Publisher's Synopsis
The Zala Khan Khel, a branch of the major Afghan Nomad tribe, the Ahmadzai, have migrated for centuries between the highlands of Afghanistan and the lowlands of the Indus Valley in search of pasture. Every autumn and spring, these caravans of nomads, their flocks of sheep and goats, their families and all their possessions are on the move, up to 500 kilometres each way. Merchandise, essential to the trade economy of many nomad families, has always come too.;This is the story of how the Zala Khan Khel gradually turned to trade at the expense of animal breeding in the first half of this century. It describes the strategies and socio-cultural adaptations that the nomads have undergone in coping with the overall modernization of Afghanistan. Based on field data collected by the author in 1975-76, 1986 and 1988, the book explains the intricate processes through which this fascinating way of life adapts itself to modern society.
