This paper explores forms of Alevi religious authority in a Turkish Anatolian village, emphasising the multiple way that different forms of authority balance and change over time. Based on the author's fieldwork, in concentrates on one decade in particular; the 1970s up until the 1980 coup. During this period, we see in particular a changing relationship between the village community, ocak lineages and the dedes, orthodox forms of Islamic authority represented by the village hocas, and the rise of the secular left. This basic shifting pattern sets the scene likewise for many of the later transitions and transformations which have been experienced by the Alevi community until the present day.