Basseri
 Basseri kids inNaqsh-e Rostam | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 72,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Fars Province | |
| Languages | |
| Basseri dialectofPersian | |
| Religion | |
| Shia islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bakhtiari |
TheBasseri(Persian:باسری or باصری) are aPersiannomadicandpastoraltribe of theFars ProvinceinIran.Their migratory area is aroundShiraz.They are one of the five tribes of the largerKhamsehconfederation.[2]: 1 The "tent" is the basic unit of social organization among the Basseri. All tents have a recognized head that deals with the formal officers of the tribe, villagers, and other strangers. The Basseri economy stems mainly from sheep and goats.
Origin
[edit]Basseries are mostlyPersians.Their origin is the "Pasargadean" tribe. The Pasargadean tribe was the biggest tribe ofPersiaand the tribe who helpedCyrus The Greatconstitute theAchaemenid Empire.They were named "Karian" tribe inSasanian Empireperiod. They were the rulers of some parts of south Persia and theKaryancity ofPersiabecause they helpedArdashir Iconstitute the Sasanian empire.
After theMuslim conquest of Persiathey were under rule ofArabic Tribes of South Persia,who migrated toPersiaafter its conquest, till the constitution of theZand dynastybyKarim Khan.InPahlavi dynasty periodthey were settled by the government in 1930 and again started to decamp in 1941. After the Land Reformations of Iran, they were settled in the cities and the villages ofFars Province;but after some years, they again started decamping. After theIslamic Revolution of Iranbecause of the problems of being nomad including inaccessibility to modern facilities (hospitals, schools, etc.), successive droughts, destruction of the migration paths they again went to the cities and the villages of the province for living.[3]
Etymology
[edit]The word "Basseri" was originally "Wastaryoshan", the commoners ofSasanian Empireperiod.[4][5]A compound of "Wastary" and the "osh" suffix, the "W" phoneme in” Wastary” was changed to "B" and the "T" phoneme was removed as it was easier to pronounce, therefore the word shifted to “Basseri”.[6]
Religion
[edit]Basseries areShia Muslims,They became Sunni Muslims after the Arabs invaded Iran in the 7th century CE. They were force converted toShi'ismfollowing theSafavidinvasion in the 16th century CE. Previously, Basseries were Zoroastrians like the majority of Persians, before the arrival of Islam in the region. [7]
Language
[edit]The Basseri speakBasseri dialect,a dialect ofPersianwith manyOld Persianwords not found inmodern Persian.The majority know only the Basseri dialect, but some know English too.[8][7]It is most similar to the Persian spoken in urbanShiraz.
Some words in Basseri dialect are similar to English words:[7]
| Basseri | English | standard Persian | st. Persian transcription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Var | Wear | پوشیدن | Pušidan |
| Jong | Young | جوان | Javān |
| Babu | Baby | نوزاد | Nowzād |
| Kap | Cap | کلاه | Kolāh |
| Sol | Soil | خاک | Xāk |
Region
[edit]
The Basseri are residents ofFars Province,which is noted for its wide range of ethnic groups. The mixing of groups means that most tribes are better defined by political criteria. The traditional lands of the Basseri constitute a strip about 300 mi (480 km) long and 20–50 mi (32–80 km) wide. The land runs from theKūh-e Būlmountain to the hills west of the city ofLar.[2]: 1
The Basseri habitat was originallyFars district;but big Basseri Communities are also inKhuzestan,Isfahan,Razavi Khorasan,SemnanandTehran.
Neighboring tribes include theNafar tribeand the oppositionalQashqai confederacy.[2]: 2
Migration
[edit]The winter land of the Basseri is inJahrom,Evazand north ofLarestan County.They stay inMarvdasht,Pasargad,andEqlidin summers.
Many Basseri were forced to settle down and cease their nomadic life in the 1930s by the policies ofReza Shah.Thus, much of the population of the villages and towns, such as Shiraz, trace their ancestry to the Basseri.[2]: 2
Tribe hierarchy
[edit]The chief of the Basseri tribe rules through coercive authority. The main functions of the chief are: to allocate pastures and coordinate the migration of the tribes, settle disputes that are brought to him, and represent the tribe or any of its members in politically important dealings with sedentary authorities. Most matters of law are governed by custom and compromise in the Basseri tribe and is regulated by diffuse sanctions. However the chief will serve as a mediator for cases that can not be solved through tradition because of the matters of the case. The chief is not bound by precedent or custom in his decision, and his decision will be based on what he feels is "best for the tribe".[9]
The Darbar consist of Basseri tribe members who are closest with the chief and always migrate with him. Within the Darbar there is a personal valet, master of the stores, a groom for the chief's riding horse, a scribe, and a hunting/drinking companion.
Historically, the Basseri were part of theKhamsehtribal confederacy, but its importance both politically and socially has waned in modern times.[2]: 1
Textile
[edit]
All packing tools and rugs are locally made, woven by the women.[9]Women's clothes are largely sewn from bought material, while male clothing is bought finished.[9]
Basseri tribe rugs (see alsoShiraz rug) are asymmetrically knotted, brighter in colours, with more open space and smaller ornaments and figure with Orange as the specific color. The women of the tribe usually make the rugs.[10]
Clans
[edit]The Basseri has two great sections called Waysi (Persian:ویسی) and Ali-mirzai (Persian:علی میرزایی).[11]Each section has several clans. Some of the clans are not originally from the Basseri, but are emigrants from other tribes or cities.
The Basseri clans include:
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"The Basseri foundation history (Persian)".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-12-09.Retrieved2016-11-05.
- ^abcdeBarth, Fredrik (1986) [First published 1961].Nomads of South Persia: the Basseri tribe of the Khamseh confederacy.Prospect Heights, Illinois: Scandinavian University Press.ISBN0-88133-207-0.OCLC13784474.
- ^Nomads of Persia: The Basseri tribe. Ehsan Yousefi. 2014. Shiraz.
- ^ These four are the three common "Indo-Euoropean"social tripartitioncommon among ancient Iranian, Indian and Romans with one extra Iranian element (from Yashna xix/17). cf. Frye, p. 54.
- ^Kāẓim ʻAlamdārī.Why the Middle East Lagged Behind: The Case of Iran.University Press of America. p. 72.
- ^عزیزی, علیرضا."ریشه شناسی کلمه ایل باصری (The Basseri Etymology)".باصری آنلاین(in Persian). Archived fromthe originalon 2019-08-05.Retrieved2022-01-25.
- ^abcThe Basseri tribe:from Tornas to Lahbaz.Gholamreza Tavakkoli.2000.Tehran
- ^Nomads of Persia:The Basseri tribe.Ehsan Yousefi.2014.Shiraz
- ^abcBarth 2013.
- ^Oriental rugs: a complete guide - Charles W. Jacobsen, C. E. Tuttle Co. 1962
- ^Iranica
- ^Islam World Encyclopedia (Persian)
Sources
[edit]- Amanolahi, Sekandar (2003). "Socio-Political Changes Among the Basseri of South Iran".Iran and the Caucasus.7(1): 261–277.doi:10.1163/157338403X00141.
- Fredrik Barth (1964).Nomads of South Persia: the Basseri tribe of the Khamseh Confederacy.(archive.org)
- Barth, Frederik (2013).Nomads Of South Persia - The Basseri Tribe Of The Khamseh Confederacy.Read Books Limited.ISBN978-1-4465-4578-2.
- Ehsan Yousefi,nomads of Persia:The Basseri tribe;2014;Shiraz