The Basseri Tribe are variously described as Arab and Persian and nomadic within a defined territory. The area that the Basseri migrate in are the steep mountains of South, East and North Shiraz in Fars province, South Persia. The Fars province, bordering on the Persian Gulf, is adept for agriculture and has a wide variety of animals and birds to hunt. It is also known as the "land of nomadic tribes." The climate is hot and arid at a latitude of 30 degrees north. The winters are cold in the highlands and mild in the plains.
"The total population of the tribe fluctuates between 2,000 and 3,000 tents (16,000 inhabitants), depending on the changing fortunes of their chiefs as political leaders and on the circumstances of South Persian Nomadism in general (pg. 1, Barth)." The Basseri "recognizes the authority of one supreme chief (pg. 1, Barth)" and he is the political center of the tribe and is traditionally granted a vast, but not clearly defined, range of privileges and command. The tribe views the chief as having power exuding from him, rather than being delegated to him by his subjects. Among other duties of the chief, he is also responsible for directing and organizing migrations.
The Basseri Tribe travels fairly compactly and according to a set schedule. Every 120 days, which usually falls on the Persian or solar new year, the average Basseri camp is struck and re-pitched at a new location. There is no formal division of labor when packing and loading but many hours of the day is spent preparing for the move.
During migration, most of the family members ride on top of the loaded donkeys but one member follows on foot to drive the herds. The member driving the herd usually determines the route and decides where to camp each evening. The main body of the population is at no time scattered over more than a fraction of the route, which may only be a 50 mile stretch or 200,000 square miles.
Agriculture is the main essence of the population in the area. The tribe depends on the extensive use of seasonal pastures. Because of the climate they inhabit, they are forced to use artificial irrigation . Their diet consists mostly of agricultural products and they "strongly depend on external market in sedentary and agricultural communities (pg. 23, Barth)." Flour is important to their daily diets, because it is consumed as unleavened bread with every meal.
The general level of nutrition and hygiene among the Basseri is quite high. They are relatively healthy and robust, which contributes to a high fertility rate in the females of the tribe. The average number of children a couple has varies from three to five. Herbal medicines may be utilized as birth control, but only if a woman has had many children.
Marriage occurs between the ages of sixteen and twenty years of age for females, but males may be much older than that. The father of the bride usually equips his daughter with a number of household items, and may give sheep to his son-in-law. The mothers of the couple usually get together and weave the tent in which they are to live in. The woman joins her husband in the tent and an independent economic unit is formed. Inside the household, distribution of authority between men and women is nearly equal. They share the responsibility of making decisions that will greatly affect the family in the domestic domain and in that aspect.
Tents are the basic unit of a Basseri household. All tents have a recognized head that deals with the formal officers of the tribe, villagers, and other strangers. The head is usually the husband of the family, but can also be the senior male. A woman may only be regarded as head if she is widowed and there are no males present, but even in that case, the woman may have a male relative represent her.
Labor is divided among the household members by sex and age, but few tasks are rigidly allotted to only one sex or one age. There are three categories of tasks: domestic work, daily cycle of migration, and the tending and herding of animals. Domestic tasks are mainly done by women and girls. They prepare the food, wash and mend the clothes, and do the spinning and weaving. The men and boys provide the wood and water. Males sometimes participate in preparing food, and washing their own clothes, but are ridiculed for even pursuing in spinning and weaving. They also do most of the repairs of the equipment and tent.
Among the Basseri, each household has from 6-12 donkeys, and less than 100 adult sheep and goats. The herd is very important to the Basseri and they spend a great amount of time tending them. Anywhere from two to five tents may combine their flocks and entrust them to a single shepherd. The shepherd is almost always male and he is occupied with the flock from 4a.m. to 6p.m. The milking is done by both sexes, but mostly women participate in that task. The animals are important economically for trade, but are also utilized by the individual households.
"The Basseri show a poverty of ritual activities which is quite striking in the field situation; what they have of ceremonies, avoidance customs, and beliefs seem to influence, or be expressed in very few of their actions (pg. 135, Barth)." They are familiar with Islam, but are relatively uninterested in religion and do not hold any formal worship gatherings. Life cycle rituals are usually particularized at birth, marriage, and death. They have no ritual officers, but call on a holy man from a nearby village to perform such religious acts. Other such rituals are centered around agriculture and migration, and are used as a practical economic importance.
Written By: Jenny George
Sources:
Barth, Fredrick. Nomads of South Persia: the Basseri tribe of the Khamseh Confederacy. Humanities Press Inc., New York, 1965.
"Unique Travel." Shiraz. (28 April 1998) http://www.uniquetravel.com/html/shiraz.html 17 Nov. 1999