Back ornament

After birth, the baby is bandaged and given a hat and a scarf to wrap around it. Various amulets to protect the newborn are attached to the hat and the clothing. If the baby is a girl, an amulet is sufficient, since it is assumed that evil spirits are not interested in girls. Both boys and girls grow up in the immediate vicinity of their mothers and other female members of the household. When the children reach the age of 8-9 years, a rigorous separation of the sexes takes place. The boys spend most of their time with the men. They learn from them the traditions of the tribe and get all kinds of chores related to the care of cattle and work in the fields. They are also taught how to care for horses and are informed of what they are expected to know about horses from the culture.Among the Turkmen, boys are considered more important than girls. They therefore tend to wear more items with a defensive function, such as beads, bird's claws, triangles and coins. The most striking piece of jewellery for boys is the oq yay, a piece in the shape of a stylised bow and arrow that is worn on the back. It presumably protects the child from evil forces that might attack him from behind.‖ Source: Munneke, p. 40 [DH, 2/2001]