The UMMAA is pleased to announce the publication of Tribal Pastoralists in Transition: The Baharvand of Luristan, Iran, by Frank Hole and Sekandar Amanolahi-Baharvand.
In the spring of 1973, the Baharvand tribe from the Luristan province of central western Iran prepared to migrate from their winter pastures to their summer camp in the mountains. Seasonal migration in spring and fall had been their way of life for as long as anyone in the camp could remember. They moved their camp and their animals—sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, and chickens—in order to find green pastures and suitable temperatures. That year, one migrating family in the tribe allowed an outsider to make the trip with them. Anthropology professor Frank Hole, accompanied by his graduate student, Sekandar Amanolahi-Baharvand, traveled with the family of Morad Khan as they migrated into the mountains.
In this volume, Hole describes the journey, the modern and prehistoric sites along the way, and the people he traveled with. It is a portrait of people in transition—even as the family follows the ancient migration path, there are signs of economic and social change everywhere.
The book contains 116 color and b&w photographs and maps and there are five supplementary videos (on the migration, weaving, harvesting, and the bazaars) available with the ebook. Read more about the book (or buy it!) here.
Tribal Pastoralists in Transition is free to read online until September 2021, at Fulcrum (fulcrum.org/UMMAA), a platform created and hosted by the University of Michigan Press.
