Khele: The Calling Tradition of the Talesh People as a Cultural Bridge in Their Soundscape

Background: Talesh-a-Khele is a calling tradition of the Talesh people in Iran, rooted in the geographic and occupational demands of farming, ranching, and maritime life. Taleshi women and men use khele to communicate with each other or their animals and to deter wild animals. Beyond its practical functions, khele is also performed to express personal emotions in response to the natural environment.
Objectives: In this study, I explore the significance of khele in the everyday life of the Talesh people. By analyzing various performance practices of khele, I aim to examine how this traditional call reflects local lifestyle and cultural values, expresses emotions, and aids in understanding the formation of meaning through sound. Additionally, I investigate how khele embodies shared meanings within the community and reveals the link between memory construction, sound, and place.
In the literature review section of this article, I introduce "calling tradition" as a broad umbrella term for outdoor communicative calls. This approach aims to recognize diverse calling practices across communities, deepen our understanding of these traditions, and offer a more inclusive perspective to academic discourse (Jahandideh 2023).
Methodology: To address my research questions, I developed an ethnographic ensemble as my methodological approach. The ensemble involved twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork, including observational ethnography (Barz and Cooley 2008), netnography (Kozinets 2020), soundscape recording (Schafer 1977), both individual (Stone and Stone 1981; Foddy 1993; Kvale 1996; Babbie 2014) and walking interviews (Aduonum 2021; Evans and Jones 2011) in the living and working environments of the Talesh people in Iran from 2021 to 2022.
Result: This study examined how khele engages with the everyday and occupational life of the Talesh people, reflecting their lifestyle and cultural values, and serves as a means of emotional expression. I identified and analyzed three practices of khele: practical khele for communicating with people, practical khele for communicating with animals, and emotional khele for expressing personal feelings. I emphasized that khele is a significant communicative medium in the Talesh region. Participants' memories reveal how khele intertwines with daily life, connecting to lifestyle, social relationships, and culture. Childhood memories show that khele has long been used to gather friends, foster neighbourly bonds, and build togetherness.
Khele also facilitates family communication across countryside distances, helping closeness and coordination. The act of responding to khele forms a sense of being connected and a shared experience, enhancing a collective identity. This communal bond builds a supportive environment where individuals feel a shared responsibility for each other's well-being.
I explored the cultural practices of the rural Talesh community and their relationship with animals. I found that khele serves as both a form of communication and an expression of affection towards animals. Additionally, its use to scare off wild animals highlights the community’s practical understanding of animal behaviour. The Talesh rural community relies on its cultural practices and traditional knowledge to manage conflicts arising from interactions with the natural world. These actions create a sense of belonging and control over their environment.
Furthermore, I explained that in some cases, khele is an inner voice that encourages individuals to express emotions related to their surroundings or memories of rural life. The research participants’ accounts show how khele captures the emotional and cultural spirit of Taleshi life, helping individuals express themselves, preserve cultural heritage, and stay connected with their community and surroundings through the performance of khele.
Conclusion: My research shows how khele helped me study the process of memory construction for the Talesh people and its engagement with place and sound. For my research participants, khele is more than just communication; it represents cultural identity, social relationships, and emotional connections to the past and present. The performance of khele reflects happiness, gratitude, and customs related to appreciating nature. Khele acts as a vessel of memories tied to childhood, neighbourhood, togetherness, and social gatherings, strengthening bonds and connecting people with the natural environment. It evokes the Taleshi lifestyle and revives family and childhood memories, holding significant cultural value.