Turkey: Nomads preserve their ancestral way of life

ELAZIG, Turkey

Nomadic sheep-breeders in eastern Turkey, spending the winter and spring in their tents, continue to preserve the generations-old livelihood they inherited from their forefathers.

In Dedepinari, a village near the city center of Elazig province, seven families consisting of 35 people eke an existence in harsh conditions far from the blessings of modern technology.

Despite the difficult conditions, the families are content in their labor, even amid the multitude of chores that comes with the birth of new lambs in mid-February.

The nomads keep their animals in their pen throughout the day and week during the lambing period. They feed and take their animals to the meadows before sunrise and let the ewes meet their lambs. Otherwise, the offspring are kept away from their mothers.

With the opening of the pen gates, the lambs rush in excitement to near-instantly find their mothers among the hundreds of ewes. After suckling, they are once again separated from their mothers.

Set out in summer

Taking care to protect the newborns from the cold and disease, and making sure they are well-fed, the nomads set out with their herds for the plateaus in the Karliova region of Bingol province from their previous mountainous areas, trekking for two-week to find more fertile pastures for their animals.

In their daily lives, while men take care of animals, women take care of the children, clean the pens, prepare the water and food for animals when needed and perform household chores.
Besides their school lessons, children help their parents with the daily works, spend time with newborn lambs and play games around the tents.

'We have been nomads for centuries'

Huseyin Akalan, one of the nomads, told Anadolu Agency that he spent all his life among the herds. Along with his family, he fondly carried out the job he inherited from his father and grandfather.

He stated that while they used to take their herds to the southeastern province of Sanliurfa in the past, they had been taking them to Elazig for the last five years. "We have been leading a nomadic life for centuries, since our ancestors and grandfathers. With our family and children, we spend our lives in tents. Living as nomads is hard. But is there an easy way to earn a living? All occupations are difficult. This is our way of life".

Zeki Akalan said that nomadism is a lifestyle and they could not take up any other occupation but sheep and goat breeding.

"Living in tents is difficult, it's freezing in the winters. We love our jobs. We're content with our lives," he said.

Muhabbet Akalan said she and her husband had raised three children in the tents. While they are used to living the nomadic life, their growing children did not intend to follow the same way of life, she added.

Akalan said their children wanted to pursue their education and a career in a different field. "We didn't have the opportunity to go to school, so we want our kids to get an education."

Dilek Akalan, an elementary school student, said living in tents was hard, but she got used to it for lack of other options.

Dilek said she wants to graduate, get a job and leave the nomadic way of life. "I love my school. I want to be a prosecutor when I grow up," she said.

* Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara