Hêj em di gundê Remedana de dijîn, em di gerin. We are still living in the village of Ramadan, we are walking around.
Neha jî em derbasî malekê bûn, jinek jî terzî ye. Now we have entered a home, where a woman is a tailor.
Me xwest em li ser karê terziyê jî bipirsin, emê bi hev re nas bikin. We wanted to ask about the tailoring work, let's get to know her together.
Merheba ji we re. Hello to you.
Ehlen we sehlen, tu bi xêr hatî. Ser serê me û ser her du çavê me. Welcome, you are very welcome. Upon our heads and upon both our eyes [You are most welcome].
Sax bî, spas. Em destpêkê we nas bikin, navê we bi xêr? Be healthy, thank you. Let's get to know you first, what is your name?
Navê min Fehîme. My name is Fehîme.
Ser çava. With pleasure [Upon my eyes].
Ji kengî da tu terzî ye? Since when have you been a tailor?
Ji deh salan da. Since [I was] ten years old.
Deh salan da ez êlimî terziyê, ez didirûm. Since ten years old I learned tailoring, and I sew.
Te ji kê fêr bû? Who did you learn from?
Ji diya xwe. From my mother.
Diya te eyna terzî ye? Is your mother also a tailor?
Ê, diya min. Yes, my mother.
Ew çend sal e terzî ye? How many years has she been a tailor?
Hewa... wek li emrê min terzî bû heta mezin bû. She... she was a tailor at my age until she grew up.
Paşê, hewa jî diya xwe elimî. Then, she also learned from her mother.
Min jî, ez jê elimîm. And I, I learned from her.
Yanî halet ji diya xwe elimîne. So the craft is learned from the mother.
Aywa, em ji diya xwe em fêr bûn. Exactly, we learned from our mother.
Baş e. Very well.
Niha... mîvanê te jî hazir in, em jî spas dikin em jî hazir bûn. Now... your guests are ready, we thank you, we are ready too.
Wan jî cilê xwe yê Kurmancî li xwe kirine. They have also worn their Kurmanji [Kurdish] clothes.
Bi taybet hûn çi didirûn? Specifically, what do you sew?
Taybet em cilê Kurmancî didirûn. Specifically, we sew Kurmanji clothes.
Bi navê Efrînê, fîstanê Kurmancî, Efrînê tên naskirin. Under the name of Afrin, the Kurmanji dress, known as the Afrin style.
Û teben [tabî] bi çar parçeyê Kurdistanê em gişka didirûn. And naturally, we sew for all four parts of Kurdistan.
Ê çar parçeyan jî tu didirî? You sew for the four parts too?
Niha li ba te hene, em karin bibînin? Do you have them here now, can we see them?
Lê, yekî heye. Yes, there is one.
Û ê pir Kurmancî ne. But most are Kurmanji style.
Yanî ê pirraniya vî yê Efrînê didirûn? Meaning the majority you sew are the Afrin style?
Ê pir Efrînê ne. The majority are Afrin style.
Niha ev yê herî zehmet tu didirî, kîjan e? Now, regarding the most difficult one you sew, which is it?
Yê Efrînê ye. It is the Afrin one.
Yê Efrînê zehmet e? The Afrin one is difficult?
Efrînê sicefê xwe hene. Afrin has its 'sicef' [facings/troubles].
Zehmetiya xwe? Its difficulty?
Zehmetiya xwe sicef in. Its difficulties are the 'sicef' [technical sewing term for facing/lining].
Gelo tu kîjan merra dibêjî? Ê çavê min an...? Which one are you telling us about? [The trouble] of my eyes or...? (Joking about the double meaning of pain/trouble).
Tu behsa vê dikî? You are talking about this?
Hev sicef na... zehmetiya xwe ji van heye, hewna bi destan çêdibin, bi makînê nayê dirûn. Those troubles... its difficulty comes from these, these are made by hand, they aren't sewn by machine.
De rojeke berxwedêr tu çawa dikî? So on a day of resistance/work, how do you manage?
Hawa, rojekê em sicefa çêdikin, paşê em didirûn. Well, one day we prepare the facings, then we sew.
Û tu rojêkê de yekî diqedînî? And do you finish one in a day?
Ê, lê. Rojêkê fîstanê Kurmancî derdikeve. Yes, sure. A Kurmanji dress comes out [is finished] in a day.
Ê tu berê di gund de kar dikir, te li derveyî gund kar dikir? Before, did you work in the village, or did you work outside the village?
Ez di gund de kar dikim. Salekê ez çûm Cindirêsê kar dikir, min mehel vekir. I work in the village. One year I went to Jindires to work, I opened a shop.
Te li wir jî vekir? You opened one there too?
Min li wir vekir, qîzik li cem min dielimîn. I opened one there, girls were learning from me.
Ji bûyerê, ez hatim vêderê, min dîsa karê xwe kir. Because of the events [crisis], I came here, and I did my work again.
Lê te neaniye vêderê tu bi xwe re? But you didn't bring [your machine] here with you?
Ez nehatime, ê... I didn't come [with it], uh...
Makîna te jî nebû hewa? Your machine wasn't this one?
Makîna min na, ev ya diya min e. Ya min... makîna min yê derzî mezin e. My machine no, this is my mother's. Mine... my machine is the large needle type [industrial].
Ê tu başqe ji fîstan çi didirîne? What else do you sew besides dresses?
Ez şelwarê jî didirûm. I sew Shalwar [men's baggy trousers] too.
Ê mêra. For men?
Ê mêra. For men.
Yanî, ev şelwarê te dirûtî ye? Meaning, are these Shalwar sewn by you?
Ev şelwarê min dirûtî ye, erê. These Shalwar are sewn by me, yes.
Ê dema niha tu jin, û karê şelwara jî dikî, zehmetiya wê heye? Since you are a woman doing the work of [sewing] Shalwars, is there any difficulty?
Na. Tê tune. No. There is none.
Na? Zehmetiya xwe kûk tune? Ji fîstanê Kurmancî qolaytir e? No? No difficulty at all? Is it easier than the Kurmanji dress?
Ji fîstanê Kurmancî qolaytir e. It is easier than the Kurmanji dress.
Zehmetiya wê tê tune? No difficulty in it?
Na. No.
Ê tu bi taybet kes tê ba te, lê tu didirî ji difroşî? Do specific people come to you, or do you sew to sell?
Na, ez ji xelkê re didirûm. No, I sew for the people [custom orders].
Yanî, kî gerek bibûyî te jê re? Meaning, whoever needs it, you [sew] for them?
Gerekê kî bî, tînin, ji min re ez jê re didirûm. Whoever needs it, they bring it, and I sew it for them.
Ê baş e, eger ji me re jî bidirî... Very well, if you would sew for us too...
Ya ehlen we sehlen. Oh, you are most welcome.
Ji bo bernameya xwelet, dê em jî cilê xwe yê Kurmancî li xwe dikin. For the program "Xwelet", we will also wear our Kurmanji clothes.
Tu bi xêr hatî. You are welcome.
Sax bî. Ev çine? Ka em li van jî binêrin. Ev jî... Be healthy. What are these? Let's look at these too. These are...
Hewna jî şaş in, durbin. These are 'Şaş' [head wraps/turbans], they are wrapped around.
Şaş in? They are Şaş?
Durbin, ê, hevna. Hevna bi destê xwe çêdikim. Ke destê min e. Wrapped around, yes, these. These I make with my own hands. It is my handiwork.
Ev merkub a? Is this the 'merkub' [center piece]?
Ev merkuna... This 'merkub'...
Ev hazir in, tînî? Are these ready-made, you bring them?
Merk'a dikirim û ez çêdikim. I buy the center piece and I make it.
De şaşê hewna hazir tînî? So you bring the wraps ready-made?
Şaşê hazir tînin. Ê, doro ez bi xwe çêdikim, erê. The wraps are brought ready-made. Yes, the surrounding part I make myself, yes.
Ê ev jî çiqasî berxwedana wê heye? And how much endurance/work does this take?
Hewa bi heftan berxwedana meseleya van. This takes about a week, the issue of these.
Zehmetî ya heye? Is there difficulty?
Zehmetiya xwe pir e, lê... Its difficulty is great, but...
Ê berya miletê... berê çawa dikir? Cereyan tune bû, wala trîk, milet... jina di berê çi zehmetî dikşandin? And before the people... how did they do it before? There was no electricity, no lamps, the people... what difficulties did women endure in the past?
Ê zehmetiya xwe pir ne, lê... me jî li ber çira çêdikir. Yes, their difficulties were many, but... we also used to make them by lantern light.
Tu gihîştiyê? You caught that time?
Em gihîştinê. Lê... We caught that time. But...
Kerebeya me pir ne... ji mêj ve... Our electricity is not much... for a long time...
De gund çend sal e kerebe hatiyê? How many years has electricity been in the village?
Gund teqrîben, de û pênc salan hatiyê. The village, roughly, it came fifteen years ago.
Panzdeh salan? Ne zûda ye? Fifteen years? Isn't that recent?
Na, na, ne zûda ye. Em... bi zarok bûn, em biçûk bûn. No, no, not recently. We... were children, we were small.
Me çêdikir, kerebe paşê hat. We worked [without it], electricity came later.
Dibê dema, diya te çawa kar dikir? So in that time, how did your mother work?
Diya min... dirûn dikir. My mother... she did sewing.
Ê, bi vê makînê çênekir? She didn't do it with this machine?
Na. Diya min, me'rêk çênekir. No. My mother didn't make the 'merkub' [center piece].
Me'rêk... şuxlê min e. The 'merkub'... is my work.
Yanî tu ev zêde bûn te, tu fêr bûyî? So this addition [skill], you learned it?
Hm. Hm.
Mîvanê te ji gund in, ji derveyî gund in? Are your guests from the village, or from outside the village?
Mîvanê min ji gund in, hevalê min in. My guests are from the village, they are my friends.
Jê yek, hevala Şêziyê. Hevala File, hevala Euf... û ser mile te jî, diya min e hewa. Of them one, friend Sheziye. The Christian friend, friend Euf... and next to you is my mother.
Dayîka te jî fêr bûye? Your mother also learned [it]?
Erê, dayîka min jî fêr bûye. Yes, my mother also learned.
Durînê. The sewing.
Tamam, ezê naha cem dayîkê jî. Okay, I will go to the mother now too.
Û hûn çend jin, di gund de, di komînê de we cihê xwe girtiye? And how many women in the village have taken your place in the commune?
Em heft in. We are seven.
Jê sisê, mamosteyên jê. Of them, three are teachers.
Karê mamosteyî jî dikin? They do teaching work too?
Û cihê xwe di komînê de jî digirin. And they take their place in the commune too.
Ê komîn bi giştî, hejmara we çend kes in? And the commune in total, what is your number [of people]?
Em jin heft in, û mêr jî teqrîben deh hene. We women are seven, and men are roughly ten.
Hevdeh kes. Seventeen people.
Heftdeh kes in. Seventeen people.
Baş e. Komîna we çiqas, çend meh ne ava bûye? Very well. Your commune, how long, how many months has it been established?
Heft meh hene. It has been seven months.
Heft meh hene? Seven months?
Komîna Şehîd Rênas. The Martyr Rênas Commune.
Spas ji were jî, ezê neha biftim cem dayîkê jî. Thank you to you too, I will now move to the mother.
Ehlen we sehlen. You are most welcome.
Dayê merheba ji te re jî. Mother, hello to you too.
Tu bi xêr hatî. You are welcome.
Eyî sax bin yarim. You are welcome [Response].
Eyî sax bin yarim. May you be healthy, my dear.
Sax bî. Be healthy.
Dayê, dibê tu terzî ye? Tu bi xwe jî terzî ye. Be healthy.
Dayê, dibê tu terzî ye? Tu bi xwe jî terzî ye. Mother, they say you are a tailor? You yourself are a tailor too.
Ê, ma berê ma dikir. Yes, we used to do it in the past.
Paşê ma ber qîzika xwe elimand. Later, we taught our daughter.
Ê tu çend sal e terzî ye? How many years have you been a tailor?
Wele, ma pir kir, da hûrik mûrik ma kir, da qîzik gihîştin ma teslîmî qîzka kir. Well, I did it a lot, I did the small bits and pieces, when the girl grew up, I handed it over to the girls.
Tû jî, wek keçka te behs kir, tû jî ji diya xwe yê fêr bûye? You too, like your daughter mentioned, did you also learn from your mother?
Erê, erê. Ji dêka xwe ez jî elimîm. Yes, yes. I also learned from my mother.
Erê, erê, ji dêka xwe ez jî elimîm. Yes, yes, I also learned from my mother.
Ê dema te terzî bû... tu li vî gundî bû dîsa? So when you were a tailor... were you in this village then too?
La, ez ne li vî gundî bûm. Ez qîz bûm li mala ma bûm, ma dikir, û em hatin. No, I wasn't in this village. I was a girl at our home, I did it [sewing], and we came [here].
Tu ji kîjan gundî ye? Which village are you from?
Ez Sorya me. I am Sorya [from Syria/Syriac background].
Ê tu çend sal hatî vî gundî? Gundê Remedana? How many years have you been in this village? The village of Ramadan?
Teqrîben... yanî pêncî û pênc sala hene. Roughly... meaning, there are fifty-five years.
55 sal in? 55 years?
Ê. Yes.
Dibê dema te terzî bûn... So during the time you were a tailor...
Dema te fîstan didirûtin... When you were sewing dresses...
Çi derdiketin cem te? Ê gund tenê, yan jina derve jî dihatin? Who turned up at your place? Just the village, or did women from outside come too?
Na, we çaxê dawa tune bû. Da... cîran ki mera hebû, ê malê bûn, aîlê bûn, da lazim dibû ma didirûtin. No, at that time there wasn't that [demand]. Uh... we had neighbors, there were household members, family, when it was necessary, we sewed [for them].
Yanî te, mesela noha dibêjin gundê derdora ber kes nedihat cem te? Meaning you, for example, they say from the surrounding villages nobody came to you?
Na, we çaxê ne we bû. No, at that time it wasn't like that.
Û piştî wê? Hatine? And after that? Did they come?
Paşê, noka pir in. Ji her derke da têne. Later, now there are many. They come from everywhere.
Ji her derkê da têne. They come from everywhere.
Wekî din te çi kar dikir? Başqe ji karê terzî te çi kar din dikir? What other work did you do? Besides tailoring, what other work did you do?
Wele yarim, ma vê rêsna çêdikirin, ma tentena çêdikirin, ma qenewîç çêdikirin, da şuxlê zemanî ber e. Well my dear, we made these ropes, we made lace, we made cross-stitch, that is the work of the old times.
Behsa karebê... dibê 15 sal e kerebe hatiye cew? Ê berê te çawa dikir? Regarding electricity... they say electricity came to you 15 years ago? How did you manage before?
Ê ma li ber çirê dikir yarim. Yes, we did it by the lamp light, my dear.
Hewa çiray ne hene. Those lamps that exist.
Çirê gazê? Kerosene lamps?
Wele ma çira hano didan û pêşî xwe, û ma pê qenewîç derçêdikirin. Yes.
Wele ma çira hano didan û pêşî xwe, û ma pê qenewîç derçêdikirin. Well, we put the lamp like this in front of us, and we produced cross-stitch with it.
Tu şiqamet di çavên te da mane? Do you have any strength left in your eyes?
Te tiştê nekirî? Not much...
Te tiştê nekirî? You didn't do anything [to damage them]?
Wele, orta da çavê me nadîn. Well, lately our eyes don't see well.
Qîzikê hano ji xwaro, mi digot hano bikin, hano bikin, ma li pêşiyê dikir, qîziko temam dikir. The girls, like this from below, I told them do this, do that, I did the start, the girls finished it.
Temam, spasî ya te dikim. Okay, I thank you.
Ez jî waji bikim, ehla we sehla, ji qeweta we ax û velatra, Xwedê rebî alemê, berûçkê weva binêre serûkî me bi derkeve yarim. I do the same [thank you], welcome, from your strength and patriotism, may God the Lord of the worlds look upon your condition and may our leader emerge [free], my dear.
Spas ji te re jî, sihet xweş dayê. Thank you to you too, health to you mother.
Spas ji we re jî. Thanks to you too.