Hidden Armenians in Turkey

     There are people in Turkey who do not know of their Armenian roots from as recently as 2 generations ago. There are also those who are well aware, but are forced to keep this identity hidden from the general population because of persecution and oppression. Please watch this video and share your thoughts/knowledge...

http://www.hairenik.com/HairenikTV/HA_TV_Clip60.htm



     My father's aunt in Istanbul used to travel to Anatolia and adopt these "hidden" Armenians and raise them as Armenians. She taught them the language, traditions, etc. I believe there should be 'missionaries' like my father's aunt who can teach the Armenian language and traditions to people who want to get in touch with their roots, but I doubt this type of work would sit well with the general population and the atmosphere in Turkey. I have also spoken to Armenians who have recently traveled to eastern Turkey, and said they came into contact with many people who claimed to be Armenian, but said they presented themselves as Turkish or Kurdish Muslims to everyone else.

     Note: This is not a discussion on the blacklisted Armenian Genocide, I know it is mentioned in the program, but just stray away from that discussion. This is about the modern-day dilemma of the people who willingly want to return to their roots, but for several factors, are unable to.

     Officially there are around 70,000 Armenians in Turkey, although there might be 100,000 because of the undocumented workers who go to Turkey from Armenia.

     Hamshenis are Muslim Armenians, I know people who have visited their villages, and their language (the eastern branch of it at least) is a dialect of Armenian. The Hamshens of Turkey and Caucasia (I think there are around 50-100,000 Hamshens in Russian Caucasia, and a few in Kazakhstan), have had meetings and recent relations with the Armenian diaspora. Probably discussing about how to better incorporate them into the worldwide Armenian community. In 2005 or 2006, they started printing Korans in the Armenian language in Yerevan.

Originally posted by Bulldog Why are they hidden?

     Watch the video.

Here is the original source:

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/FRANCE-24-Reports/Reporters-FRANCE-24.html

Accualy The Kurds living in north eastern Anatolia are mostly of armenian origin who adopted Islam. It's common fact omongst the locals

I'm not suprised

what would be an example of nationalistic propaganda?

They exist also stories about hidden Christians (Probably Greeks) that they preferred  to stay in Turkey and they wasn't exchanged .Same stories exist about hidden Muslims (Probably Turks)(not those in W.T) that preferred to stay in Greece but no official researches , just stories.  

Originally posted by DayI Armeniansurvival, does your aunt also teach some nationalistic propaganda? Language and culture is fine but going further is dangerous and you'll know it...

     Actually it wasn't her that raised the kids, I misphrased it... she would get children from families like that (at the parents' permission of course), and she would give the children to Armenian families so they raise them in their houses in Istanbul and send them to Armenian schools. I don't know what you would consider nationalist propaganda, Turks and Armenians have different views on this and to varying degrees.... some Turks consider sober Armenian history as 'nationalist propaganda', so I don't know where you draw the line yourself. They don't make them into enemies of Turkey, if thats what you mean, most of them either go back home when they are adults or they settle down in Istanbul.

     The main goal of these Armenian foster families is to teach the kids their real identity, and how to keep in touch with it, so it does not get lost. I think we need more people doing this work in Turkey, because most of these people who want to openly be Armenian don't know the language, traditions, and whoever is Christian cannot practice their religion. You saw the video, they are so oppressed that many times they don't dare tell their children they are really Armenian or Christian. It has to be pretty bad for it to reach that stage.

     What frightened me most was that the attitude towards Armenians in east Anatolia is not much different than the accounts I've read from WWI. They tried to force that family off their land just for having an Armenian ancestor, imagine if they spoke Armenian and openly practiced Christianity. East Anatolia is the place where the Armenian people originated from and lived for millenia, built various states and civilizations there, and they cannot even claim to be Armenian there anymore, much less practice the culture. In fact, they pretended to be Muslim Turks and Kurds, and they were still oppressed.

     But one really high note was that the Turkish court gave that family their land that was confiscated in 1915. Thats a good precedent.

Originally posted by DayI begins with ararat mountan and ends with greater armenia

     Well, Ararat has been part of our culture since the beginning (at least 6th century B.C.), and Greater Armenia is the name of the various states which occupied the Armenian highland. Thats just sober history.

Originally posted by Mortaza Hemsins were armenians, They are not armenians still..   I can say same for hidden armenians(?). They can immigrate to west(bigger cities) and noone will ever care their armenianship..But they prefer to stay "hidden"..

     Hamshenis have been Muslims for generations, some of them even before WWI. Who says they aren't Armenians... thats what they call themselves. The fact that everyone knows Hamshenis as Muslim Armenians should already tell you something.

     And what do you mean 'they prefer to stay hidden'? They are hidden because no one will accept them... People don't willingly isolate themselves from their country.

     The Hamsheni language is an archaic form of Armenian. They do not call themselves Turks. Hamshens, even those who live in Russia, Georgia and Abkhazia and who are Apostolic Christians, still call themselves Hamsheni Armenians. Hamsheni is an ethnic identity, a subgroup of Armenians.

     Plus, Hamsheni representatives have had meetings with the Armenian diaspora from many countries. If they considered themselves Turks they wouldn't be holding meetings with our diaspora....

Originally posted by Mortaza dont you think, If these muslim armenians  call themself as armenian, All Turkey will know them

     Thats exactly why they WOULDN'T call themselves Armenians, but rather, Hamshenis. They see how Armenians get treated.

Originally posted by Mortaza I have no idea about georgian or russian hemsins. I am talking about Turkey hemsins.

     Representatives of Turkey's Hamshenis were also present in the diaspora meetings.