Thomas Barfield. The Central Asian Arabs of Afghanistan: Pastoral Nomadism in Transition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981.
Nomad woman, Taloqan Province, Afghanistan, June, 1976 (photo Donna Wilker)
Nomad women are are not bound by the same rules of seclusion and veilinng common in sedentary villages of Afghanistan.
Setting up camp, Taloqan Province, Afghanistan, June 1976
Most of the packing and unpacking of the animals is done by the women who are in charge of setting up and breaking camp. (photo Donna Wilker)
Nomads on migration, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, June, 1976
Nomads in northeastern Afghanistan migrate to the their summer pastures.
Tajik trader, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, June 1976
Local merchants set up temporary markets to service the large number of nomads passing through key mountain valleys.
Buzkashi, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, June 1976
Buzkashi (goat-grabbing) is played by any number of mounted horsemen with no teams, boundaries, fouls or referees. The object is to take the a carcass of a calf past a designated post and return it to the goal. Whoever succeeds is the winner.
Thomas Barfield. The Nomadic Alternative. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1993. (Chapter 5)
Kazak nomads erecting a yurt, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, July 1987
Yurts are the key portable dwelling in Central Eurasia. The wooden frame is later covered with large panels of felt.
Kazak nomads, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, July 1987
Horse contest in which two riders gripping a single leather thong each attempt to pull the other off.
Kazak man in traditional silk and sheepskin hat, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, July 1987
Hats such as these mark clan affiliation among Kazak nomads, though today they are worn largely by older men in rural areas.
Kazak Felt, Altai Mountains, Xinjiang, Peoples Republic of China, July 1987
Felt making using traditional abstract designs cut from cloth has a long tradition in the Altai region. Such decorated felts are used to cover the floors of yurts and are much more common than carpets.