The Characteristics of Pastoral and Farming Society

Pastoral societies dedicate their entire life taking care of animals. Although these societies are common they are slowly reducing day by day. Did you know that pastoralism started 5000 years ago? Well, these people emerged when humans had just started exploring the science behind agriculture. In this article, we will tell you the characteristics of pastoral and farming society in great detail.

What is a Pastoral Society?

A pastoral society is a group of people who primarily perform one task of herding and taking care of agricultural animals. They live a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. The word ‘pastoral’ has been derived from the Latin word pastor, meaning ‘shepherd’.  

These people take care of herbivorous animals and use them for food and labour. They usually have animals like cows, sheep, goats, yaks, camels and horses. Nowadays, pastoral societies are uncommon although they are still present in certain parts of the country.

Pastoral societies originate in the form of tribes. Children of pastoral people continue their parents’ work and this is how this society grows. Although there is no compulsion on the children to do pastoral farming. People are constantly moving from one place to another. In this way, they can reunite with their other family members while working at the same time.

Some pastoralists travel with their herds across international borders. Most of the time this happens when the pastoralist is searching for new grazing or trade. Such activities can be a big problem for the government because such activities are informal and beyond the control of the government. Mollisol lands witness pastoral farming on a large scale.

Some examples of pastoral farming are as follows:

• Samburu of East Africa
• Maldhari of Gujarat
• Bharwad in Bengal
• Bhutia in North India
• Rabari of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab

Characteristics of Pastoral and Farming Society

Pastoralists were focused on taking care of animals and raising livestock. They lived a very simple life rather than having a luxurious life. This is because these people loved having a personal connection with nature. Another reason is that they were not able to earn a lot of money. 

Geographical Distribution

The geographical distribution range from the NorthWest Frontier and Kashmir, over the Gangetic fields to the locales in upper east India. Apart from these regions Vindhyas,  Malwa and Maharashtra were used by the pastoral societies. The rock shelter of the Ghaligai forms the baseline in Swat – Chitral. More than 30 Neolithic sites have been found in the Kashmir valley.

Early Agricultural-Pastoral Communities

The early agricultural – pastoral communities used to reside in the Vindhyan scope of southern Uttar Pradesh. They were also present in Koldihwa and Kunjhun. The community first emerged in the Neolithic period of the Stone age. 

The reason why these pastoral societies were emerging in the Neolithic period is because during that period humans were doing agriculture on a rapid scale. 

There was a need for people who can take care of animals and use them for labour. People from the pastoral societies used microliths – small weapons made of flint or chert which are used to hunt smaller birds and animals and stone tomahawks. Although in the start these people were not responsible for pastoral farming. Instead, their main occupation was to yield grains of developed rice.

Pastoral and Farming Communities in the Prehistoric Age

Neolithic Age

In the Neolithic age, the people who were a part of the pastoral society had the primary task to find food. This is because people didn’t have an in-depth idea of how agriculture works and humans back then used to find food instead of producing one. These people used to settle down in the form of ranchers or stock breeders. These Neolithic societies used to reside in the Jhelum valley, Garo, and North Cachar slopes. 

Chalcolithic Age

After the Harappan civilization, the Chalcolithic societies emerged. These societies used to range from the Banas and Berach bowls in the upper east of Udaipur through Malwa. They were also residing in western Maharashtra to the Bhima valley. These people used chipped stone devices and other tools made from copper.

Early Iron Phase

During this phase, there was a development in settlement, agriculture and economy. Ironworking started in Malwa around 1100 BC.  The pastoral society started using tools made from iron.

Conclusion

As you can see, pastoral society plays a major role in the field of agriculture. They prevailed from the prehistoric age and have been growing since then. Although now, you won’t find a lot of agricultural-pastoral Communities because of the development of technology. Remember, that the pastoral society is focused on herding animals and using them for food and labour.