TRADITIONAL HORN PROCESSING, COMB AND JEWELRY DESIGNS IN SİVAS

Abstract

Horn embroidery is one of the traditional handicrafts of Sivas that is about to disappear. It shows
that bone combs and items found in excavations in Sivas and its surroundings were used by many
cultures that lived before. Due to the harmony of the keratin inside with the human skin, the horn,
which was used mostly in the making of combs in the historical process, musical instrument
accessories, knife handle, rosary, jewelry, are processed. In the past, cattle, bull and carob were
also used, but today ram and buffalo horns are processed. The raw horn is dried and the buttonhole
part called the core is dropped, and the dried pieces are cut in sizes to be used. These parts are
turned into raw materials by being heated and pressed in the fired fire so that they do not bend in the
future. In comb making, the horn is sequentially treated, rasping, teeth opening, grating, and finally
it is polished and put into use. Since the produced parts are made by hand and the inside of each
horn is different from each other like fingerprints, their sizes, colors and patterns differ from each
other. Since there are no masters working in antlers in Sivas recently, combs and accessories that
are identical in size and size are brought from abroad due to their production features. Fatih Duran,
whose main profession was knife making, started to apply the methods and techniques of traditional
horn processing in his own workshop with following his personal efforts and the works of previous
masters, and he tries to keep this art alive by educating himself. In Duran's workshop, while making
knife handle and comb, another artist, Hayati Ünsal, takes horn embroidery to another dimension by
making handcrafted ornaments to comb and jewelery made by Duran. In our study, the
environments where these people work were visited and the materials, techniques and works they
produced were introduced and information was given. This workmanship, which requires a lot of
effort and effort, is waiting for people who will devote their hearts and will learn and pass it on to
future generations.