The Chepnis, one of the Oghuz tribes, are among the communities that played an important role in the Turkification process of Anatolia. Having migrated to Anatolia together with the Oghuz groups, the Chepnis today live predominantly in the Black Sea and Western Anatolian regions. Like other Alevi communities, the Chepnis are organized around the ocak system, which forms the basis of their religious and social structure. This structure is shaped around the institution of dedelik, represented by religious leaders known as dedes, and ensures the transmission of religious and social continuity from one generation to the next. A large part of the Chepni communities settled in Western Anatolia are affiliated with the Köse Süleyman Ocak, while another group is connected to the Imam Musa al-Kazim Ocak.

In the Köse Süleyman Ocak, which constitutes the field of this study, entry into the Alevi path is realized through the act of giving ikrar, that is, a solemn pledge of commitment. This pledge is confirmed through the Musahip Kurbanı Cem, after which individuals who become musahip continue their spiritual journey together with their musahip siblings. In the Görgü-Sorgu Cem, the talips account for their conduct throughout the year before the dede and the community in the presence of the delil (the sacred light), and seek communal consent and approval regarding whether they have acted in accordance with the principles of the path. In the Dar Cem, however, the relatives of a deceased musahip individual are brought into a state of reconciliation and mutual consent with the community.

This study examines, as an integrated ritual process, the performance of the Dar Kurbanı Cem in the Köse Süleyman Ocak, beginning with the sacrificial services (kurban tığlama) carried out before the cem and continuing through to the dardan alma service. It analyzes the ritual specialists, the duties performed by the service holders within the cem, and the sacred verbal texts such as gülbank, düvaz, and tevhit recited during these ritual acts. The study argues that the Dar Kurbanı Cem is not merely a commemorative ceremony held after the death of an individual. Rather, it is an erkân in which the remaining members of the community come together through consent, the deceased person’s social and moral obligations are ritually settled before the community, and the ocak-centered ritual memory is reproduced.

Within the scope of the research, the cem rituals performed in Kabakdere village, located in the central district of Balıkesir province, were attended through participant observation. The rituals performed during the cem were documented using video and audio recording devices. In addition, interviews were conducted with religious leaders, service holders, and talips. The data obtained from the field were classified and evaluated through interpretation and analysis.

Keywords: Chepni, Alevi, Ocak, Köse Süleyman Ocak, Dar Cem