Shepherds

Śladami ostatnich wędrujących pasterzy karpackich. Raport z wiosennego redyku rodziny Szczechowiczów (kwiecień 2018) W ostatnich latach pasterstwo przeżywa swoisty renesans w kulturze po-granicza polsko-słowackiego. Dzieje się tak za sprawą nowych projektów fi-nansowanych z funduszy europejskich, jak również samych pasterzy, którzy po okresie licznych utrudnień wobec tej profesji ze strony komunistycznych rządów różnych krajów wracają sami do tradycji "ojców i dziadów". Etnograficzne badania prowadzone w społecznościach lokalnych pokazują, że wiele współcześnie praktykowanych w nich zwyczajów związanych z pasterstwem przetrwało, zyskując nowe znaczenia, ale i przechowując stare, archaiczne treści kulturo-we. Owe pasterskie zwyczaje mają swoje odległe korzenie w zwyczajowym i określonym częściowo w statutach prawie wołoskim oraz w starych praktykach chrześcijańskich, a w istocie nawiązują też do jeszcze starszych, archaicznych praktyk przedchrześcijańskich. Pasterze wiążą ze swoją profesją rozmaite sensy, jednocześnie wplatając wiele elementów tradycji w cały system współczesnej kultury (lub odwrotnie-wiele elementów współczesnej kultury przenosząc do kultury tradycyjnej), co powoduje, że kultura pasterska staje się obecnie swoistym kolażem znaczeń i sensów, możliwych do odczytywania w różnych konfiguracjach. Aby przyjrzeć się współczesnemu pasterstwu, w dniach 19-26 kwietnia 2018 r. wyruszyłam wraz z rodziną Szczechowiczów z Ratułowa na Podhalu na wiosenny redyk-jako etnografka i badaczka pasterstwa miałam okazję podczas 6 dni marszu z 3 bacami i podbacami przeprowadzić około 500 owiec na trasie o długości 110 km z Podhala (wspomniany Ratułów) przez Orawę na Żywiecczyznę (Soblówka) 1. Moja decyzja spowodowana była badaniami, jakie od 2015 roku prowadzę w obszarze pasterstwa związanego z dziedzictwem kulturowym Wołochów, od Albanii do północnych Karpat. Badania te są częścią grantu NPRH "Wołosi w europejskiej i polskiej przestrzeni kulturowej. Osadnictwo 1 Podczas tego redyku rodzina Szczechowiczów nie tylko udzielała mi wszelkich informacji na temat pasterstwa, ale również pozwalała wykonywać większość codziennych czynności, takich jak: prowadzenie i naganianie owiec, opieka nad jagniętami, budowa koszaru, rozpakowywanie i pako-wanie dobytku na auto, prowadzenie samochodu w celu dowozu owiec i jagniąt. O znaczeniu tego wydarzenia oraz o nowych trendach w tradycjach pasterskich i zmienianiu się tożsamości pasterzy świadczą słowa samego bacy Tadeusza Szczechowicza seniora, które podkreślają dotychczasową nieobecność kobiet w redykach: ,,jak pani przejdzie z nami do Soblówki, to będzie historyczna chwila. Kobiety nie chodziły w redykach". Badania terenowe (dalej: BT), Tadeusz Szczechowicz senior, redyk wiosenny, kwiecień 2018.

The forest is intrinsic to the lives of shepherds, who are constantly on the move in search of fresh pastures for their goats and sheep. The forest, or the ‘waste-land’, separates the shepherds from the settled communities that they interact with across the altitudinal landscape. The forest is also a dominant cultural ‘space’ in which the variegated ethos, imbibed over centuries of interaction with the ‘settled communities’, is processed to impart a new meaning to the universe of the shepherds. This is an enchanted universe where birds speak, animals help and humans are transformed, to evoke in ‘us’ the sense of the ‘miraculous’ and the ‘marvellous’. In this world, the grotesque and sublime merge into each other and conjure a unique cosmology where the sense of wonder is heightened by the ‘super-natural’ that fashions a new myth. The vibrancy of struggle between  ‘settlement’ and ‘nomadism’ is reflected in the folk-imaginary, where the ‘elements’, animals and humans  play a role in attempting to create a ‘just-society’. This is illustrated through folktales, two of which have been translated and presented here, popular among the shepherds of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.

Guillaume Lebaudy / Toute la vallée-La vie en Ubaye (revue, Sabença de la valeia) Jean Solda, berger, léger de tout bagage La routo, l'itinéraire de randonnée pédestre reliant Arles à Borgo San Dalmasso, traversera bientôt la vallée de l'Ubaye. Lorsque, tout jeune ethnologue, je faisais l'enquête de terrain qui a débouché sur la première exposition de l'écomusée du pastoralisme de Pontebernardo (et sa publication La routo, sur les chemins de la transhumance entre les Alpes et la mer) j'ai écouté, cheminé et travaillé avec une génération de pastres qui avaient connu la grande époque de la transhumance à pied. L'un d'entre eux m'a particulièrement marqué : Jean Solda. Appelle-moi simplement berger ! Plusieurs d'entre eux ont été des maîtres. Pas seulement maîtres en savoirs pastoraux ; maîtres en humanité aussi, dont les enseignements ont été précieux tant pour leurs pairs bergers que pour l'ethnologue qui venait passer quelques journées avec eux.

Lo studio antropologico dei fenomeni migratori dei pastori tra la Provenza marittima e le valli alpine di lingua d’oc ha dato vita a una mostra, dal titolo “La Routo”, allestita nel 2000 presso l’Ecomuseo della Pa- storizia a Pontebernardo in Valle Stura, Piemonte. Questa regione si dimostra particolarmente interes- sante per la densità e la forza dei legami intessuti gra- zie alle emigrazioni di pastori delle Valli Stura e Maira verso la bassa Provenza, condotte fino agli anni Sessanta del Novecento.

L’étude ethnologique des phénomènes migratoires de bergers entre la Provence littorale et les vallées alpines de langue occitane, a donné lieu à une exposition intitulée La Routo, créée en juin 2000 à l’Ecomusée du Pas- toralisme de Pontebernardo en Vallée Stura, Piémont. Cette région s’avère particulièrement intéressante pour la densité et la vigueur des liens tissés dans le sillage des migrations de berger des vallées Stura et Maira vers la basse-Provence1 jusque dans les années soixante.

Réédition augmentée 2012, sous le direction de
Guillaume Lebaudy, ethnologue et directeur de la Maison du Berger
et Patrick Fabre, directeur de la Maison de la Transhumance,
Stefano Martini, responsabile del Settore Turistico Culturale della Comunità Montana Valle Stura e dell’Ecomuseo della Pastorizia, Maria Elena Rosso, collaboratrice del Settore Turistico Culturale della Comunità Montana Valle Stura e dell’Ecomuseo della Pastorizia.

Ed. Ecomuseo della Pastorizia Maison de la Transhumance Maison du Berger Nerosubianco edizioni, 2012

his paper, “The ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus”, was prepared for adult Bible study to get to know Jesus better and to demonstrate how all Scripture witnesses to Him - Our Divine Lord and Savior.  “The ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus” is a systematic compilation of notes and related Scripture passages reflecting what I learned from many sources while being guided by the Bible itself to seek clarification within Scripture.  The sources cited in the bibliography at the end of this paper aided me in knowing where to look in the Bible.

Nawala, a sacrificial ritual offering made to Shiva, is central to the identity of the Gaddis, nomadic mountain shepherds of Himachal Pradesh—Northern India. Over a long period of time the Gaddis were encouraged to give up shepherding and settle in the plains among agricultural communities. Displaced from their ancestral habitat and nomadic ways, the focus of their ritual performances changed. Examining one ritual text as a prism for folklore and social change, this essay analyzes how dislocated “identity” negotiates and reinvents itself through ritual performance. The transformation of ritual text, disappearing lineages of traditional singers and ritual specialists, new interpretations and transmission agencies, as well as the eventual preservation and transmission of ritual-lore through audio and video technology chart the trajectory of identity transformation and engagement with modernity.

This paper documents the transformations taking place in the process of mobility, both in terms of structure and attitudes, deliberating upon the linkages between the seasonally mobile shepherds on the one hand and the sedentary peasants on the other over a time frame of a century. We argue that the shepherds bring into economic equation the resources that are beyond the revenue demand and marketing strategies that are beyond fixed markets and bazaars. We therefore consider shepherding not only as a constituent of the larger economic and social system but also as a competing economy in it-self. As a result, an attempt has been made to understand the process of interaction within different ecological zones and how the state, particularly colonial rule, intervened to control the pastorals in their attempt to ‘Hinduize’ by ritualizing and locating them in a caste hierarchy. In the process the dynamics of herding—alpine-temperate migratory cycle; the rights and obligations in relation to herding practice; the evolution of herding tax structure; and the socio-economic basis of herding—has been analyzed.

L’objet du présent travail est de montrer en quoi le métier de gardien de troupeau, berger, façonne ceux qui l’exercent ; d’arriver à mettre en évidence qu’à force de « faire le berger », comme on le dit dans les Alpes du Sud, d’une certaine manière et non d’une autre, d’être exposé au milieu particulier dans lequel se déploie la garde, de côtoyer et d’interagir avec les animaux dont il se préoccupe, le gardien de troupeau devient berger, « est » berger. Il s’agit de montrer en quoi garder des brebis entraîne la constitution d’un ethos, d’une manière d’être, d’une vision du monde qui s’actualise dans des ressentis, des discours et des actes spécifiques. Nous démarrerons l’analyse à partir du point central de l’activité de garde : le rapport aux animaux. Nous aborderons ensuite le rôle du corps du berger dans son activité. Enfin nous nous intéresserons spécifiquement à quelques-uns des enjeux animant actuellement la profession.

Que sait-on aujourd’hui des bergers, de leur travail et de leur quotidien? Longtemps enfermé dans une image archétypale — un métier d’homme, rude et solitaire — le métier s’ouvre à d’autres réalités. Depuis des dizaines d’années, les actions d’accompagnement, d’animation, de développement, de prévention, de formation, de communication, de recherche, etc., participent largement à transformer le métier de berger en veillant à sa pérennisation.
Une enquête technique, ethnologique et photographique, menée en 2010 sur le terrain à la rencontre de bergères et bergers des Alpes, dévoile une diversité et une évolution insoupçonnées de ce métier : trajectoires individuelles et professionnelles, conditions de vie et de travail, féminisation, image du métier, professionnalisation, créativité, etc. Elle montre aussi que ce métier, pourtant poussé par une formidable vague de modernité, offre à celles et ceux qui le pratiquent, une incomparable richesse culturelle, philosophique et poétique.

Co-auteurs : Bruno Caraguel (directeur Fédération des Alpages de l’Isère), en collaboration avec Alice Chenal (bergère, Association des bergers de l’Isère), Juliette Castanieris (bergère, Association des bergers de l’Isère),
Laurent Four (berger, Association des bergers de l’Isère).

In contrast to modern science, the original idea of ‘herd immunity’ is not a natural process as inoculation or variolation is a must.  Wherein the virulence of virus is considerably condensed with the help of natural substances like herbs and leaf juices. 

The intermixing of virus loaded biochemical synthesis fetches in nose-diving the virus mutation, by this means, the infection turns into mild, unlike the natural attack.  The inherent antigens in animals will quickly respond to face the attack of the mild virus by producing awe-inspiring antibodies in order to develop immunity within the stipulated period.     

Shepherds in rural India are performing the herd immunity for their livestock with the help of herbal produces in order to prevent the virus-causing epidemics. They attenuate the virulence of virus with help of leaf juice extracted from Amma Talli plant before inoculation or variolation.

How, when, where and why did the Jewish Jesus movement develop into a largely non-Jewish religion separate from Judaism? An increasing number of scholars have come to recognize that the complexity of the so-called “Parting(s) of the Ways” question is comprised largely of smaller questions revolving around individual communities and their texts. The Gospel of Matthew represents one text that has been at or near the center of this debate for quite some time. Despite being recognized as the most Jewish Gospel, many commentators argue that it was penned by someone who sought to distance himself from Jews and Judaism. Scholars have used diverse approaches for determining the relationship between Matthew and the variegated Judaism of the first century, but few recognize the important piece that the Evangelist's Christology brings to the puzzle of his socio-religious orientation. Of Matthew’s various Christological strands, his Shepherd Christology offers significant potential for exploring this issue. The present investigation contends that there are distinctive tendencies in usage in the shepherd metaphor's appropriation by non-Christ-believing Jewish, non-Christ-believing Roman, and Christ-believing authors approximately contemporary with Matthew, tendencies which reflect distinct patterns of thought. By comparing Matthew's deployment of the shepherd metaphor with its appropriation by these groups of authors, clues to the Evangelist's socio-religious orientation may be discerned. In examining Mathew’s frequently overlooked shepherd motif, this study determines its contribution to the overall theological framework of the Gospel, specifically, its Christology and soteriology. Moreover, it employs the motif (i.e., the patterns of thought exhibited by it) to ascertain Matthew's socio-religious orientation, and thus, its implications for the “Partings” debate.

Gravées sur les bergeries de la plaine de la Crau, des centaines d'inscriptions (effectuées du XVIII e siècle à nos jours) nous renseignent sur l'histoire des relations entre Alpes et Provence. Archives de la mobilité des bergers dans l'espace de la grande transhumance ovine, elles placent la Crau au coeur d'un important système de relations et de circulation d'hommes et de troupeaux. Elles nous renseignent aussi sur la façon dont les éleveurs et bergers cravencs perçoivent et construisent ce vaste territoire où ils font paître leurs brebis. La Crau peut être interprétée en tant que paysage culturel (aux usages extrêmement codifiés), résultat d'une ancienne et intense interaction entre activités humaines et données naturelles. Un paysage où peu-vent se lire les valeurs selon lesquelles il a été construit. Celles d'une société pastorale assurant une gestion fine de son environnement de façon à satisfaire ses besoins en fourrage. Dans leur variété, les gravures et graffiti tracés par les bergers font écho à ces valeurs ; ils témoignent des migrations saisonnières des troupeaux et des hom-mes, et de la fierté des jeunes bergers de s'inscrire dans cette société pastorale de Crau : la pastriho. Abstract Gravures et graffiti des bergers de la plaine de la Crau : un patrimoine fragile et méconnu

3D digitisation techniques, especially image-based three-dimensional (3D) surface recording is a cost-efficient and intuitive technique that quickly gained ground in archaeological documentation during the 21st century, mainly because its execution became much more straightforward during the past decade. As a result, many archaeological 3D documentation projects suddenly saw daylight. The majority of the resulting 3D models serves heritage conservation and restoration purposes or is used to extract metrical information or morphological characteristics of the object under study. Since one could also obtain most of these outcomes using more traditional approaches, the value of 3D surface documentation in terms of archaeological analysis and interpretation is still not entirely clear. This dissertation questions, therefore, the added value of digital 3D models for archaeological knowledge gaining. It explores if these 3D surfaces can open up new analytical pathways that would otherwise stay closed.

Since various archaeological sources usually require specific research methodologies, this dissertation solely focuses on vernacular dry-stone architecture found in the Slovene Kras region. Using twenty-two image-based 3D surface models of shepherd shelters dating to the Early Modern Era, the author tries to answer questions about the functionality and biography (i.e. construction and use) of these shelters, thereby demonstrating the (in)effectiveness of 3D documentation as a starting point for this type of archaeological analysis.

To unravel which properties best served the shelters’ function of protection against environmental factors and research how their use was affected by this suitability to protect, several analytical approaches were taken. All possible inner and outer dimensions of the 3D shelter models were measured, their volume of construction material and interior space calculated, various cross sections extracted and their surfaces checked for possible traces of usage wear. Besides, the influence of the environment (i.e. sunshine and rain) on these dry-stone constructions was virtually simulated, and 3D shepherd figures were digitally placed inside them. The newly obtained data made it clear that all shelters were performing their function virtually equally-well.

The level of usage of the shelters could only be inferred from the detailed digitised 3D surfaces. Not only was it possible to observe traces of wear on the surface of the digital shelters, but the latter also enabled the quantification of the erosion and compaction of the soil inside every shelter due to the repeated walking on its floor.

The orientation of the entrance was the only characteristic related to the shelters’ usage. Frequently used shelters feature a southwest entrance, which provides the best protection against the north-eastern burja wind, while additionally appearing favourable in the case of the incoming sunlight.

The 3D models also proved essential to estimate each shelter’s stone mass and compute their centre of gravity. Both pieces of derived data served as the foundation for determining the shelters’ temporal and metabolic building costs. With an estimated caloric expenditure of 660 kcal per building day, the construction of most shelters was not very demanding nor did it necessarily involve a change in the dietary intake of the shepherds. The exception to this are larger shelters, for which the construction took many person-days. In these cases, one can assume a slight increase in food intake or less working hours per day. However, the construction could also be carried out over a more extended period (i.e. during many non-consecutive days) or just by multiple builders.

Finally, the analytical potential of these digital shelter models has also been exhibited by populating them with 3D models of sitting or standing adult and child shepherds. In this way, the maximum number of shepherds that fit per shelter while not positioned with their back to each other was determined, thereby also simulating possible ways of communication.

Besides the potential to extract new data and deduce original insights from archaeological 3D surface models, their analytical usage also brings a whole set of specific problems and considerations along. Some of those can be tackled if one knows how the 3D surface model was generated (which means that the photo acquisition, model generation and processing stages should be carefully documented). It is, for instance, impossible to directly compute if these dry-stone shelters could keep their inhabitants dry, simply because image-based modelling is unable to digitise all the cavities between the stones. However, simulating surface water run-off to detect concave regions that would collect water – and thus make it more likely for the structure not to be waterproof – is still possible.

Moreover, data generated by a computer does not give these data an explicitly or inherently greater importance than their analogue counterparts, nor does the (potential for) high geometrical accuracy of 3D surface models render them ‘more objective’. Creating and analysing digital 3D surface models is still subject to many technical and interpretive decisions, which influence both the end-result and the newly derived insights. For example, calculating the volume of stone material is impossible without estimating the shelter’s boundaries. However, delineating shelters from their natural environment or shared dry-stone constructions (such as a wall) is highly interpretative.

3D documentation as a data generation tool for archaeological analysis and interpretation of vernacular architecture thus proved to be challenging and promising at the same time. Only time will tell if the analytical potential of such 3D surface data will be embraced and exploited by archaeologists to yield insights that are not obtainable using other means. The primary challenge still faced by many field archaeologists that deal with digital 3D surface data lies in intensive collaboration with geomatics professionals. Such collaborations would enable a better understanding of the data recording particularities and analytical possibilities offered by the latest 3D technologies. Moreover, the geomatics industry could develop the software tools that enable the analyses envisioned by the heritage professionals. At the same time, the geomatics professionals often resort to cultural heritage examples to merely showcase their innovations in 3D surface recording. Although this yields an enormous quantity of digitised geometry, such 3D surface records do not inherently possess any added value for archaeological research, nor do they help to solve other significant issues like data accessibility, metadata standardisation and photo acquisition protocols.

The problem that arises here is thus twofold. Archaeologists and other cultural heritage specialists often use digital 3D data in unimaginative or even inappropriate ways due to lack of technical understanding and interdisciplinary separation, while pertinent archaeological questions and heritage-specific problems usually get excluded from the 3D digitisation wave preached and practised by the geomatics industry. Breaking this vicious circle will take much patience and can only become a reality upon intensified cooperation (and not just communication!) between the two professions.

In this article, some selected texts from Acts are interpreted in order to show how the Apostles adopted and put into practice the Old Testament figure of the Shepherd, offering an alternative to the hegemony and oppression of worldly powers represented in this case by the Roman Empire. The image of a shepherd of sheep wandering in the Syrian Desert as a witness of the One God proposes a model of life that will form the identity of those who believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Apostles and preachers are nomads, travelers who carry the Word from one place to another in order to feed the people, to take care of those who were taught to live detached from this world and following the steps of their Master.

The Unaware sculptor references the figure of the unaware gardener coined by Felice Floris, spokesman of the MPS, Movement of Shepherds (Movi-mento pastori, formed at the beginning of the ‘90s).
Presented religiously within his passionately direct but precise representative political sermons, this notion depicts each of Floris’ co-workers as individuals manufacturing, preserving and liberating the landscape with an approach of complete unawareness but unique, persistent skill.
Embodying the value and pride of being an essential part of the Sardinian identity, this
figure represents both the responsibility of constituting a considerable percentage of the industrial production of the region.
The unaware gardener is presented in to promote the idea of a shepherd as the conveyor of fundamental human heritage against the phenomenon of de-pastoralisation and played an essential part for Felice Floris to officialise the role of each shepherd as part of a community.

Since ecological and climatic conditions limit the possibilities for cereal production, the old-established Faroese traditional food system is principally based on the utilization of animal protein and fat. The diet of the islanders has thus been adapted to the specific environmental circumstances of the area. Historically, fat has provided a high energy and nutritious food source for the hard-working sheep farmers and fishermen. Fat procured from both land and marine animals has formed a vital part of the local food culture. Apart from the insubstantial amount of butter produced in the Faroe Islands, tallow from sheep, fish fat and liver from codfishes, and the blubber from the long-finned pilot whale, has been widely utilized within the households. During the last century, Faroese diet has changed due to external factors such as closer integration into the world economy, modernization, and improved household economy. Although butter, cheese and other dairy products as well as marg...

The  present  research  is  focused  on  mapping  short-distance  pastoralism  movements  during the summertime in the Pyrenees through the identification and dating of scars on
Pinus uncinata trees in the subalpine zone (1,700-2,350 m asl). These wounds were made by shepherds to obtain a plate of wood to fabricate cowbell collars for their own use, in order to control their livestock. The purpose of the research was to increase knowledge about high-mountain seasonal activities during recent centuries by combining ethnology, dendrochronology, and archaeology in an interdisciplinary approach. Ethnology supplied valuable details about the crafting of the wooden collars through the interviewing of old people from proximate villages and the visiting of museums and collections devoted to rural  and  pastoral  life,  including  woodcarving,  wood-extraction  forms,  and  everyday-object production, as part of the shepherds’ occupations in the highlands. Four pastoral enclaves in the National Park of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici were investigated, and a total of 20 trees with old scars were measured and sampled. Scars had routine axe marks that followed a common rectangular pattern with a mean size of 12 cm in width and 65 cm in length. A chronology from 1765 to 1970 attested that these woodcarving practices come from, at least, modern times, as confirmed by the dendrochronological analysis. The finding of some trees with successive wounds in a time lapse of 20-25 years between scars reinforces the idea that these places were visited persistently. Archaeology connected these results to pastoral settlements lasting from the 11th to 20th centuries in this natural reserve, with different enclosures and huts made of stone, as recorded by extensive archaeological projects since 2001.
Keywords: transterminance, shepherds, scars on trees, Pinus uncinata, archaeology, ethnography, Medieval Ages, Modern Period, woodwork, wooden collars.

The purpose of this article is to present the preliminary results of the research on the shepherds’ everyday life that I have been conducting since 2015 in the field of ​​history, migration, and cultural heritage of the Vlach minority inhabiting the areas from Albania to the northern Carpathians. One aspect of this entails the studies of the daily life and rituals of the Highland pastoralists on the Polish side of the Carpathians. The article describes the issues concerning the organization and the time-space symbolism of a modern pasturage, including the moments in which shepherds begin grazing and the world of shepherds' topographical imaginations. The research was conducted in the selected huts of Spiš, Orava, Podhale, Żywiec region, and Silesian Beskids in Poland in 2015-2018. In all cases, I applied qualitative research, mostly structured and unstructured interviews with senior and young shepherds working in the huts, as well as covert and overt participant observations conducted during selected pastoral holidays and meetings in various spaces—in temples, during Highlander’s and Vlach conventions, in theme meetings, and in the huts. I supplement these techniques with the analysis of the visual sources that I made during the field research, received from the enthusiasts of this topic, or found on the Internet. The research has shown that modern pastoralism oscillates between two poles: the traditional, which has made it possible to retain many elements from the past derived from the Vlach law, and the modern, thanks to which shepherds introduce global solutions to their huts.

culture heritage – Carpathians – huts - the beginning of the shepherding season - the Polish-Slovak borderland – vlachs tradition

"Assandira" di Salvatore Mereu, come il romanzo omonimo di Giulio Angioni, ha posto il tema dell'autorappresentazione dei sardi per uso turistico; casualmente, il mese che ha preceduto la proiezione del film, è stato caratterizzato da numerose polemiche sul modo in cui gli "italiani" vedono i sardi. In entrambi i casi, il pastore è al centro di questa costruzione della "identità sarda"; ma non si tratta del pastore realmente esistito bensì di una "invenzione". Né la pastorizia è considerabile come una "vocazione naturale" della Sardegna. In questo articolo per Filosofia De Logu ho cercato di spiegare quale sia stato il peso reale della pastorizia nella storia economica sarda, le ragioni della sua relativa prevalenza rispetto all'agricoltura; poi mi sono interrogato su quali siano le condizioni e i rapporti di forza che hanno permesso l'affermarsi di una visione negativa del "pastore sardo" come emblema della "sardità", sempre concepita in termini negativi. Penso che il razzismo e il colonialismo interno, insieme ai progetti di modernizzazione, abbiano giocato un ruolo importante; alla base di questi, il persistente divario di sviluppo economico e la molteplice subalternità della Sardegna nel suo rapporto con il centro politico-economico localizzato in Italia, uno Stato che ha riprodotto al suo interno la geografia immaginaria europea Nord (modernità)-Sud (arretratezza).

Since ecological and climatic conditions limit the possibilities for cereal production, the old-established Faroese traditional food system is principally based on the utilization of animal protein and fat. The diet of the islanders has thus been adapted to the specific environmental circumstances of the area. Historically, fat has provided a high energy and nutritious food source for the hard-working sheep farmers and fishermen. Fat procured from both land and marine animals has formed a vital part of the local food culture. Apart from the insubstantial amount of butter produced in the Faroe Islands, tallow from sheep, fish fat and liver from codfishes, and the blubber from the long-finned pilot whale, has been widely utilized within the households. During the last century, Faroese diet has changed due to external factors such as closer integration into the world economy, modernization, and improved household economy. Although butter, cheese and other dairy products as well as margarine and vegetable oil are nowadays readily available in the convenience shops and supermarkets, tallow, and whale blubber continue to be part and parcel of many of the islanders' cuisine. Today, however, such products are not primarily consumed for their energy content. Instead, it can be seen as a contemporary and regional expression of appraisal toward Faroese cuisine. Appreciating and consuming local food has become an important part of expressing Faroese cultural identity. The traditional diet therefore links the islanders with their history. However, the preparation of Faroese food products is highly dependent on traditional knowledge of how to extract different types of animal fat and process it into locally made dishes. Thus, the long-term survival of traditional Faroese gastronomy is contingent on the maintenance and continuation of this knowledge.

It was a tradition for the catechumens preparing for their baptism in
water and spirit, and entering into a new life in Christ to learn the psalms
by heart. The catechumens turn to the psalms as a sort of a deep, reviving breath much needed for their exodus, for crossing the tempest river of life, stirring hope and expectation. Psalm 80 (79, LXX) 1
has a deep hidden breath of life, a hidden meaning that needs to be uncovered. Its words and metaphors are about the aspired salvific event, about the “Son of Man” figure whose salvation is not limited to an exclusive group of people, but open to all humans.
This study digs under the biblical metaphors contained in the psalm,
such as the shepherd, the son of man, the vineyard, and the light. It makes use of modern biblical research, but also draws on the patristic understanding and liturgical usage of these various metaphors. Contemplating the sketch found in this psalm of an eschatological figure of “a savior,” and of the people’s plea for a new exodus, one can easily identify the sketch of the icon of Christ and His saving economy, through His Incarnation, Resurrection, and Second Coming at the end of times.

On croit connaître l'alpage et ses habitants parce qu'ils sont indissociables de l'image des Alpes.
Randonneurs et touristes aiment y venir l'été, mais s'y attardent rarement... contrairement à l'ethnologue Guillaume Lebaudy qui enquête sur les alpages et le métier de berger depuis plus de 20 ans. C'est dire que cela ne devrait plus avoir de secrets pour lui.
Mais, en bon scientifique, il aime se laisser surprendre et nous surprendre. Les alpages ont du génie !
Tirées de son Abécédaire un peu vache des alpages (Glénat), ces chroniques vous invitent à un voyage inédit en Pastoralie.

A écouter sur https://ram05.fr/podcasts/la-chronique-des-alpages

Un savant mélange d’humour et de connaissances, un style savoureux, telle est la recette de cet abécédaire fort en goût. 26 lettres pour voyager en pastoralie et découvrir la vie des alpages et le métier des bergers.
Les alpages de A à Z. Randonneurs bien chaussés et touristes au pied léger s’y promènent comme dans un jardin, contemplant fleurs et paysages. Les alpages sont indissociables de l’image... des Alpes. Mais que sait-on de ce qui s’y trame vraiment ? Qui sont les bergers et bergères d’aujourd'hui ? Comment exercent-ils leur métier ? Que signifie le jargon qu’ils utilisent pour parler entre eux, mais aussi parfois pour épater le touriste ? Si, selon les mots de l’historien Georges Duby, la transhumance est « une admirable construction humaine », sa destination, l’alpage, mérite tout autant cette distinction.
D’« abreuvoir » à « zoothérapie » en passant par « berger », « génie », « herbe », « loup », « randonneur » ou « sieste », cet abécédaire à l’amour un peu vache révèle l’alpage dans toutes ses dimensions. Surtout celles auxquelles on ne pensait pas. Un ouvrage sans révérence, qui remet l’alpage à sa place, dans nos imaginaires et parmi nos plus fiers monuments nationaux.

The site of Rekhes Nafha 396 was repeatedly reused for short-term occupations. The pottery assemblage suggests that Units 1 and 2 were reoccupied between the sixth through the eight centuries. Based on the Fine Byzantine Ware, buff pottery, and the marvered glass jar, this date can be further narrowed down to the late seventh through early eighth centuries, that is, the Umayyad period. I suggest that pastoral activities were carried out in specific geographical locations within the Har Nafha map area as represented by the re-occupation of selected Early Bronze Age and Early Bronze Age IV/Middle Bronze Age settlements. The reoccupation of Rekhes Nafha 396 coincided with the political transition from the Byzantine to the Umayyad administration in Palestine.

Introduction-Georges Dumézil's trifunctional theory and his theoretical alteration in 1950 Ⅰ．Criticisms of the trifunctional theory Ⅱ．The Setback in 1950 of Trifunctional theory Ⅲ． The three-tiered class structure in the early nomadic organization as the basis of Trifunctional ideology Conclusion-The setback of trifunctional theory in a double meaning

Artiste en transhumance, Martin Galtier habite aujourd’hui le Champsaur (Hautes-Alpes). Vivant en territoire agropastoral, tissé de fermes, de champs et de prairies pâturées par des vaches et des moutons, Martin Galtier renoue ici avec une mémoire familiale : l’histoire de son grand-père Antonin, paysan ariégeois, simple soldat de la Guerre de 14, prisonnier, militant communiste, pompier et éleveur berger à Marseille, dans la plaine de l’Huveaune. Antonin, ce grand-père tant aimé.
Ce catalogue présente une série d’œuvres sélectionnées (dessins à l’encre sur chiffons d’atelier et sur papier) pour une exposition qui a eu lieu à la Maison du berger du 12 juin 2015 au 31 mars 2016.
Cette exposition a fait suite à une résidence de Christian Martin Galtier à la Maison du berger. Lors de cette résidence, il a rencontré le grand peintre allemand Paul K. (1879-1940) en villégiature durant quelques semaines à Champoléon. Cette rencontre improbable, par delà le temps, a été racontée par Paul K. dans des courriers à son amie Polka. Ces lettres posthumes sont reproduites ici avec l’accord des épistoliers ; elles nous permettent de mieux connaître l’œuvre de Martin Galtier et sa démarche artistique.

Wahrscheinlich war die Krippe in der Jesus lag eine Mulde im Boden zwischen Wohn- und Stall-Bereich.
Dieser Hauptraum ist Teil eines Mehrraumhauses.

Futterkrippen waren oft als Mulde im erhöhten Boden zwischen Wohn- und Stall-Bereich eingeformt. Im Winter waren die Schafe im Hauptbereich des Hauses wegen der Wärme. Da Jesus in eine Krippe gelegt wurde, war der Winter vergangen und die Schafe bei den Hirten auf der Weide.

Weihnachten | © Helmut W. Diedrichs

Human-animal relationships in farming can be complex, with husbandry and sincere attachment to animals enmeshed with the economics, politics, and social and cultural conditions that shape farming. In these often competing factors, the breed of animal a farmer works with can play a significant role in the human-animal relationship, binding them with farming methods or traditions, land and the aesthetics of region and landscape, and functioning as a very specific object of pride and identity. In James Rebanks's 2015 shepherd's calendar memoir, The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District, Herdwick sheep perform such a function. For Rebanks, Herdwicks can be shepherded using ancient methods which are both sustainable and in keeping with the ecology of the English Lake District. The Shepherd's Life is his claim to the validity of Herdwick shepherding as a method of food production, land management and human spiritual satisfaction fit for a climate-changed future.

A personal narrative of my experiences with the shepherding tribe of the western-Himalayas. I try to understand their ways of life, in as much comprehend how they perceive an alternative life-style. This brief essay is an outcome of my hour of reckoning with truth...and my efforts to come to terms with it.