The Institution of Analık – The Ocak System – Social Change

In this video, Ana Cevahir Altınok provides an in-depth account of the sacredness of the concept of ana in the Alevi belief world and its intrinsic entanglement with the Ocak system. Within the framework of the understanding of Hakk Ana, analık is emphasized as a position of cosmological and spiritual guidance, not merely a biological role. The guiding roles of ziyaret anas, their functions as “distributors of healing,” their presence in cems, and the responsibilities they assume as women who carry the faith are conveyed through her own life experience. As illustrated by the example of Ana Telli’s mission at the Sexo Dede Dergâh, themes such as the loss of cem values, talip–pir relations, sacred relics, and the contemporary meaning of ikrar reveal how analık is re-positioned as a reconstitutive figure within Alevi society. This narrative appears as a vivid example of living oral memory that carries women’s place in Alevism from past to present.

This recording was made on 10–11 May 2025 at the Dortmund Alevi Cultural Center (DAKME), within the framework of the Pirler–Analar Workshop organized for the Alevi Encyclopedia project under the Rıza Şehri Academy.