Posted by Wendel Swan on July 30, 1999 at 08:29:39:
In Reply to: Re: pile rugs and pastoral nomads posted by Yon Bard on July 30, 1999 at 06:56:58:
: Perhaps the answer to our conundrum is (I am speculating) that the Turkomans were somewhere between sedentary and typical pastoral-nomadic. They did not have regular semi-annual migrations from lowlands to uplands; rather, they stayed in one location for as long as possible, with only grazing parties taking up temporary quarters away from the main encampments. Then, at relatively infrequent occasions, they'd move to a different area because of exhaustion of fodder or some external threats. They may have moved about as frequently as the average American family. For this lifestyle pile weavings were no great handicap.
Yon,
I think your line of thinking is correct. Troubled by my own responses on the issue, I reviewed Barfield, who describes the typical Turkmen migration as being relatively short and the stays in each camp as longer. It seems that the Turkmen and the nomads of NWP may have led somewhat different "nomadic" lives. I was also told yesterday that main carpets were used by the Turkmen only for special occassions and that a single carpet might be shared by 6 or 7 families.
Further, some of the Turkmen owned proportionately more camels than their NWP counterparts, making the transport of heavier items more feasible.
Robert Pinner will be here this weekend and perhaps I can pass some of these issues past him.
Regards,
Wendel