Takam
Takam (Azerbaijani: تکم for "my billy goat") is the name of the King of the Goats, a character featuring in the folk mythology of Azarbaijan, Iran. Takam effigies - a type of simple rod puppet - are made out of wood and ornamented with coloured glass beads and chicken feathers from the tail of a cock. A pole affixed to the Takam is passed through a hole in a plank which is held horizontally, from below which the Takam is moved about to create the illusion that it is dancing on the surface of the plank. While doing so, the person portraying the Takam, who is referred to as Takam-Chi (تکم چی), or Takam Gardān (meaning, the one who manipulates the Takam), chants special poetry which in Azari is called Sāyā (سایا). The tradition of playing the Takam is millennia old and invariably in all Sāyās reference is made to natural landscapes,[1] pastures and the native domestic animals. At present, the tradition of playing the Takam is strongest in Ardebil. Takams were originally played as messengers bearing the tiding of the arrival of the Spring. In modern times, Takams are also played in connection with a variety of other special festive events. It is conceivable that Takam and Pan, the Greek god of shepherds and flocks, may have a common historical origin.
Notes
- ^ Photographs showing some of Azarbaijan's beautiful landscapes:
Ardebil, Ardebil Azarbaijan, The Sahand Mountain, The Sahand Mountain, The Sabalan Mountain (see Sahand and Sabalan).
References
- The Anthropological Museum of the Tribes of Azarbaijan, Sarāb: English Archived 2008-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, Persian Archived 2008-03-19 at the Wayback Machine.
