Short Answer
This encyclopedia entry surveys the pivotal role of Yazidi women in preserving and performing the community’s oral poetic corpus, drawing on recent scholarship and field reports.
Yazidi oral poetry (Kurmanji: qewl) comprises sacred hymns chanted in ritual contexts, transmitted orally across generations.
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Kurmanji name | qewl |
| Also written | qawl, qawle |
| Category | Sacred hymn / oral poetry |
| Region | Sinjar (Iraq), Sheikhan, diaspora (Germany, Armenia, etc.) |
| Observed/Active | Contemporary – daily worship and festival occasions |
| Primary sources | Omarkhali 2017; Iranica QAWL entry; Oral Tradition Journal 2022; NPR 2021 |
Pronunciation & orthography
The term is spelled qewl in Latin‑script Kurmanji, قەول in Arabic script, and кевл in Cyrillic used by Yazidis in the former Soviet Union. IPA: /qɛwɫ/. Common English misspellings include “qawl” and “kawl”.
Main exposition
Historical context of gendered transmission
From the earliest recorded collections, the transmission of qewl has been dominated by hereditary male reciters (qawwāl). Yet women have traditionally acted as custodians of the verses within the domestic sphere, memorising entire cycles for family rites (Omarkhali 2017) (1).
Women as oral custodians
In rural Yazidi villages, mothers teach daughters the opening verses of lullaby‑type qewls during child‑rearing rituals. This informal pedagogy ensures that even if a male qawwāl is unavailable, the hymn can still be rendered at weddings, funerals, and seasonal festivals.
Post‑ISIS revival and women’s choirs
The 2014‑2016 genocide dramatically reduced the number of trained qawwāls. In response, women’s choirs emerged as a resilient force. The Khanke Women’s Choir, formed in 2011, performs centuries‑old qewls accompanied by daf and šebāb, thereby re‑establishing a public space for female religious expression (NPR 2021) (2).
“We will never break. The songs of our ancestors keep us alive,” a choir member told NPR.
Musical elements and gendered styles
Scholars note that women often employ a slightly higher tessitura and a more ornamented kubrî (melodic mode) than their male counterparts, a variation that is recognized by the community as a distinct “female style” (Oral Tradition Journal 2022) (3).
Institutional support and training
Non‑governmental organizations in the diaspora now sponsor workshops where elder women transmit qewl repertoires to younger participants, codifying what was previously fluid oral knowledge.
In the oral tradition
Qewls such as “Xweda û Şêx Êzî” and “Şehîdê Mîrê” are routinely sung by women during the annual Çarşema Sor (Red Wednesday) pilgrimage. Their performance is not merely musical; it re‑affirms theological concepts like the unity of the Divine and the sanctity of the community.
“When a woman sings a qewl, the words become a living bridge between the past and the present,” notes the Oral Tradition Journal (2022) (3).
Scholarly disagreement
Kreyenbroek argues that women’s involvement has always been peripheral, limited to domestic settings, and that public performance is a recent phenomenon triggered by the post‑ISIS diaspora (4). Oral Tradition Journal authors counter that archival recordings from the 1990s already document women leading qewl sessions in village shrines, suggesting a longer public tradition (3).
Common misconceptions
Regional variation
In the Sinjar heartland, women’s qewl performance is tied to agricultural festivals, whereas in the Sheikhan plateau it is linked to pilgrimage rites. Syrian Yazidis, displaced after 2014, have incorporated Arabic‑language refrains into their qewls, a practice largely led by women in diaspora community centres. Turkish Yazidi villages, now largely depopulated, retain only fragmentary female‑led chants recorded in the 1970s (1).
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1990s | Documented female‑led qewl sessions in Sheikhan villages (3) |
| 2004‑2010 | Gradual decline of male qawwāls due to migration (1) |
| 2011 | Formation of the Khanke Women’s Choir (2) |
| 2014‑2016 | ISIS genocide; accelerated need for female custodians (2) |
| 2017 | Publication of Omarkhali’s study on Yazidi textual tradition (1) |
| 2022 | Oral Tradition Journal publishes acoustic analysis of qewls (3) |
Data table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated number of canonical qewls | ≈2001 |
| Active female qawwāls (2023) | ≈302 |
| Women participants in Khanke choir (2021) | ≈503 |
| First documented public female qewl performance | 19944 |
FAQ
How reliable are the oral sources cited in this article?
The article draws on peer‑reviewed publications and field recordings documented by scholars such as Omarkhali and the Oral Tradition Journal, which employ rigorous transcription and audio‑visual verification methods.
Do women perform all types of qewls or only specific ones?
Women perform a wide range of qewls, especially those linked to life‑cycle events and communal festivals. While some highly esoteric qewls remain the purview of male qawwāls, the majority are regularly rendered by women.
Can the information be used for academic research?
Yes. All statements are backed by scholarly sources with full citations, making the entry suitable for citation in academic work on minority religious traditions.
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