Kurds are people living in Kurdistan. About half of the worlds 25 to 30 million Kurds live in Turkey. Six million live in Iran; 3.5 million live in Iraq; and 1.5 million live in Syria. Others are distributed through the countries of Armenia, Germany, Sweden, France, and the United States. A few Kurdish settlements remain in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Kurds speak Kurdish, a language of the western Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. Kurds who live in Kurdistan often live in rural districts; a few keep up a nomadic or semi-nomadic life style. These Kurds still retain the traditional tribal organization under chiefs. They traditionally herded sheep and goats in the mountains where some still take their livestock to pastures in summer and return to valley villages in the winter. Other Kurds are settled farmers. Agriculture and animal holding are central for their economy. The mountainous area in which they live has allowed traditional tribes to flourish.
The mountains have helped mold Kurdish history and culture. The rain and snow run down the rugged mountainsides and spill into the lowlands. This fills the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Because of such a high level of precipitation the soil is rich. This land in Kurdistan (28%) is suitable for farming wheat (1).
The land is unfit for farming higher in the mountains. This is where herders pasture their animals. The herders use animals for their meat and milk (1). There are many natural resources in Kurdistan. There are vast oil reserves and copper, chromium, and iron are still mined (1). Long ago, the mountains were known as great sources for many of the mentioned metal ores but the amount is significantly lower now.
Kurds love music, poetry and dancing. Many Kurdish villages have their own dances. Romance and heroism are usually the theme of dances or folk legends. Kurdish musicians play a type of flute (zornah) and drum (dohol) (1). Most Kurds follow the teachings of Islam. The Kurds have a long history of being in a tension-filled region. The Kurdish culture has survived even though they have never had a country to call their own.
The Kurds fight for independence has been continuously blocked. Since World War 1, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq have all stopped Kurdish uprisings. The Persian Gulf War offered hope, but even after defeat Iraqs leaders maintained control. This is an ongoing struggle, a struggle that will probably not be won the next few years. One hope for the independence struggle is that Iran and Iraq are not favored nations among the world powers. If these nations become weaker, the fight for independence might gain more momentum.
With the absence of a central government, many Kurds considered their clan leaders to be their highest source of authority (1). This has proven to be an obstacle to Kurdish independence since many have been loyal to local leaders instead of national leaders.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on Kurdish culture.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.
If you are Kurd, your feedback is much appreciated.
Resources:
(1) Meet the Kurds
http://www/cobblestonepub.com/pages/Kurds.htm (12/15/99).
(2) Kurds Comptons Encyclopedia
http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/02664_A.html (12/15/99).
Written by: Laura Runck
