Kuchuk Hanem
Encyclopedia
Kuchuk Hanem was a famed beauty and Ghawazee
dancer of Esna
, mentioned in two unrelated nineteenth-century accounts of travel to Egypt
, the French
novelist Gustave Flaubert
and the American
adventurer George William Curtis
.
Kuchuk Hanem became a key figure and symbol in Flaubert's Orientalist
accounts of the East. Flaubert visited her during his sojourn in Egypt on his journey to the East in 1849-51 accompanied by Maxime Du Camp
. The orientalist themes that pervade his work depended heavily on his experiences in Egypt
and his likely sexual liaison with Kuchuk Hanem. Dancers in two of his novellas, Herodias
and Temptation of Saint Anthony, evoke a woman dancer who performs scenes from Salome
and the Queen of Sheba. Both of these dances were standards of the repertoire of dancers of this period, especially a dance step known as "the bee" or "the wasp,"
with the dancer standing musing in a pensive posture until a buzzing insect flies into her clothing and she "flees" in terror, dancing rapidly, and removing articles of clothing in the manner of a provocative strip-tease. Later, Kuchuk Hanem was the subject of a poem by Louis Bouilhet
, inspired by Flaubert's accounts from letters. Louise Colet
, a one-time mistress of Flaubert, is said to have sought out the aging dancer on a trip to Egypt at the time of the opening of the Suez Canal
, in order to report back to Flaubert the ravages that time had wrought on the woman he so admired.
It seems certain that she was also an influence for George William Curtis
, suggesting that she was one of the most sought-after entertainers in Upper Egypt during the colonial period. Comparisons of the two narratives demonstrate a house with a courtyard, a stairway in poor repair leading to an upper room furnished with two divans, a young female attendant named Zeneb, an old man playing a rebaba, and an old woman who kept time on the tar
(a tambourine-like drum).
"Kuchuk Hanem" is not a proper name at all: it actually means "little lady" in Turkish
and might be a term of endearment applied to a child, a lover, or a famous dancer. Flaubert reports that she was from Damascus It remains unclear if this was a name chosen by the woman to represent herself to the colonial
tourists, or if this is a careless, shorthand name used by the writers to describe her. Regardless, the sensationalized, eroticized presence of Kuchuk Hanem within the literature of this period underscores early misrepresentations of nonwestern women in the imagination of the West.
Ghawazee
The Ghawazi dancers of Egypt were a group of female traveling dancers of the Nawari people, a subgroup of the Dom people, sometimes referred to as "Gypsies"....
dancer of Esna
Esna
Esna , known to the ancient Egyptians as Egyptian: Iunyt or Ta-senet; Greek: or or ; Latin: Lato, is a city in Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the River Nile, some 55 km south of Luxor...
, mentioned in two unrelated nineteenth-century accounts of travel to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
novelist Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
and the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
adventurer George William Curtis
George William Curtis
George William Curtis was an American writer and public speaker, born in Providence, Rhode Island, of old New England stock.-Biography:...
.
Kuchuk Hanem became a key figure and symbol in Flaubert's Orientalist
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
accounts of the East. Flaubert visited her during his sojourn in Egypt on his journey to the East in 1849-51 accompanied by Maxime Du Camp
Maxime Du Camp
Maxime Du Camp was a French writer and photographer.-Life:Born in Paris, Du Camp was the son of a successful surgeon. After finishing college, he indulged in his strong desire for travel, thanks to his father's assets...
. The orientalist themes that pervade his work depended heavily on his experiences in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and his likely sexual liaison with Kuchuk Hanem. Dancers in two of his novellas, Herodias
Herodias
Herodias was a Jewish princess of the Herodian Dynasty. Asteroid 546 Herodias is named after her.-Family relationships:*Daughter of Aristobulus IV...
and Temptation of Saint Anthony, evoke a woman dancer who performs scenes from Salome
Salome
Salome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
and the Queen of Sheba. Both of these dances were standards of the repertoire of dancers of this period, especially a dance step known as "the bee" or "the wasp,"
Dance of the bee
For the honeybee dance, see Waggle dance.The dance of the bee or dance of the wasp was a provocative Egyptian dance, part of the repertoire of the dancing girls of the Ghawazee.It was perhaps not unlike the famous Dance of the seven veils....
with the dancer standing musing in a pensive posture until a buzzing insect flies into her clothing and she "flees" in terror, dancing rapidly, and removing articles of clothing in the manner of a provocative strip-tease. Later, Kuchuk Hanem was the subject of a poem by Louis Bouilhet
Louis Bouilhet
Louis Hyacinthe Bouilhet was a French poet and dramatist.He was born at Cany, Seine Inférieure. He was a schoolfellow of Gustave Flaubert, to whom he dedicated his first work, Miloenis , a narrative poem in five cantos, dealing with Roman manners under the emperor Commodus...
, inspired by Flaubert's accounts from letters. Louise Colet
Louise Colet
Louise Colet , born Louise Revoil, was a poet born in Aix-en-Provence in France. In her twenties she married Hippolyte Colet, an academic musician, partly in order to escape provincial life and live in Paris....
, a one-time mistress of Flaubert, is said to have sought out the aging dancer on a trip to Egypt at the time of the opening of the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, in order to report back to Flaubert the ravages that time had wrought on the woman he so admired.
It seems certain that she was also an influence for George William Curtis
George William Curtis
George William Curtis was an American writer and public speaker, born in Providence, Rhode Island, of old New England stock.-Biography:...
, suggesting that she was one of the most sought-after entertainers in Upper Egypt during the colonial period. Comparisons of the two narratives demonstrate a house with a courtyard, a stairway in poor repair leading to an upper room furnished with two divans, a young female attendant named Zeneb, an old man playing a rebaba, and an old woman who kept time on the tar
Tar
Tar is modified pitch produced primarily from the wood and roots of pine by destructive distillation under pyrolysis. Production and trade in tar was a major contributor in the economies of Northern Europe and Colonial America. Its main use was in preserving wooden vessels against rot. The largest...
(a tambourine-like drum).
"Kuchuk Hanem" is not a proper name at all: it actually means "little lady" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and might be a term of endearment applied to a child, a lover, or a famous dancer. Flaubert reports that she was from Damascus It remains unclear if this was a name chosen by the woman to represent herself to the colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
tourists, or if this is a careless, shorthand name used by the writers to describe her. Regardless, the sensationalized, eroticized presence of Kuchuk Hanem within the literature of this period underscores early misrepresentations of nonwestern women in the imagination of the West.