From Animal Totems to State Symbols in the Ancient Turkic Period
Hatice Şirin User
Keywords: Ancient Turkic Period, Animal Totems, State Symbols
Abstract
The standards and flags had become the symbols ofstates and nations in the modern government organizations. In this paper, original forms of the Turkic flags have been analysed from the point of Turkic philology and cultural histoiy. This study aims to bring to light the wordslike tug and yahg which originally meant originally "feather" and "mane"; then these words came to be called "flag" and "standard". This opinion has been documented and proved by the help of philological, historical and cultural datum and archeological findings. As a result of this study is the original forms of the Turkic flags stemmed from the totemistic animals' feathers and manes that were tied to tips of the spears.