Nomadic pastoralism

Nomadism is a mobile -based livestock economic and social form. In contrast to the transhumance or (seasonal) maintenance -free livestock (eg Mongolian nomads ) accompany the nomads, the owners of the herds, the cattle in the closed family unit together with the household more or less intermittent hike, adapted to the seasonal rhythm to the respective claimed seek pastures.

The living space change requires transportable, quick to set up and degraded dwellings (mostly tents). Field crops is rare and irregularly operated. Plant foods are necessary, exchanged or purchased from a neighboring agricultural floating population. Younger ethnological and cultural geography research has shown that the nomadism, contrary to earlier views in the history of development represents a time equal to or previously incurred side branch of the sedentary peasantry. Some nomads who specialize later on trade. It will be covered distances of over 1000 km. Regarding the origins of pure trading nomads, such as those mentioned in ancient Kedar, a group close to the Hebrews, they have evolved due to changes in geographical, climatic and economic conditions of pastoral nomads. The hunter-gatherer nomads (eg, Plains Indians, Inuit ), represent a stage of hunters and collectors alike

  • 3.1 nomadism in Africa
  • 3.2 nomadism in Asia
  • 3.3 nomadism in Europe

History

Main distribution area of nomadism is the Old World Dry Belt: the semi-deserts, steppes and savannas of North Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia. Animals that come for the nomadic pastoralism in question, are cattle, goats and sheep, yaks, horses in the mountain nomads and camels. In the polar regions of nomadism is based on the attitude of reindeer herds. Some animals dienenzugleich as riding and pack animals.

In recent decades, becoming settled the pastoralists was operated in many countries political reasons and mostly at the same time the livestock industry to an end. The pushing back of nomadic ways of life at the present time in the history of the ancient nomadic empires of the Huns and Mongols its historical parallel.

Forms of nomadism

As Halbnomadismus an economic system is referred to, in which agriculture is driven and migrate only part of the family. A variant of the Halbnomadismus represents the Bergnomadismus, with seasonal hikes ( transhumance ) between valley / foothills and mountains. The seasonally changing pastures of mountain nomads are not closer together than those of the full- nomads may.

In order to distinguish different forms of nomadism, different criteria can be used. Common criteria are the type of hike, the dwelling form and the herd animals:

Distinction on the type of migration

The type of migration can be differentiated in two different ways:

  • Horizontal migration or Flächennomadismus: Hike in desert or savannah
  • Vertical nomadism or Gebirgsnomadismus: Hike from the steppe (winter) into the mountains (summer)

Or

  • Remote Wandering nomadism: During the year, several 100 kilometers traveled (eg in Spain)
  • Nahwandernder nomadism: between summer and winter pastures are only a few kilometers

These distinctions often overlap. Thus, the Kirghiz of the Pamirs nahwandernde mountain nomads, the Kazakhs are mostly fernwandernde surface nomads.

Distinction according to dwelling

In the Old World Dry Belt from Burgenland to Mongolia or in areas of Africa following differentiation can be made:

  • Black Tent nomads tents made ​​of goat hair, in North Africa, Arabia, and parts of Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan otherwise skins ( Lapland ).
  • Yurt nomads dwelling made ​​of felt with wooden structure in Central Asia

Distinction on the type of herd animals

The type of herd animals is determined by the geomorphology of the landscape and vegetation. The distinction is made according to the economic importance or the ideological value of animals.

A rough distinction equestrian nomads, small cattle nomads and camel nomads.

Distribution areas of nomadism

The classic forms of nomadism, as they are limited on the common criteria described above, a phenomenon known as the "Old World", that is, they are found in the Old World dry belt from the subtropical North Africa ( Morocco in the west, Sudan and Sahel belt), over Arabia, the entire Middle East to Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia, northern ranges. About Siberia the northern European Sami are linked to these historically always closely associated with nomadic cultures of the region.

Nomadism in Africa

  • Western Sahara: Berber, Sahrawis
  • Sudan: Nuer, Dinka, Baggara (cattle, camels, goats)
  • Northeast Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia): Somal, Oromo ) ( camel, goat, sheep )
  • East and South Africa: many Bantu Zulu, Bana, Wasiba, Wanyaturu, Wagogo, Xhosa
  • East Africa: Maasai

Nomadism in Asia

Historical:

  • Scythians
  • Xiongnu
  • Manchu

Modern:

  • Arabian Peninsula
  • Iranian highlands
  • Yakutia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Mongolia
  • North Manchuria: Evenki Orotschen
  • Tajikistan
  • Tibetan Highlands: Kazakh and Mongolian tribes in the northwest and northeast, Tibetan nomads in almost all parts of the Highlands except the Northwest
  • Turkey
  • Xinjiang

Nomadism in Europe

  • The Western Huns
  • Magyars (the " historical Hungary " )
  • The Sambia in Scandinavia

Cultural-historical contribution of the nomads

The occidental -Christian culture is decisively influenced by nomadism, as several religious founder of monotheistic religions of nomadic peoples date: Judaism, Christianity and Islam are called not by chance that the desert religions. Abraham ( Aramaic Av -ha -am: father of the peoples ), Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of Judaism, were nomads.

Household goods Berber people Nuer people Dinka people Somali people Zulu people Xhosa people
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