Stones collected from nature become dolls

HATAY

A handicraft teacher has drawn great interest to a course she teaches to quake-stricken women in Hatay, using stones collected from nature to make dolls.

The house and handicraft workshop of 42-year-old Çiğdem Fakı in the İsmet İnönü district of İskenderun were severely damaged during the earthquake, described as the disaster of the century, that hit the eastern part of Türkiye last year on Feb. 6. She then began providing stone doll-making classes to women affected by the disaster in a foundation opened in İskenderun's Mustafa Kemal district.

In the course, which quickly became very popular in the district, Fakı is now giving education to 33 earthquake-affected women.

Fakı, who has been teaching handicrafts for 12 years, says that it helps these women feel better and to socialize.

Stating that the women were saved from the negativities of the earthquake thanks to the course, Fakı said that they turn the stones into dolls in local clothes by covering them with ceramic dough and decorating them with paint and varnish.

“We were in İskenderun during the Feb. 6 earthquake. We felt the devastating effects of the earthquake like everyone else. We lost all of our work areas and workshops due to heavy damage. This process affected us and our work very badly. We are still in the process of recovery. I started working with stones while living in Yumurtalık district of Adana 12 years ago. I improved myself by attending courses. Traditional handicrafts are my area of interest. I focused on the stone doll. It is a profession that attracts the attention of women and makes economic contribution to them. We create our dolls with stones and materials we collect from nature. The stone doll making is a traditional art with a history dating back thousands of years. It has been the subject of folk songs, lullabies, fairy tales and stories. It is made of four stones and dough ceramics. While we practice this profession, we actually practice all four arts together. With these arts, we become tailors, painters and sculptors when we shape the doll’s body,” Fakı said.