An Ethnology of the Kurdish People
An Ethnology of the Kurdish People
The Kurds are a Sunni Muslim people of Indo-European origin and speech who inhabit the mountainous region where the frontiers of Iraq, Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkey come together. Kurdish communities can also be found in Lebanon, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (Etheridge 2009). It is difficult to conclusively determine the exact number of Kurdish people in the world, however, it is estimated that 30-35 million live in various countries around the world (Houston 2009). In recent decades, Kurds have migrated to European countries and the United States, and a significant Jewish Kurdish community has migrated to Israel. In the United States, there are large Kurdish communities in Tennessee, California, Texas, and New York State (Broadaway 2006: 1).
This paper presents a thorough review of major aspects of Kurdish studies including etymology, history, lifestyle, and health of Kurds around the world.
The precise origins of the name Kurd are generally unclear. However, as is well-known, the term Kurd had a rather indiscriminate use in the early medieval Arab-Persian historiography and literature, with an explicit social connotation, meaning “nomad, tent-dweller, shepherd” in the last centuries preceding the Christian Era (Minorsky 1931: 294; Asatrian 2001: 47), as well as “robber, highwayman, oppressor of the weak and treacherer” by the eigth through eleventh centuries A.D. (Driver 1922: 498ff; Asatrian 2009: 22ff).
Kurds speak several varieties of Kurdish, an Iranian-Branch Indo-European language. The language itself is very different from Arabic and Turkish languages. The Kurdish language is sometimes considered to be a language “family” itself because of the linguistic distance between the different dialects, and different branches or tribes of Kurd peoples such as Dimli and Qizilbashi are sometimes treated as separate peoples. Interestingly, the Kurdish language is also a means of tracing kinship and “peoplehood” or clanhood. As Kurds
The Kurds are a Sunni Muslim people of Indo-European origin and speech who inhabit the mountainous region where the frontiers of Iraq, Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkey come together. Kurdish communities can also be found in Lebanon, Armenia, and Azerbaijan (Etheridge 2009). It is difficult to conclusively determine the exact number of Kurdish people in the world, however, it is estimated that 30-35 million live in various countries around the world (Houston 2009). In recent decades, Kurds have migrated to European countries and the United States, and a significant Jewish Kurdish community has migrated to Israel. In the United States, there are large Kurdish communities in Tennessee, California, Texas, and New York State (Broadaway 2006: 1).
This paper presents a thorough review of major aspects of Kurdish studies including etymology, history, lifestyle, and health of Kurds around the world.
The precise origins of the name Kurd are generally unclear. However, as is well-known, the term Kurd had a rather indiscriminate use in the early medieval Arab-Persian historiography and literature, with an explicit social connotation, meaning “nomad, tent-dweller, shepherd” in the last centuries preceding the Christian Era (Minorsky 1931: 294; Asatrian 2001: 47), as well as “robber, highwayman, oppressor of the weak and treacherer” by the eigth through eleventh centuries A.D. (Driver 1922: 498ff; Asatrian 2009: 22ff).
Kurds speak several varieties of Kurdish, an Iranian-Branch Indo-European language. The language itself is very different from Arabic and Turkish languages. The Kurdish language is sometimes considered to be a language “family” itself because of the linguistic distance between the different dialects, and different branches or tribes of Kurd peoples such as Dimli and Qizilbashi are sometimes treated as separate peoples. Interestingly, the Kurdish language is also a means of tracing kinship and “peoplehood” or clanhood. As Kurds
Bibliography: Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997. Print. Minorsky, Vladimir. Les Tsiganes Lūlī Et Les Lurs Persans. Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1931. Print. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. SUZERAIN is a dominant state controlling the foreign relations of a vassal state but allowing it sovereign authority in its internal affairs. "Suzerain." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 May 2013. . [ 2 ]. Ottoman Empire, empire created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia. One of the most powerful states in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, it spanned more than 600 years and came to an end only in 1922, when it was replaced by the Turkish Republic and various successor states in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. "Ottoman Empire (historical Empire, Asia)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 21 May 2013. .