The Culture of Basseri Tribes of Iran - Research Paper Example

? THE CULTURE OF BASSERI TRIBES OF IRAN Introduction 3 Basseri of Iran 3 Modes of Subsistence 4 Primary Mode of Subsistence of Basseri 5 8 Impact of modes of subsistence 8 Social Organization 8 Kinship 9 Beliefs and Values 10 Conclusion 11 References 11 Introduction Culture has long been recognized as a powerful tool for human survival but it is also viewed as very fragile. Culture is nothing stagnant but it is a continuously changing phenomenon. Culture is a very complex whole that has many dimensions which includes knowledge, beliefs, values, art and artifacts, laws, modes of subsistence, customs and even capabilities and habits acquired by individuals as a member of society. Culture plays a very important role in shaping behavior and attitudes and it is particularly true in spirituality and religion. It is believed that how a makes its living and the modes of subsistence has a strong impact on the culture. This paper aims at studying the culture of Basseri of Iran. Different modes of subsistence and its impact on the culture will be discussed. The Basseri culture and its various aspects of modes of subsistence such as Foragers, Horticulturist, Pastoralist, Emerging Agriculturist, Agrarian states or industrialist will also be discussed. Culture is a very vast field which is depicted in all strata’s of life that is beyond the scope of this paper. This paper will be restricted to only three aspects of culture namely social organization, kinship, beliefs and values. Basseri of Iran Basseri of Iran is the nomadic Muslim tribe that is mainly defined as a political group rather than geographical or ethnic criteria. The Basseri’s though mostly are geographically bounded and they inhabit the province of Fars and have migrated near the town of Shiraz along the mountain. This traditional Basseri culture still exists in Iran although there are new recent data available on them such as the size of the population. Language is a strong component of any culture. The language of Basseri is a dialect of Farsi called the Basseri dialect. Most of the members of the Basseri tribe can only speak Basseri dialect but a few also has command over Turkish and Arabic dialect. Basseri is a very old tribe of the area hence most of the population in southern Iran has ancestral link with Basseri. The east of Iran, Semnan, is inhabited by other nomadic groups such as Yazd-e-Khast, the Bugard-Basseri, and Basseri. However it is believed that all of them have rooted from the traditional Basseri of Fars. The political history of Basseri started in the mid-nineteenth century when Khamesh confederacy was formed. Basseri was part of it. The importance and influence of Basseri tribe grew with passage of time and they became an important political and social unit and hence diminished the power and authority of the confederacy. The habitat of the Basseri is hot and acrid climate of the Persian Gulf. They traditionally inhabit a large ecological range of 18,000 to 21,000 square kilometers. In the southern section there is a desert of about 600-900 kilometers whereas north has high mountains. Mountain precipitation supports reasonable vegetation and even foresting (Khanam, 2005). Modes of Subsistence Different modes of subsistence has evolved as societies and human civilizations evolved. This evolution process has been more or less the same throughout the world. The reason is that these modes of subsistence are derived from the needs and how these needs have been satisfied defines the progression of modes of subsistence. These modes of subsistence have a strong role to play in the definition of social structure, culture, values, beliefs and customs. Based on this concept many theories have been proposed for the progress and social change (Marko, 2008, issue 39). One such theory is proposed by Smith. According to him based on modes of subsistence and its impact on social institution and human activity, societies can be divided into four categories. Smith’s four stages of human civilization are age of hunters, age of Sheppard, age of agriculture, and age of commerce. This is the pattern uniformly observed in the social developments of all societies. The influence of mode of subsistence is so strong that it seeps into all strata’s of all. It includes subordination, kinship, social, economic and political environment, state of women, parent-child relationship. He argues that each stage of human civilization has a dominant mode of subsistence, but it cannot be separated completely from its previous mode. Each mode of a certain age has some impact of the mode of subsistence of the last stage. To support his argument he gives the example of the current age of commerce in which hunting, husbandry and agriculture also exists. It further strengthens the argument of the impact of modes of subsistence on social and cultural institutions of society (Smith, 2006). Primary Mode of Subsistence of Basseri Pastoralism is the primary mode of subsistence of Basseri of Iran. The tribe defines the functions and forms and in return provides security and long term survival value. Pastorlism although have many dimensions and aspects but in general terms it is defined as the people who keep herds and animals. There are three main types of Pastoralism i.e. Nomadic Pastoralism, Transhumant Pastoralism and Agropastoralism (Tapper, 2010). The most traditional form of pastoralist is nomads whose major subsistence is herd keeping. Agriculture is either nonexistent or very scarce. The main feature of nomads is their mobility. With changing seasons they move along with their herd to suitable places. Classic example of Pastoral nomad is Basseri of Iran. Their extensive dependence on herd keeping makes pastures and the herds an important factor of their economy and economic life. This dependence also defines their migratory nature in search of greener pastures along the Zagros Mountains during summer and their return to the low lands of southern Persia during winter. Traditional pastoral nomads only restrict themselves to herd keeping and hence were dependent on farmers for their other needs such as cereals etc. It is only in the fourth millennium that opportunities for the nomads increased due to urbanization. It enabled them to sell their excess meat and accessories to the city dwellers who were not farmers. Another type of pastoralist that was different from nomads was Transhumant Pastoralist. Their mode of subsistence was a combination of herd keeping and fixed land farming. They divided the responsibilities of herd keeping and farming among the community members. A part of the community followed the same migratory life style of nomads i.e. moving for greener pasture during summer but the other half stayed at the field. According to historical and ethnographic records such migratory lifestyle dates back to the middle ages where it was prevalent in Swiss Alps. Swiss Alps adopted this life style because they mostly inhabited the slopes of the mountains. Where during summer green pastures emerge from the snow covered mountains. Some member of the community move their flock and herds while the rest stay for farming such as haymaking and animal husbandry such as making cheese and butter etc. The third type of pastoralist is Agro pastoralist. Their mode of subsistence consist of all three i.e. farming, herd keeping and animal husbandry with the difference that all of it is done at the fixed location. Despite these differences all pastoral societies have this migratory feature and they adopt mobile strategies. Their modes of subsistence revolve around herd keeping and animal husbandry. This unique nature of pastoral life shapes the lives of Basseri of Iran, socially, politically, economically, culturally and even ideologically. This interdependence makes Basseri of Iran different from other societies (Nelson S. M., 2006). These nomadic tribes represent the rich cultural heritage of Iran. Mobile Pastoralist represents 2.1% of the total population and their contribution in the total livestock is one third of the total livestock of the country. They inhabit 963,000 km2 of arid rangeland which constitute 59% of the total land of Iran. Their contribution is quite healthy in Iranian economy. They produce annually 200,000 tons of red meat, 470,000 tons of milk and other dairy products and 21,000 tons of wool. With their farming activities they cultivate 450,000 ha of land. They are also adept in making handicrafts such as carpets, ghelims and ghabbehs. The geo-climate of Iran is also favorable for the pastoralist rather than crop cultivation. Many successive governments of Iran have made attempts to reduce Pastoralism and encourage proper agriculture. The Nomads still do exist in present day Iran (Misra, 2009). Impact of modes of subsistence The modes of subsistence have a very strong influence and impact on every aspect of human life. This undeniable role of modes of subsistence has its influence on social organization, political organization, economic organization, kinship, gender relations, beliefs and values, sickness and healing and social change. A study of all these aspects is beyond the scope of this paper. It will be restricted to only three aspects namely social organization, kinship and beliefs and values. Social Organization Salzman conducted a research to study the basic synthesis of the pastoral life. His studies provided an analysis of the divergent type of pastoral societies at ethnographic level. These societies are namely (Salzman, 2004) Segmentary tribes Tribal chiefdom Peasant Pastoralist Salzman believes that pastoralist is a conceptual category. He argues that although it reveals diversity in society, modes of subsistence and arrangements of power but generally speaking it depicts a picture that is assumed by the term pastoralist. While talking about social organization the most basic and primary social unit of Basseri is the commonly shared tent. These tents together form camp groups and these camps are used to keep the count. A tent is a representative of an individual household and a nuclear family. These are patriarchal societies where males are considered the head of the household. Each tent is a unit of consumption and production. They have exclusive rights over all the movable and immovable property of the tent including the herd. Tent inhabitants although do combine into herding units in an attempt to improve efficiency. The basic rule that prevails in such arrangements is expediency rather than kinship. Seasons have a strong role to play in the lives of these pastoralists. It is also reflected in their formation of groups. During winter they make groups of two to five tents while during other times of the year the group may have ten to forty tents. Nomadic Basseri society is constituted of these camps. Every member of the camp has to obey the decisions of the society regarding migration, selection of sites and other economic decisions to be part of the society. The leader of the society either takes these decisions through mutual consensus or can use his coercive powers to take the decision that has to be obeyed by all. It is the responsibility of the recognized leader to ensure unity and integrity among all political and social units in the society. These leaders vary in their role and powers from being informal leaders to chief tons. Chief has the political power and authority over all the members of the Basseri tribe. As discussed above this social organization of the Basseri tribe is actually deep rooted in their way of life. It is of utmost importance for them to stay in tribes. It not only ensures their survival but also helps them in their economic life and mode of subsistence. Kinship Kinship is another important component of culture. It is also affected by the modes of subsistence. Pastoralism is the primary source of subsistence hence pasture rights are usually obtained through kinship. Kinship is usually a group of ninety families. Society poses no limits on the size of the herd family can posses but puts restrictions on the size of the herd the kinship group or his oulad can keep. Another limitation is on the size of the herd and its productivity. It is believed that the larger the group the lesser is the productivity. A larger required the services of a care taker that is difficult to find. This difficulty gave rise to the inheritance rule. Son’s have a share in father’s inheritance at their time of marriage while daughters had no share (Eller, 2009). This led to the trend of delaying marriages of their sons for keeping their herd. Some resorted to more innovative strategies like investing in real wealth such as land. These newly turned landowners started lending land to farmers in exchange of one third to two third of their crop. Beliefs and Values The Basseri tribe has a very pragmatic approach hence it is more defined in terms of economics and politics. Beliefs, values, rituals and religion do not have a strong role to play in the Basseri tribe. There are no such expressed activities that depict their beliefs and values. Different elements of ritual are not interrelated with the basic social structure of the society. (Eller, Introducing anthropology of religion: Culture to the ultimate, 2007) Religion is not an important part of their lives. They are mainly Shi’ite Muslims and are just enough religious to be vaguely acquainted with the religion. Their religious activities are restricted to invitation of holy men to perform important religious duties such as marriage and funeral etc. The pastoral people of Southern Iran or Basseri do possess a religion but it is hardly an important factor in their lives. They are mainly Shi’ ite Muslims, who are religious to the extent, that they are familiar with the general premises of Islam. Ceremonies observed during these events are more relevant in terms of social and political aspect than religion. This is very much in conformity with their mode of subsistence which is also very practical. Conclusion Culture is an important element of our social, political and economic life. Modes of subsistence have a strong influence in shaping culture of any society. Basseri nomads are a typical example of pastoral lives. After studying Basseri’s of Iran it is proved how their mode of subsistence and migratory element of their lifestyle has shaped their social organization, kinship and beliefs and values. It not only affects only these three aspects of culture but has its role to play in every aspect of culture and life. References Eller, J. D. (2009). Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local lives. London: Routledge publishers. Eller, J. D. (2007). Introducing anthropology of religion: Culture to the ultimate. London: Routledge publications. Khanam, R. (2005). Encyclopaedia Ethnography of Middle- East and Central Asia. New Delhi: Global Vision Publishing House. Marko, P. (2008, issue 39). Nomadic pastoralism in the Early Bronze Age of the central Balkans evaluation of background knowledge. Balcanica , 7-31. Misra, M. (2009). Mobile Pastoralist in Iran's arid land. International Journal of Environmental Studies , 357-370. Nelson, S. M. (2006). Handbook of gender in archeaology. Oxford: AltaMira Press. Nelson, S. M. (2006). Handbook of gender in archeaology. Oxford: AltaMira Press. Salzman, P. C. (2004). Pastoralists: equality, hierarchy and the state. West View Press. Smith, C. (2006). Adam Smith's political Philosphy: The invisible hand and spontaneous order. London: Routledge. Tapper, R. (2010). Tribe and state in Iran and Afghanistan: An Update. Etudes Rurales , 304. Read More