Mardin : the ones that have migrated to Argentina and lost their identity

History

Argentina, as many other countries from America, has received from the first years of the last century a great immigration from the Arabic Peninsula. Some of the people that arrived to Rio de la Plata did it because they could not get in the United States because they were affected by “trachoma”, a contagious ocular disease and it was very controlled by the authorities of immigration of all the countries. In Argentina, this prohibition to get into the country was flexible so many choose this destinity. 

The ones that could get into the US went mainly to Boston, in Canada to Montreal and as regards Southamerica, in Brazil to Rio de Janeiro and Sào Paulo and in Chile to Osorno,etc.

Paradoxically, this immigrants were called “ Turks “, due to the fact that when they got into the country they did it with a Turkish passport, released obviously by the ottoman authorities, even though they descended from Armenians, Syrian, Lebanese, etc. 

Of course, it was not pleasant for these Turkish citizens to be identified with the forces of occupation of their respective nations. We all know that this Empire enlarged from the century XVI until the end of the First World War expulsing from their territory those who didn´t profess the islamic religion, althoug it is worth mentioning that another motive for emigration was the extreme poverty of the region.

The ones that have arrived to Argentina coming from Turkey, escaped from Syria and after 1918 arrived with Syrian passport or from the State of Aleppo coverted in French protectives. However, they were still called “ Turkish “ .

Some of this immigrants changed their real surname when arriving to Buenos Aires, for another one of latin roots.

The first part arrived in Quilmes, La Plata and surrounding areas ( South of Buenos Aires ) before 1911, because the young people didn´t want to do the Military Service in the Turkish Army- in war with Italy for the possession of Tripoli- because of their condition of Christian people they generally didn´t return to their homes and were massacred by the real Turkish soldiers. On the other hand, the ottomans executed the genocide to those that didn´t belong to their credo.

This can be carried out because of the complicity and indifference of Big Powers that did not influence in anything before the Turkish government to stop the killing. When they arrived to Argentina they made themselves called Armenians, to differentiate themselves from the Turks, but they really haven´t got anything in common with the real armenians, not even the culture, food, language, etc. To this we must add that the argentine authorities of Migrations saw with good eyes the coming of persecuted Armenians.

These immigrant formed important groups in said cities, seen in the great  amount of clubs, associations, etc. formed by people that work. Many of them work in commerce being today their sons succesful business men, professionals and good persons,

The dilemma that we, their descendants because the ones that have arrived first are all dead, have today is a crisis of identity due to the fact that some consider themselves Armenians, other Turkish and other Syrians.

The ones that have chosen La Plata and surroundings areas to live came from Mardin and Dyarbekir, that is in the southeast area of Turkey, a few miles from the current Syrian frontier, region that corresponded to this country before being occupied by the Empire. It is not a casualty that the dialect of the Arab Language that it is still spoken in the Turkish region is practically the same that is spoken in Syria.

“ The language maintains the people alive “ said Abovian, an Armenian writer. On the other hand, it is important to highligt that this region was and keeps on being an important Kurdish place.

That is why it is considered that those who came from those cities are Syrian and no Armenians as some surname suggests, much lesser Turks since there is nothing in common with that nation. Likewise, weshould bear in mind that in those countries they are still ruled by the principle “ ius sanguinis “ ( blood right ) and not by the ”ius soliis “ ( birthplace rights ) as it usual in the countries of the New World. The latter reinforces the idea of Syrian origin of this immigrated people. 

Much of the people that has just arrived affirmed with emphasis their Syrian origin. Instead, the ones that support their Armenian origin based their affirmation, among other things, on the Sèvres  Treaty signed in August 1920 by the occidental powers and the countries involved, never put in practice because of the violent irruption of the Turkish Nacionalist Army two months later, and by which it was adjudicated to Armenia the area in question.

The new frontiers were conformed upon the arbitral sentence of President Wilson and the international community acknowledged the righs of the Armenians. Syria considers that region of the southeast Turkey as an occupied area.

In summary, this that seems so simple and it is being debated since decades ago, because the controversy was established with disagreeing opinions and reasons, we are, first generation of argentines, the ones that we have to answer the questions of our children, that being grown up, they don´t know how to answer this incognita.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Summer, 2014

Jorge Tarzian, M.D

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

E.Mail :  tarzian@fibertel.com.ar