An Enterprising Educational Programme for Qashqai Nomads in Iran

Mohammed Bahmanbegui learnt to read and write himself, only because his father was on the staff of the Ilkhani and rich enough to employ a scribe. Mohammed studied law in Teheran and the USA. He was a translator and liaison agent during the Second World War for the U. S. Aid Programme. He started a literacy programme in Qashqa’i and Farsi in 1952, which was extended by 1979 by the government and US aid to 212 tent schoolsin every subtribe of the Qashqa’i. Other tribes of the Lur, etc. also gained schools. A Tribal Teachers’ Training School in Shiraz was founded in 1957 serving most tribal groups. A Tribal High School with 1,000 student was started in 1967. A Tribal Carpet Weaving School and a Tribal Technical School with courses in midwifery, paramedic and para-veterinary skills. Bahmanbegui had great skill to get all involved to co-operate together in these projects. Bahmanbegui recognised that tribal life would eventually end. For some reason, he encouraged women to wear the most elaborate traditional dress, but the men to dress as Persian town dwellers.

However, the Shah’s government favoured non-Turkic farmers and land reforms meant that the Qashqa’i pastures were converted into agricultural land, even in areas beyond the reach of village water supplies and new pumps lowered the water table and caused environmental damage. Seventy five per cent of the uncultivated land, including the nomads’ pasture, was put under state ownership. Qashqa’i leaders were dismissed or exiled and the tribes were placed under the police. Pasture was then allocated by the police, the nomads being forced to stay on one small plot for the season, irrespective of over grazing, flock size, etc. Persian commercial stock -raisers and non-Qashqa’i village pastoralist were allowed to use the pasture first each season. During the 1970s up to 40 % of the people settled and fifty settlement areas near new industries were set up. In 1975 the tribes were “abolished”, and the nomads had to apply for grazing licences last in the queue after other land users.

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