Lecture 4: Pastoralism and Grass (the Film)

pastoralism makes use in the world by area:

25-45% of Earth’s ice-free land

pastoralism supports how many people worldwide?

1 billion

pastoral people

people who live and move with their animals

true or false: pastoralists can be found in nearly every continent aside from Antarctica

true

pastoralists can be considered agriculturalists that don’t rely on

crops

pastoralism represents people choosing to not practice _____ _______ and instead rely on ______

crop agriculture, animals

pastoralism

the management of animals that display herd behavior through a nomadic pattern of continuous association between men and herds, their selective exploitation for essential raw materials, and protection from predatory competitors

what are key characteristics of pastoralism?

• migration and movement of animals

• no private owner of the land

• dependence on common land

• nomadic/semi-nomadic lifestyles

• little reliance on agriculture

how is pastoralism distinguished from hunting?

animals are private property

what are the attributes of pastoralism?

• animals are private property

• land is collective or public property

• animals are accumulated by not putting them to “productive” use

• labor may be a little more than continuous co-presence most of the time

• milch vs. carnivorous variants

in pastoralism, ________ are the ones doing the work and producing the value

animals

coefficient of variation

measure of how far away from an average various data points are

what kind of coefficient of variation does Southern California have?

a high CV

what is the key to coping with variability?

mobility

what is the paradox of pastoral land tenure?

need secure access to key spots and open land but these spots are only useful certain times a year which presents the risk of fragmentation and use of the land by others

how is the film an example of orientalism?

Bahktiyari are characterized as exotic and project as living in the past

decisions for pastoralists about when to leave are influenced by?

flooding in rivers

age of animals

grass where you are and whether there is enough for the animals

why did the filmmakers depict the Bkahtiyari as Aryans?

claiming them as ancestors of the white race

a lost tribe of Aryans- depicting their intense strength and fortitude

what is part of the pastoralists’ jobs concerning animals?

protect their animals from predators

what do pastoralists use animals for?

their products- milk, etc.

what is the typical government attitude towards pastoralists?

pretend they don’t exist since they don’t have permanent addresses

what does it mean if the coefficient of variation of inter-annual precipitation is greater than 33%?

the variability is of evolutionary consequence

for pastoralists this means there may be some years where there is not enough grass

how do pastoralists survive with intense variability?

mobility with movements that may be daily, seasonal, or annual

seeks to match herd’s needs to fluctuating supplies of forage and water- goal is to finding green grass for animals