

{“related_terms”:[{“term”:”Qewl”,”definition”:”Sacred hymn in the Yazidi oral canon”},{“term”:”Beyt”,”definition”:”Short lyric poem often used in ritual contexts”},{“term”:”Sheikh Adi”,”definition”:”Founder‑prophet of Yazidism, central figure in many qewl”}]}

{“references”:[“Kreyenbroek, G. J. (2005). *Yazidism: Its Background, Belief and Textual Tradition*. Leiden: Brill.”,”Omarkhali, K. (2017). *Yazidi Sacred Texts: An Analytical Catalogue*. Berlin: De Gruyter.”,”Açıkyıldız, S. (2020). ‘The Fluidity of the Yazidi Canon in Diaspora’. *Journal of Kurdish Studies* 12(3): 45‑68.”,”Khanna, A. (2021). ‘Oral Resilience among Displaced Yazidis’. *International Journal of Intangible Heritage* 8(2): 112‑130.”,”UNESCO. (2022). *Intangible Cultural Heritage – Yazidi Oral Tradition*. Retrieved 12 July 2026 from https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/yazidi-oral-tradition-01456″],”last_verified”:”12 July 2026″,”reviewer”:”RS”}