Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Buryat Horticulture


The Buryat people have a unique way of life that has become quite rare in today’s modern age. The Buryats are nomadic Mongols that make their living by moving from place to place herding their cattle and living of their livestock to survive. Their local population can be found between Russia and China, where there are tons of mountains and valleys that allow them to raise their livestock. Their habitat has both cold and wet environments as well as hot and dry climates almost similar to deserts.

The Buryat people heard sheep, goats, and other cattle for nourishment but they also herd horses and camels to get around but they have also been known to use other animals such as elks, and dogs. Most of their nutritious meals comprise of milk, cheeses and meat all provided by their livestock.

The Buryat people have also been known to do a little farming but they are never large crop fields rather small gardens that provide some herbs and vegetables. The Buryat people use both horticulture and hunting to survive depending on their situation, location, and season. The Buryat people are also well known traders and merchants, or at least they used to be. The Buryat people have used their cattle to trade and obtain currency in order to buy their other necessary sources. they have been known to trade with both Russia and China.

The Buryat people also manufacture many different fabrics from horse horse, or goat hair that are well known for their quality all around the world known as Kashmir fabrics. They use these fabrics as well as wool for trade along with their cattle.

In recent years, the Buryat people have become a little bit more modern and have adapted their life style to a more modern one and have been known to sell their cattle, milk, and cheeses to gain access to more modern tools such as motorized vehicles, electronics, clothing and other products. This has made their lives much more difficult since they require more interaction with the modern wold and modern world resources such as gas and electricity. Since the Buryats are nomads and do not have houses but rather robust tents that they move from location to location, they do not have access to a power grid or pluming, and are required to obtain their power from batteries which run out quickly and require them to interact with the modern world much more than they have in the past.



Baldano, Marina. 2012. "10. People of the Border: The Destiny of the Shenehen Buryats." In Frontier Encounters: Knowledge and Practice at the Russian, Chinese and Mongolian Border. open book publishers. doi:10.11647/OBP.0026.10.

2 comments:

  1. Thomas, you need to place your reflective comment in this section. Your group members have done that. We need to keep it uniform. I can't read your references. I am not sure if it is my browser, or what because there is a white strip covering your refs. Delete this comment after you read it, please. Thanks

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  2. Reflection: To live like this in the modern era seems to be ideal, since one changes and adapts to the changing environment rather easily. It appears that changing location when it is best suited for you seems to be the best idea. Being a nomadic tribe certainly has lots of benefits such as an ever changing home so you do not grow tired of being in the same place for too long, or even being able to change locations when things get too hot, cold or the area is going through other problems such as drought or pests. This type of life style also allows you to be flexible and have multiple benefits since you are interacting with two completely different cultures, resources and people. All in all I believe the Buryat way of life is not half bad for an indigenous culture.

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