Yenish grandfather
Altvater is the German term used in written sources for a Yenish dignitary.
The Jenish word for grandfather is used ambiguously depending on the situation and person in the sense of:
- "Clan Elder" : The person who heads a family association. Within the older generation of a family group, this function belongs to the person with the greatest integration function, charisma and natural authority and is not tied to the purely calendar principle of age.
- "Tribal father" : the person who is recognized as a mediator and leader across families in a Yenish region (e.g. southern Germany, Alsace, German-speaking Switzerland, western Switzerland)
- "OK-President" : Depending on the situation, an elderly father is chosen for a certain period of time, for a certain occasion, from among those who are present . This function is comparable to the president of a festival organizing committee (OK), but also has arbitration tasks. This type of grandfather is historically documented, especially for the Feckerchilbi .
- "Club president" : In recent times the term has also been applied to elected presidents of modern Yenese clubs.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Camenzind, Government Council: Description of the Feckerchilbi, Basler Taschenbuch on the year 1864, ed. v. DA Fechter , Basel 1864, pp. 37-39