FREE ESSAY ON PASTORALISM

PASTORALISM

Pastoralism is an economy based on herding. Pastoralists maintain herds of animals and use
their products to support themselves directly and to exchange with other civilizations.
It is especially associated with such terrain as steppes, rolling hills, grasslands, and
the like-areas of low rainfall where cultivation is difficult without irrigation, but
where grasses are plentiful enough to support herds of animals.1 Pastoralism was
originally founded in the old world. Pastoralists are generally nomadic and usually
follow their herds in search of food and water. Pastoral civilizations tend to be warlike
and they have a difficult time trying to live at peace with settled agricultural
populations. In areas where pastoralists and cultivators are in contact , the
pastoralists generally have the advantage in prestige due to their superior military
striking power.2 I will illustrate a few examples of pastoral groups that are warlike to
prove that the first half of the statement is true.
The Masai live among the wild animals on the rolling plains of the Rift Valley, one of
the most beautiful parts of Africa.3 The Masai are strictly cattle herders. They do not
farm the land, believing it to be a sacrilege to break the earth.3 In contrast to their
peaceful and harminous relationship to the wildlife, however, the Masai are warlike in
relationship to their neighboring tribes, conducting cattle raids where they take women
as well as cattle for their prizes and they have been fiercely independent in resisting
the attempts of colonial governments to change or subdue them.3 The amount of land that
the Masai require for their enormous herds of cattle is not appreciated by people who use
and value the land more for agriculture than for pasturage and for herds of wild animals.
Many people view the Masai as thieves, but they do not believe in stealing material
objects. They have strict laws against those that do steal material objects. They believe
that when they raid other villages and steal their cattle it is seen as returning the
cattle to their rightful owners. This belief stems from the notion that all cattle on the
earth are theirs, and any cattle they do not presently own are only temporarily out of
their care, and must be recaptured.3 It from the basic belief, an entire culture has
grown. The ground or area that the cattle graze is considered sacred, everything from the
grass the cattle eat to the water they drink. This is why that it is sacrilege for them
to break the ground.
The Indians of the Great Plains can be considered pastoral or nomadic group. They hunted
the buffalo or bison on the plains. The buffalo regulated their lives, they followed the
herds since it was their main source for food. They would move when the buffalo moved
setting up camps with the herds. The Indians of the great plains were definitely warlike.
They raided other tribes for women, horses, and food. They would extinguish anyone who
crossed their land and attempted to raid their village. They performed war dances or
ghost dances to get themselves prepared for war. The premise of warfare was common among
all tribes on the Great Plains, but it goes hand in hand with the buffalo herds.
The Hittites of Ancient Mesopotamia were a pastoral group that herded sheep, goats, and
camel in the desert region located on the outskirts of Mesopotamia. They were one of the
first nomadic groups to domestic the horse. Once they domesticated the horse it spelled
doom for the groups in the surrounding areas. The Hittites could move farther and faster
with their herds. They would destroy everything that got in the way of their herds. They
destroyed several agricultural city-states and wiped out several cultures in the process.

On the other hand it is true that pastoralist societies cannot live without agricultural
societies because pastoralism is not a self-sufficient way of life. Pastoralism is a
highly specialized form of food production involving the care of large animals. It has
survived mostly in places which cannot support agriculture but can provide sufficient
pasture for a herd, as well as secondary hunting-gathering opportunities. Even though
they are nomadic pastoral societies tend to be more stratified and have more social
differentiation for instance, craft specialization--than those dependent upon food
collection.1 There is also an interdependence between the pastoral group and agricultural
groups in this area.1 This involves trade, which generally plays an important role, since
a pastoral economy is often not self-sufficent.1 Finally pastoralist are vulnerable to
food shortages, because their climates are subject to variations in rainfall. 
The Basseri are a prime example of a pastoral tribe that is not self- sufficient. The
Basseri are a tribe of tent-dwelling, nomads living in southern Iran. They raise sheep
and goats, though donkeys and camels are employed for draft work, and the more wealthier
men have horses for riding.1 They have a specified route and schedule that they follow.
The route refers to the localities in the order they are visited and follows the existing
passes and lines of communication; the schedule regulated the length of time each
location will be occupied and depends on the maturation of different pastures and the
movements of other tribes.1 Hunting and gathering play no major role in their economy(
though hunting is a popular sport among the men).1 Agriculture and trading are a very
important aspect to the lives of the Basseri. The wealthier Basseri practice agriculture
indirectly. However, most tribesman must obtain through trade the necessities and luxury
items that are not produced within the community.1 The staple items they sell are butter,
wool, lambskins, rope, and occasionally livestock.1 
In conclusion, I am in agreement with the statement that I chose. Pastoralist societies
are warlike and they do have difficulties living at peace with settled agricultural
populations. Pastoralism to me seems to be an alternative to agricultural, but since
pastoralism is self-sufficient, pastoralism is never independent of agricultural
societies. I found it interesting to learn that some nomadic and pastoralist groups, such
as the Basseri, do practice agricultural developments. I also agree with the statement
that pastoralism cannot live without the agricultural societies. If they do not raise
vegetables or some type of food they will usually acquire them through trade.4 All in all
pastoralism is a efficent means of extracting energy from a harsh enviroment, it actually
does produce less energy per acre of land than agriculture does. Finally, I found the
statement interesting, after I started to research on the topic I found some facts and
statements that that I found really intriguing and they contributed to me comprehending
the material easier.