As the number of nomads has fallen, the strongest advocates of settling down have been the nomadic women. Their lives are tough, and they know it. Zahra Amiri, 61 and the mother of nine, wakes up at dawn and brings water from a well, a long walk. After that she bakes bread and prepares breakfast. Often she joins her husband while shepherding, milks the sheep, makes yogurt and cheese. Her hands and face are darkened by the sun. If there is any time between chores, she works on a kilim, or carpet. To reach their summer destination, her 24-year-old daughter, Forouzan, rode a horse, guiding her two sisters and eight mules carrying their belongings and a tent.
在游牧民人數(shù)減少過程中,最堅(jiān)定的定居擁護(hù)者一直是游牧婦女。她們的生活很艱苦,而她們也清楚這一點(diǎn)。61歲的扎拉·阿米里是9個孩子的母親,拂曉醒來,然后走很遠(yuǎn)從井里打來水,之后她要烤面包和準(zhǔn)備早餐。她常常與丈夫一起牧羊、擠羊奶,作酸奶和奶酪,她的雙手和臉龐被太陽曬得黑黑的。作家務(wù)的時候只要有一點(diǎn)空閑,她就編織地毯。為了到他們的夏季牧場,她24歲大的女兒福羅贊騎著馬指揮她的兩個妹妹和載著家里財(cái)產(chǎn)和一頂帳篷的8頭騾子。
"After all these years of hard working, I have nothing to show for it, except these children and the sun," Amiri said. "Our only joy is to drink tea." Inheritance laws for nomads are officially no different from those for other Iranians, but in practice women rarely inherit anything. The nomadic custom is that women give away their inheritance rights to their brothers. On the other hand, women are allowed to ride horses and carry guns, and Amiri had both. Many Iranian nomadic men say that milking, getting water, and giving inheritances to women are eib, or improper, for men to do. Marzieh Esmaelipour, 33, said she wouldn't even consider asking for a share of an inheritance. "Everybody will talk bad about you if you do that," she said.
阿米里說:“通過這第多年艱苦工作,我沒有什么可炫耀的,除了這些孩子和陽光。我們唯一的樂趣就是喝茶。”游牧民的遺產(chǎn)繼承法律與其他伊朗人的沒有正式的不同,但在實(shí)際執(zhí)行中,婦女很少繼承任何東西。另一方面,婦女被允許騎馬和帶槍,阿米里這兩樣都有。許多伊朗游牧男子說擠奶、打水,以及給女人遺產(chǎn)都是eib,或者不恰當(dāng)?shù)卣f,是男人的事。33歲的馬爾基·艾斯瑪麗波爾說她從來沒有考慮過要一份遺產(chǎn),她說:“只要你那樣作,人人都會講你壞話?!?/p>