The Basseri of Iran
Anthropology 101
PAPER-PREP ASSIGNMENT – 5 POINTS Possible
– Student has selected a relevant topic, indicating culture from the list, mode of production, and three aspects from the list of categories to be discussed.
– Student has developed a solid thesis statement, introductory paragraph, and outline or proposal. The thesis statement provides the point or perspective to be argued or proved in the paper.
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Marquita – Nice work! You have a chosen culture, its mode of production, and three chosen categories from the list provided in the instructions. Your discussion is very nicely organized!
You have a very good introductory paragraph. Yet you need a thesis. A thesis is a point of view. See paper comments.
Citations/Sources: Excellent scholarly journal articles.
Overall, Marquita, looks good! The pink-highlighted areas above indicate what might be missing from this draft and/or needed improvement for a successful final research paper. Also see comments below. Please let me know if you have any questions, or if I can be of further guidance! Adrienne Possible Total
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The Basseri of Iran
The Basseri are a nomadic, pastoral tribe of the Fars region of the current nation of Iran. The area within which they migrated is characterized by the steep mountains of South, East and the North Shiraz. They are a clearly delineated group. The group speaks a dialect of farsi while others are also known to speak Turkish or even Arabic (Coon, 2009). Other groups within which the Basseri interact with claim a common ancestral link with them.
Primary Mode of Subsistence
The Basseri are a pastoral tribe that relies on domesticated animals as a source of subsistence. They have goats and sheep which area source of the provision of bulk of their subsistence products. The Basseri are also characterized with foraging which uplifts the nomadic way of life that they lead. This is done by hunting large game as well as finding plants and mushrooms in the springtime (Countries & their Cultures, 2011). The sheep in the Basseri community are a special breed and which are adapted to this migration type of life. If their sheep are not moved around twice a year, then most of them are likely to die.
There are approximately 300 to 400 animals in Basseri herd. The herd experiences a stringent separation and management; the old sheep and goats are separated from the relatively young ones. In case of an outbreak of a disease, the sick animals are separated from the healthy ones, this hinders the spread of diseases to the other herd. This is a good method of keeping the size of the herd.
The sheep and goats are useful to the Basseri, as it acts as a source of milk and butter as well as meat. They may as well be used for trade with other groups for the purpose of acquiring wool and milk. Local markets that are available are also possible destination to selling. Their primary subsistence, that is the sheep and goats, are able to be a beneficiary to them through the provision of food and money.
A tent household requires approximately 100 goats and sheep for a comfortable provision of the subsistence substance. The sheep and goats are not shared with other family relations or friends; this is only left to the sons and the head of the family (William Irons, 1972). The issuing out of part of the herd to parties outside of the family is left to families that have large herds and the family is not able to handle it due to their small nature in size. The form of payment may be in the form of issuing new kids and lambs or sharing meat.
The sheep and goat are also a good source of inheritance by the sons and is readily applied by the Basseri. The sons will consequently be in a position to start his own herd with his new family.
Social Organization
The Basseri of Iran is structured within the nuclear families setting. They are also characterized with being neolocal. This is an indication that upon marriage, the new wedded couple will have to start a new home by living in a new tent. In order for the new family to be complete, the husband has to receive part of his fathers herd (Cultural Survival, 2010). On the other hand, it is imperative for the husband to also participate in labor and as a result be given animals in return for payments. A single camp will support the extended nomadic community during spring season. Inheritance in this community is always from the father and passed down to the son. In the case of a woman, she is required to bestow her rights in regard to membership to her offspring or her tribe.
Political Organization
The tribe is headed by a chief, who is a member of the Ghulam merchant family of Shiraz. There is no given hierarchy like is depicted in several monarchy’s and people are free to engage the chief on a personal basis and not through the proxies. An elite section of the tribe travels with the chief among the Basseri community and the elite are under his authority. The chief is charged with the task of allotting pastures as well as controlling the migrations of the various camps. The chief is also charged with having an amicable solution to disputes in the community (Irons et al, 1972). He acts as a representative of his tribe when meeting with the governments and even the chiefs of other tribes. If a misdeed is done in the community, the chief will ensure that the person is followed and beaten with a stick. If a certain farm violates the pasture rights of other farms, then the chief send his Darbar (Comparable to the Noble Youth of the Cyropedia), so as to collect fines from those farms.
Economic Organization
The Basseri have an attachment of 50 to 60 tents of Gypsies who are popularly known professional tinkers and smiths. They specialize in making mats and woven utensils. The tribesmen engage in political as well as the economical filed. While it is the responsibility of the chief to over see political set up, the tribesmen obtain their clothing, weapons and luxury items from the bazaars in the town (Philips, 2001). They do so by selling their sheep’s at the outside markets. The exchanges are facilitated by a trading partner and most of their vegetable food can be acquired from village members where partnership is natured. At times, the nomads obtain their food through credit and are eligible to pay back in ewes after the summer pastures.
The Basseri nomads have a different form of migration where they migrate after every two year period. The use put to their land also is quite unique in that they, practice winter grazing in areas that are relatively low in terms of altitude. This happens in the Fars province. In times of summer, the grazing takes place in the higher mountains northerly.
With the varied changes in the conditions, the tribe always takes up an altitude that would attribute an optimal effect on their herds. An adequate grazing land is considerably provided as well as evading the harsh conditions. The livestock population is consequently maintained in its big stature. The Basseri are able to maintain their land useful by migrating, their average migration span is approximately 120 days in a year.
The Basseri herd consists mostly of sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and camels (Allen W. Johnson, 1987). The camels, donkeys and horses are used to carry loads while the sheep and goats are used to provide meat and milk purposes.
In terms of agriculture, the nomads are involved in limited agriculture, mostly in the summer. It may seem that the nomads leave their land for far-land; this actually is not the case. They actually rent their land to other groups such as the sedentary persons who settle on a sharecropping contract.
Basseri person are allocated a short time between the beginnings of his economic independence or otherwise later after marriage and the time the sons are able to acquire their patrimonies. This is mostly a twenty year period. This is normally for the purpose of building a strong herd to withstand the fragment they, the sons, will experience.
The economic organization of the Basseri is that it incorporates an inconsistent practice of ultimogeniture, in that they are nomads and hence shift from place to place from one altitude to another altitude. Their bride wealth attribution is done but to a minimum. The men in the Basseri are able to reach their majority immediately after marriage.
Reference
Allen W. Johnson, T. K. (1987). The evolution of human societies: from foraging group to agrarian state. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Bradburd, D. (1989). Producing their fates: why poor Basseri settled but poor Komachi and Yomut did not. Retrieved 15th March 2011
from http://www.jstor.org/pss/645271
Coon, S.C. (2009). American Anthropologist. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1962.64.3.02a00230/pdf
Countries and Their Cultures. (2011). Basseri- Kinship and Sociopolitical Organization. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Basseri-Kinship-and-Sociopolitical- Organization.html
Countries and Their Cultures (2010a). Basseri-Orientation. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Basseri-Orientation.html
Cultural Survival. (2010). Partnering with Indigenous
Peoples to Defend their Lands, Languages and Cultures. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival- quarterly/none/introduction-81
Irons, W et al. (1972). Perspectives on nomadism, Volume 1969. Amsterdam: Brill Archive.
Mcbain, M. (2010). World Cultures. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://www.freewebs.com/worldcultures/iran.htm
Philiphs, J.D. (2001). Peoples on the move: introducing the nomads of the world. California, CA: William Carey Library.
Shahandeh, H.K et al. (2010). Mosquito Vector Biting and Community Protection in a Malarious Area, Siahoo District, Hormozgan, Tran. Retrieved 15th May 2011
from http://journals.tums.ac.ir/upload_files/pdf/17292.pdf
Tapper, R. (1997). Frontier nomads of Iran: a political and social history of the Shahsevan. London: Cambridge University Press.
William Irons, N. D.-H. (1972). Perspectives on nomadism, Volume 1969. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Archive.
