I’m a 27th Generation Blacksmith!
February 19th, 2010
Well, not really… I just decided it would be fun to follow Dr. Carr’s lead with the preposterous blog titling.
I received my February issue of National Geographic in the mail (proud subscriber!) and was excited to read about 27th generation blacksmiths – they actually do exist! This month’s feature on India shined light on yet another one of India’s subcultures – the ‘Lost Nomads’.
As always, the pictures are my favorite part. If you aren’t going to read the article (Click Here), I recommend you at least take a look at the brilliant photography (Click Here).
The nomadic groups highlighted in this article take the idea that each person is born into their own destiny one step further - you are born into both your profession and your nomadic lifestyle. The Gadulia Lohar (literally “cart blacksmith”) built weapons for royalty in the 16th century. Flash-forward 500 years and their iron-working skills are irrelevant and have been outsourced (to China, likely). Nowadays, they travel and sell spoons for 65 cents.
How long can these people continue on with their family’s legacy? Is there a point at which they just decide to settle down? Or maybe are forced to settle down and “join” society? As they do not have a mailing address, they aren’t provided with schooling, government welfare, or any of the benefits that are being provided to the modern society.
As we begin the 2010 US Census this month, we are reminded of just how many citizens wander and have no address at which to be found. Nomads are seen in all cultures, but it is staggering to find that nomads make up 7% of India’s population.
NatGeo writer John Lancaster concludes his article with the phrase “their forges had all gone cold.” Visibly and metaphorically, this is a statement that speaks volumes of the plights of these nomads and others like them.
-Catherine Kristensen
Entry Filed under: 2010 Student Blogs, India, Misc.
6 Comments Add your own
1. Jason Silver | February 22nd, 2010 at 5:43 pm
The life of a nomad is clearly tough. In a time of increasing modernization and the build-up of infrastructure in a country such as India, nomads are finding it harder and harder to make a living. They travel constantly, and from the pictures that Cat provided, look more like gypsies and a traveling circus. Their carts are the only thing of great value they posses, other than their own family members. It seems that these nomads are finding less open country to travel, as India becomes a country defined by extreme economic, social, and structural growth. Nomads can live on the income from selling spoons, or performing their entertaining acts, but cannot compete with the speed at which every other social class is climbing the socio-economic ladder.
I would think that nomads would be the best people possible to raise livestock, yet their governments haven’t given them the means to do so. It seems as if the Indian government is focused on building up the cities in which most people will see in pictures, movies, and in travel brochures, while leaving the nomads to fend for themselves as they have done so for generations.
Other groups of nomads that I know about include the Bedouins of the Middle East and the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and Tibet. Talk about a census count, approximately 40% of the ethnic Tibetan population is nomadic or semi-nomadic. Mongolia’s nomadic people range in the 3 millions. I think that what it really comes down to is that it depends on the country itself. Countries like Mongolia, Tibet, or Yemen are not currently experiencing double digit economic growth. These countries are not receiving billions of dollars in foreign investment. These countries do not have traditional, modern educational systems. There is a lack of basic tools to facilitate socio-economic development in these countries. India and China have these systems in place, and as a result, they are modernizing and throwing out the traditions and people that once pervaded its land centuries ago.
2. Jay Ponto | March 1st, 2010 at 11:36 am
First, I must agree that the pictures are my favorite part too; the photography is amazing. After all, a picture says a thousand words, and those are excellent views into indigenous Indian culture. I particularly enjoyed the photos that show the people performing their daily work routines (guiding cows, pulling wool, or digging with pick axes).
Next, despite the norm that birth often defines an individual’s place in Indian society, there will probably be less “nomads” as India becomes a more westernized society. Gradually, children will separate from the lives their parents lived. According to the article, the major deterrent to their integration into Indian society is politicians and villagers who deem the “nomads” as dirty and undesirable. Hopefully some reforms can be implemented IF the “nomads” wish to integrate into a more modern Indian society.
3. Tim Lynds | March 1st, 2010 at 5:19 pm
I used to dream of being a nomad and being constantly mobile and just walk the earth. Times have changed and my desires have conformed to our cultural norm of settling down and staying put. We are such a non-nomadic society and I am very surprised to learn that there are so many nomads out there!
I agree with Jay in that there will probably be fewer nomads in India as time passes. India is becoming the center of attention of many foreign companies around the world. These companies are flooding into India, bringing with them cultural ideas and money. The influence on Indian society and culture from the infux of these companies may currently be localized in areas such as Bangalore and Mumbai, but over time there could be a “westernization” of large parts of India.
Finally, this post reminded me how much I do not know about the world and how much there is to discover. I need to get out and explore the world and learn about different cultures and different ways of life. India is a good place to start.
4. Frederick Peemoeller | March 2nd, 2010 at 11:34 am
It seems that the idea that a person is born into their profession and lifestyle will slowly disappear in Indian culture. Even though it is programmed into their minds at a young age that this is what they are supposed to do, people change their ways if they can’t afford to make a living. If employment increases in India for uneducated workers, I think the amount of nomads will decrease dramatically. I feel this way because I was watching some bollywood music videos at Shalimar Restaurant on Broad Street, and I saw all these young Indian ladies dancing around in their booty shorts and oiled up bodies. I don’t think this type of video would be shown ten years ago, which shows that the culture in India is becoming more western. The culture is shifting in India, and change is nearing. With this change, I suspect to see differing views of life by these nomads.
5. Michael Minasian | March 5th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I recently saw a program on the BBC titled Mastercrafts: Blacksmiths. They took three people from Britain and gave them six weeks to learn how to be a blacksmith. A couple of them had Blacksmiths somewhere in their family tree. While it is certainly a different situation I find it interesting that there are people all over the world whether it is sourced from culture or curiosity who are still interested in mastering and maintaining crafts that were established so long ago. It gives you a broad sense of how in the world we have managed to keep so many ancient things relevant even today in an age of technology and “progress.” We need to make sure that we don’t lose sight of the classics. We may look down on nomads and wonder why they won’t assimilate, or change their ways. Why do they continue to struggle to live? Instead we should appreciate that there are people out there who are constantly reminding the world where it came from.
6. Jeff | March 18th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I don’t think that people are born into their profession and lifestyle, but are doing it mostly out of necessity. If there is no possibility of a person getting a formal education, then they’re doing what they’re exposed to. I don’t think this is that much different from the apprenticeships that still exist around the world. Sometimes there just aren’t that many choices. I learned metal working from my grandfather, and went on to work in a weld shop as I was going to school. It was because I was trained for it and could make money doing it.
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