WOMEN AND FAMILY RELATIONS IN CRIMEAN TATAR PROVERBS: AN ORAL TRADITION ANALYSIS

This study looks at the cultural representations of family, femininity, and motherhood in the oral tradition of the Crimean Tatars, with a particular focus on proverbs as key transmitters of moral codes, social norms, and collective memory. Issues such as women’s rights and physical and sexual violence against women, which remain pressing concerns in the contemporary world, have deep historical and cultural dimensions. One of the factors that has historically shaped the moral and social stability of societies is their treatment and perception of women. The folk memory preserved in oral tradition encapsulates national and local codes related to women, motherhood, and family, offering valuable insights into the resilience or decline of communities over time. Drawing on a corpus of proverbs compiled from historical Crimean Tatar sources, this research employs a qualitative, thematic analysis to identify and interpret recurring motifs related to women, motherhood, and family relations. The selected proverbs encapsulate the worldview, customs, and traditions of the Crimean Tatars, reflecting their moral values, family ethics, concepts of femininity, love of homeland, kinship, and broader humanitarian ideals. The findings demonstrate that the Crimean Tatar oral tradition preserves a nuanced vision of womanhoodand family - encompassing roles as daughters, brides, wives, mothers, and widows—emphasizing virtues such as wisdom, loyalty, and moral integrity. These proverbs also reveal the reciprocal influence between women and the stability, prosperity, and moral fabric of society. By situating the Crimean Tatar experience within the wider context of Turkic cultural history, the study highlights the enduring relevance of traditional wisdom in informing contemporary gender discourses and promoting social cohesion.