This paper focuses on the perceptions of Iraqi Yezidis of their Kurdish neighbors and Kurdish identity. Considering before and after the establishment of Kurdish safe zone, post-Saddam rule and the aftermath of ISIS attacks in 2014 as four historical episodes which heavily influenced Yezidi self-perceptions of ethnic identity, the paper emphasizes intra-community differences in the embracement as well as the denial of a common descent with Kurds. The paper engages in an analysis of historical and contemporary documents (i.e. reports by international associations and local organizations) to study Yezidi self-perceptions on ethnic identity and Yezidi perceptions of Kurdish identity. It also utilizes dozens of face-to-face interviews the author has conducted in May-June 2018 in Iraqi Kurdistan among Yezidis, including religious and political leaders, displaced persons, survivors of ISIS genocidal attacks, activists, social workers, professionals, as well as Kurdish authorities. These interviews develop a comprehensive view of the Yezidi population with regards to social caste, economic class, gender, age and geographical location. The main argument of the paper is that Yezidi perceptions and narratives on Kurdish identity could be largely traced to varying communal reactions to its own precarious existence as a historically persecuted, subaltern group and to different strategies employed in its search for protection and safety.