The Basseri of Iran: a Pastoral Society
The Basseri of Iran: A Pastoral Society
Kristin K. Lilienthal
ANT 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Kimberly Long
October, 8 2012
The Basseri of Iran The Basseri of Iran are tent dwelling and nomadic people. The Basseri live in the south of Iran, in the Fars Province. While the origin of the Basseri is unclear, it is believed that they are of Arab decent (Amanolahi, 2003). The Basseri have traditionally been pastoralist, herding both sheep and goats. This paper will explore the impact the pastoral mode of subsistence has on the kinship, social organization, political organization, gender relations, and the beliefs and values of the Basseri community.
Mode of Subsistence
Pastoralists are nomadic people who travel to search for grass and water to feed their heard. Pastoralists usually change their locations with the seasons (Nowak & Laird, 2010, Sect. 5.2, Para. 1). Unlike other cultures, pastoralists depend on their live stock to meet most of their needs. The Basseri herd sheep and goats, through the southern region of Iran, they change the location of their camps between areas located southeast and northeast of Shiraz (the capital of Fars province) depending on the season (Amanolahi, 2003). According to Barth (1961) a successful Basseri would build up his heard into the hundreds or even thousands, and to keep from losing this accumulated wealth to disease they would sell or trade the animals to obtain other forms of wealth such as land in the local villages (Nowak and Laird, 2010, Sect. 5.2, Para. 18).
Kinship Relationship
The Basseri follow a patrilinal line of decent, upon marriage a bride will leave her family and join her husband. Although a newlywed couple may live with the husband’s family for a short period of time, the Basseri set up their own tents as soon as possible.
To stimulate an interest in caring for livestock, and to test his ability a father may give a small amount of animals to his young son. This practice
Kristin K. Lilienthal
ANT 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Kimberly Long
October, 8 2012
The Basseri of Iran The Basseri of Iran are tent dwelling and nomadic people. The Basseri live in the south of Iran, in the Fars Province. While the origin of the Basseri is unclear, it is believed that they are of Arab decent (Amanolahi, 2003). The Basseri have traditionally been pastoralist, herding both sheep and goats. This paper will explore the impact the pastoral mode of subsistence has on the kinship, social organization, political organization, gender relations, and the beliefs and values of the Basseri community.
Mode of Subsistence
Pastoralists are nomadic people who travel to search for grass and water to feed their heard. Pastoralists usually change their locations with the seasons (Nowak & Laird, 2010, Sect. 5.2, Para. 1). Unlike other cultures, pastoralists depend on their live stock to meet most of their needs. The Basseri herd sheep and goats, through the southern region of Iran, they change the location of their camps between areas located southeast and northeast of Shiraz (the capital of Fars province) depending on the season (Amanolahi, 2003). According to Barth (1961) a successful Basseri would build up his heard into the hundreds or even thousands, and to keep from losing this accumulated wealth to disease they would sell or trade the animals to obtain other forms of wealth such as land in the local villages (Nowak and Laird, 2010, Sect. 5.2, Para. 18).
Kinship Relationship
The Basseri follow a patrilinal line of decent, upon marriage a bride will leave her family and join her husband. Although a newlywed couple may live with the husband’s family for a short period of time, the Basseri set up their own tents as soon as possible.
To stimulate an interest in caring for livestock, and to test his ability a father may give a small amount of animals to his young son. This practice
References: Amanolahi, S. (2003). SOCIO-POLITICAL CHANGES AMONG THE BASSERI OF SOUTH IRAN. Iran & The Caucasus, 7(1/2), 261-277. Amanolahi, S. (2007). Supernaturalism among the Pastoral Societies of Iran. Iran & The Caucasus, 11(1), 45-55. doi:10.1163/157338407X224897 Barth, F. (1961). Nomads of South Persia. Boston: Little Brown. Retrieved from. http://archive.org/stream/nomadsofsouthper002252mbp/nomadsofsouthper002252mbp_djvu.txt Nowak, B., & Laird, P. (2010). Cultural Anthropology. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. Salzman, P. C. (2000). Hierarchical image and reality: The construction of a tribal chiefship. comparative Studies in Society and History, 42(1), 49—66. Retrieved from. http://intersci.ss.uci.edu/wiki/eBooks/Articles/Tribal%20Chiefship%20Salzman%20.pdf