One of the last representatives of the oral tradition, Fırik Dede from Ovacık, Dersim, passed away on July 10, 2007 at the age of 106. Fırik Dede, who was also the father of Behzat Fırik, who was tortured and burned alive in Ovacık during the 1980 military coup days, has mourned the loss of his son ever since. Fırik Dede, whose pain and tears never ceased, never spoke again since that day. Originally from Ovacık, Dersim, and a member of the Devreş Cemal Lodge, Firik Bava, whose real name was Seyfi Firik Dede, was a wise man who lived according to the Alevi Kızılbaş tradition, path, rituals and teachings throughout his life and conveyed this teaching to society through his words and poems. He was born in Qeredereşi in 1909. He traveled from one place to another in Dersim with his father at a young age, enjoyed playing his saz and became a master of words. In his own words, he received the first permission of this difficult path from his beloved father. He was raised in the Kırmanc communities and nourished by the seas of the “hearth” culture, and at that age he reached the secret of the Perfect Man. Father and son did not stay in Qeredereşi even for a day. Because they had seen the dark clouds hanging over Dersim, the unity of Dersim was slowly being destroyed. So much so that even confession did not recognize confession. Aware of this situation, father and son carried ideas to all corners for the unity of the tribes against the great disaster hanging over Dersim. The respect of father and son, especially among the Hozat and Ovacık tribes, was indisputable. So much so that they became the common conscience of the society in the scales of social justice. In the most ruthless tribal fights, they always spoke of justice and stood for what was right. It was for this reason that father and son had gained an unquestionably rightful respect in the eyes of this society… DESPITE ALL THE PRESSURES, THEY HOLD CEM SECRETLY Firik Dede and his father organized Cem ceremonies during the times when only Alevi Lodges were closed with the “Law on Closure of Dervish Lodges and Zawiyas” of 1925, when Alevi Kızılbaş “Mother”, “Father”, “Dede” and “Pir” were accepted as the same as witch doctors and talisman makers, when these leaders of the path were caught and detained, tried in courts, and when Cem ceremonies were banned. They were detained many times. But they never compromised on their determination and the path. In 1933, they held a “Xızır Cem” in the Çexperi village of Ovacık. But the cem venue was reported again. The two of them were caught and handed over to Captain Sırrı. Kurno, who is very upset about his pirs' situation, goes to Captain İbrahim Sırrı and starts a hard bargaining. As a result of this bargaining, he gives fifteen kilos of honey, a tin of oil, a sterile goat and twenty kilos of cheese to the captain and gets his pirs back, but the events do not let him go. Finally, Firik Dede is wanted everywhere. In 1937, his uncle Çıla, who is the headman of Hozat Zankirek, is asked to hand over Firik Dede. When Çıla does not accept this betrayal, he is shot along with his wife and children. When Firik Dede hears what happened to Çıla, he runs to Zankirek, hoping to find someone from the family, but in vain, he only finds Çıla's brother-in-law. He is very upset that no one is left from his uncle, he laments, beats his chest in the empty mansion and then collapses in a corner. While Firik Dede was in this state, the same night, “Palancı Qumas” (militia) notified the Peyik police station and had Firik Dede captured. HIS SON WAS BURNED ALIVE DURING TORTURE During the military coup days of 1980; Fırik Dede, who was also the father of Behzat Fırik, who was tortured and burned alive by soldiers in Ovacık, mourned for his son’s pain ever since. Fırik Dede, whose pain and tears never ceased, never spoke again after that day. Fırik Dede, who mourned for his son Behzat Fırik’s pain, had these last words: “Don’t ask about what happened to us, son, it was a dark period. The day we started competing to get a place at the tables of thieves, we had already lost everything. Our saints had not accepted our status as guides to the executioner either. Because he did not accept, they told us, “Go and see what you are like”… Know that all darkness is bad, my son, and that is why I will prostrate myself to the dawn throughout my life. Because, the dawn is the herald of the first light and know that there is no stain in the light. Do you know, my son, why the doors of our earthen houses always open to the sun? Do you think this is a coincidence? Remember that all the great trees of Tunceli made room for us in their trunks, and our mountains were the shelter of the oppressed. I never doubted their miracles for a single day. But see, we were the first to turn our backs on that great being who warmed our doorstep every morning, and then we lost the way and the rules. Remember that we digested the blood on the tables of thieves, but they