Question

Who are the pastoral nomads? Describe any four features of them

Answer 1

The nomadic community that moved from one place for their animals (like goat and sheep) is called as pastoral nomads. Their main features are:

1. They had to keep moving from place to place and had to decide when and where to move otherwise they, along with their animals would starve.

2. They calculated their timings of movement so that green grasses and nutritious forage are available for their herds.

3. They combined different activities like herding cultivation and trading etc. for their survival.

4. They had to make an estimate of the terrain they had to pass during their seasonal movements and also to know where they could find both pastures and water for themselves as well as their animals.

Answer 2

Unlike other subsistence farmers, pastoral nomads mainly depend on animals rather than crops for survival. The animals provide milk, and their skins and hair are used for clothing and tents. Their animals are usually not slaughtered, although some dead ones may be eaten. To nomads, the size of their herd an important measure of power and prestige and also their main security during adverse environmental conditions. 
Pastoral nomads do not wander randomly across the landscape, but they have a very strong sense of territoriality. Every group controls a piece of territory and will invade another group's territory only in an emergency, or in a case of war. The goal of each group is to control a territory large enough to contain the food and water needed for survival. The actual amount of land a group controls depends on its wealth and power.Some pastoral nomads practice transhumance, which is seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pasture areas. Pasture is land used for grazing animals, including grass and other plants