Shephering and Shepherd Clothing in Turkish Culture – Felt Cloak and Fur

People have shared the geography they located in with animals since ancient times. Within this symbiosis, people have benefited from animals that they are in continuous interaction in various areas. Central Asia steps is a region that has harsh continental climate with cold winters and warm summers. Migrant settlers in this region, with a limited agriculture potential, live off animal husbandry. Feeding of herd and the need for managing this duty in a safe way pave the way for sheepherding. Shepherd’s felt cloak and fur used by shepherds against the unfavorable weather conditions are the primary symbols of shepherd culture due to their important functions. Worn by shepherds in order to be protected against the unfavorable climate conditions, felt cloak defined as sleeveless clothing made up of felt are considered with the concept of felt. Similarly shepherd’s fur, which is made up of peltry of sheep and lamb, and has a similar function with felt cloak, is one of vital clothing materials of shepherds. As a natural result of animal breeding, which is one of the indispensable elements of the nomadic lifestyle, with the transition processes of people to the settled order and accordingly agricultural production as well as the breeding of animals they have tried to hunt, the shepherd profession, which is obliged to meet all kinds of needs of animals, has emerged. In this study, it is aimed to give information about the development and importance of shepherd, about dandruff and shepherd's fur, a clothing specific to shepherds. The information obtained from the written and virtual sources related to the subject and the interviews made with the source persons were tried to be transferred. It is important to emphasize the process of making a garment a cultural carrier.