A CULTE BRIDGE FROM PAST TO PRESENT

Writer: Yavuz İşçen
October 2007

We can say that, among Turks, making rag dolls rely on a cultural base from Shamanism period. Today, rag dolls are representatives of an important tradition, although they are transformed into a plaything of female children and they seem to succumb against Barbie epidemic.

We see rag dolls not only in Turkey but in other countries, as well. Each doll tells us the culture, life style and traditions of her country. Folkloric dolls built a real culture bridge from past to present. Simple materials are used for making Soğanlı rag dolls. The body of the doll is formed by wrapping cotton over a wooden skeleton. Bottle cap is used for head. After completing the body, colorful regional dresses are put on the dolls. Lastly, the face of the doll is formed by a pencil. Now, a Soğanlı rag doll is ready to get its place on the bench. There are various size and models of Soğanlı rag dolls. Among these, most gripping ones are bride, the girl who makes wool strand, the girl with baby and the girl with jug. Prices of these dolls differ between 5-10 YTL.  

Soğanlı Village famous with rag dolls
Archaic name of Soğanlı Village was Soandos. It’s a district of Yeşilhisar which is south-west of Kayseri. Soğanlı village is 15 km from Yeşilhisar. Soğanlı is one of the entrance gates of Cappadocia and its 50 km from Ürgüp.

The rag doll which Hanife made for her daughter
The story of Soğanlı rag dolls is very interesting. It’s said that Soğanlı doll was made for the first time in 1960s by Hanife granny, who is still alive, for her daughter Döndü. Although Hanife makes the doll for her daughter as a plaything, a tourist wants to buy the doll, so Hanife makes another doll for her daughter. By the way, women think that they can make and sell rag dolls so several families begin to make dolls. Rag dolls arouse interest among tourists and many women begin to produce dolls. Then, doll production develops and a cooperative is found. Soğanlı rag dolls were sold in Cappadocia and later on exported to other countries. Even, demarche of the village had to apply for a patent to Turkish Patent Institute in order to prevent illegal copies of Soğanlı rag dolls. We recommend you to buy one because rag dolls are among important sources of income in Cappadocia.

Note: This article has been published in Peribacası Cappadocia Culture and Publicity Magazine, October 2007 issue. It is under protection of the copyrights of the magazine. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com