Homenetmen Identity Card
Name/Title
Homenetmen Identity CardScope and Content
Original Armenian: Սկաուտական ինքնութեան տոմս. This Homenetmen Scouting Identity Card belonged to Khachig Ananian, an Armenian born in 1907 in Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri). He was a member of the Pera "Arax" chapter of Homenetmen in Constantinople. The card, marked No. 310, indicates it was the 310th identity card issued by the organization. According to the card, Ananian was accepted into Homenetmen on April 5, 1921, and it bears a signature stamp dated March 1, 1922—just months before the organization ceased its operations in Turkey on September 16 of that year. Khachig joined Homenetmen at a particularly active and altruistic time in its history. In the spring of 1921, scouts across Constantinople mobilized for a large-scale humanitarian campaign, collecting sacks of donated clothing and raising more than 2,500 Turkish liras to support their fellow Armenians in Armenia. On May 1, 1921, in a separate fundraising effort, scouts sold cockades and raised an additional 2,525 Turkish liras to purchase uniforms and gear for their chapters. Homenetmen—short for Hay Marzkan Gomideagan Miutune (Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts)—was officially founded on November 16, 1918, in Constantinople, in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. The organization was created to foster physical education, scouting, and cultural identity among Armenian youth. Between 1918 and 1921, Homenetmen flourished in Constantinople and the provinces of the former Ottoman Empire. However, with the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide and as political pressures mounted, the organization was forced to officially dissolve its operations in Turkey on September 16, 1922. The signature on the first page appears to be that of Onnik Frenkian who was a member of the 'Araks' team, the same team Khachig was part of. After the war, he became one of the active leaders of the Homenetmen. Thanks to his efforts, the Şişli branch in Pera reached an admirable level. He was also a member of Homenetmen's Central Scouting Committee.Category
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