FAMILY TYPES DESCRIBED IN THE EPISTLE “KITABI-DEDE GORGUD” (Ethnographic Research)

Abstract

The article notes that the epic “Kitabi-Dade Gorgud” is an unparalleled source for studying the history of our people, it is not only a literary and artistic monument, but also a magnificent monument reflecting the history of the ancient Azerbaijani people, including their ethnography, in all its shades. The main purpose of the article’s appeal to the epic “Kitabi-Dade Gorgud” is to examine the family types reflected here (patriarchal family structure, nuclear and extended family) and their ethnographic characteristics, and to evaluate the reasons for the formation of these family models, their functions, and their social significance During the research, it became clear that the families described in the epic “Kitabi-Dede Gorgud” are of the patriarchal family type. Although the families described in the epic belong to the extended-patriarchal family type, small-nuclear family types also existed in parallel with it. Patriarchal families have several families living within the same village (house-room), the father is the head of the family and makes decisions. At the same time, the son of the family lives in a separate tent, that is, at home after marriage. This gives grounds to say that the fact that a young man marries and lives in a separate house actually means the formation of a small family. Here it Ekomes clear that at a certain stage of development, the process of transition from a patriarchal extended family to a small family begins. This process can exist gradually and in parallel for a long time. The epic is also an ethnographic embodiment of this transition stage. The article also compares the family types described in the epic with modern family types, identifying their similarities and differences. As a result of comparative analyses, it is concluded that there have been no sharp differences between family life in Azerbaijan at all times and the family life of the modern era, that is, the Azerbaijani people have preserved, improved, and developed the customs and traditions related to family and family life for centuries, and these traditions have passed the tests of history and reached our time.