Nomad

From Open Encyclopedia

For other senses of this word, see nomad (disambiguation).

Image:Prokudin-Gorskii-18.jpg Image:Nomads near Namtso.jpg Communities of nomadic people move from place to place, rather than settling down in one location. Many cultures have been traditionally nomadic, but nomadic behaviour is increasingly rare in industrialised countries. Typically there are two kinds of nomads, pastoral nomads and peripatetic nomads. Pastoralists raise herds and move with them so as not to deplete pasture beyond recovery in any one area. Peripatetic nomads are more common in industrialised nations travelling from place to place offering a trade wherever they go. Nomadism is suggested to have originated throughout three stages that accompany population growth and an increase in the density of social organization. Sadr has suggested the following stages:

Pastoralism This is a mixed economy with a symbiosis within the family.
Agropastoralism This is when symbiosis is between segments or clans within an ethnic group.
True Nomadism This is when sybiosis is at the regional level, mostly it starts between specialized nomadic and agricultural populations.