 The black tent is called in Kurdish language "Reshmal", it means Black Home and is woven of goat's hair. Goats hair is an expanding material, so when it is raining the fabric is closing so no water is dropping into the inside of the tent.
The opaque appearance, Chigh, is made of straw and each straw is rapped individually with a particular pattern of the tribe. Then there are the wooden column, Astunda, who are for the support of the tent structure. The amount of columns determining the size of the tent as well of the family. The average of these columns is 3 to 12 so an extended family would be able to live together. Usually several room dividers are being hooked up to separate sleeping room, dinning room, kitchen. These dividing curtains are very colourful. Today about 15 semi or fully nomadic tribes are still living in the region of the KRG (Kurdish Regional Government), Herki, Surchi Bradost, Gheylani, Balaki, Heruti, Rewendok, Ako, Boli-Baboli, Mengur, Mirawdeli and Jaff are the main semi normadic tribes while the fully normadic tribes are the Mentik, Bilbas, Sereshemey, Mamsal and Ghelani. Nomadic Kurdish tribes are followers of either the Sunni or also Shiite creed. The Shiite' tribes had been "useful" in undermining Iran's security: equipped with low orbit sat phones and the saddle bags of their donkeys always had been bulging with what do you think? Yes, yes, the salvation boulevard media have had to come up with the claim that the Shia Kurds would smuggle alcohol into Iran. Who believes is beatifying... The nomadic tribes are the most vulnerable group in the Kurdish regions. They were usually also the most targeted in all wars and the nomadic life is harsh. Saddam did not liked and was just bombing them. Today there are no self-sustained tribes any more because economically they can't cope. Weaving tradition has died out totally, their dairy products are not to find on any market and the younger generation are not interested to follow the path of their ancestral tradition. Plus there are millions of land-mines sprinkled all over the region which brought nomadic life practically to a still stand. For photos of the Black Nomadic Tent click here Comments are closed.
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