The Naming Tradition and Ideology in Social Memory: Satuq Bughra Khan

Abstract

The concept of cultural change is a phenomenon which is rooted in many reasons such as war, migration, natural disaster, conversion, and technology and influences societies deeply. This includes a wide range of rituals of transition, social norms, social institutions, eating and drinking habits. By adopting Islam, Turks, entering into a new culture circle, created syncretic texture by reflecting this change and transformation in almost every area of life with the influence of religion. The first thing that comes to mind about the cultural change related to religious change in social memory is Satuq Bughra Khan, the Karahanli ruler who took the name of Abdulkerim after accepting Islam in 10th century. In this study, it was emphasized whether or not the name "Abdulkerim Satuq Bughra Khan" in social memory creates an ideological imagination. In this context, primarily with reference to the classification of naming traditions in Turkey by Sedat Veyis Ornek, the names "Satuq", "Bughra Khan" and "Abdulkerim" have been analyzed and then the relationship between the name and ideology has been discussed sharing the views of informants who bear this name. According to Ornek's classification, it is identified that the name Abdulkerim Satuq Bughra Khan can be linked to "the names related to entombed saints, names related to life-sustaining powers, names related to historical heroes and political leaders, names related to animals, names related to fashion and cultural change". However, if a general heading is preferred, it would be more appropriate to examine them under the heading of "Names related to cultural change". This name, in itself, seems to have contained some codes of social memory in terms of belief and thought system: The name Satuq is associated with the ritual of selling in relation with motif of childlessness, the name of Bughra Khan is associated with the pre-Islamic belief systems in relation with animal mythology and being a family/clan name, and the name Abdulkerim is directly related to Islam. In addition, the acceptance of Satuq Bughra Khan as the first example of the naming tradition in relation with cultural change based on religion can help consider him as the prototype of those who changed their name by converting to Islam today, or those who got an Islamic name in addition to a Turkish name. In the collection study conducted in the primary and secondary orality environments, it was identified that the name was chosen with a conscious ideological approach laying emphasis on "Turkish-Islamic ideal". In addition, it is determined that Saltuq Bughra Khan has been misused instead of Satuq Bughra Khan for various reasons and this wrong usage is more prevalent, in other words, the name tends to be a mumpsimus in social memory. Consequently, this situation has been criticized on the grounds that it is inconsistent with the cultural and historical background of the name.