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STATELESS differing criteria of ethnicity, religion, and language; statistics may also be manipulated for political purposes. The traditional Kurdish way of life was nomadic, revolving around sheep and goat herding throughout the Mesopotamian plains and the highlands of Turkey and Iran. Most Kurds practiced only marginal agriculture. The enforcement of national boundaries beginning after World War I (1914–18) impeded the seasonal migrations of the flocks, forcing most of the Kurds to abandon their traditional ways for village life and settled farming; others entered nontraditional employment. Initially, the Kurdish Ottoman diplomat Mohammed Serif Pasha managed to insert language into the Treaty of Sèvres—the negotiated surrender of the Ottomans to the allied powers—that would allow for an autonomous Kurdistan in the new regional order. But the envisioned state never materialized. Kemal Atatürk’s Turkish nationalist movement rejected the treaty, which would have conceded chunks of eastern Turkey to the Kurdish state. Atatürk renegotiated with the Allies, and the new peace—known as the Treaty of Lausanne—divided the Kurds between Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Armenia. “The reputation for military prowess has made them much in demand as mercenaries in many armies.” SCATTERED BETWEEN NATIONS The prehistory of the Kurds is poorly known, but their ancestors seem to have inhabited the same upland region for millennia. The records of the early empires of Mesopotamia contain frequent references to mountain tribes with names resembling “Kurd.” The Kardouchoi whom the Greek historian Xenophon speaks of in Anabasis (they attacked the “Ten Thousand” near modern Zākhū, Iraq, in 401 bce) may have been Kurds, but some scholars dispute this claim. The name Kurd can be dated with certainty to the time of the tribes’ conversion tto Islam in the 7th century ce. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, and among them are many who practice Sufism and other mystical sects. Despite their long-standing occupation of a particular region of the world, the Kurds never achieved nation-state status. Their reputation for military prowess has made them much in demand as mercenaries in many armies. The sultan Saladin, best known to the Western world for exploits in the Crusades, epitomizes the Kurdish military reputation. Scattered throughout five newly birthed nations, the Kurds still shared a cultural affinity, says Djene Bajalan, an expert on Kurdish history who lectures at the American University of Iraq. “But as the region got divided into ethnic nation-states, the Kurdish community was excluded,” he adds. For the next 90 years, Kurdish minorities largely retained a connection to their unique language and culture, yet they remained strapped to the political fate of their host nations, in limbo between autonomy and dependence. Consequently, the nearly four million Kurds of northern Iraq never truly became Iraqis, and their political leaders did not accept the authority of Baghdad. Unlike Kurds in Syria and Iran, who live dispersed throughout their respective countries, Iraqi Kurds (like Turkish Kurds) are heavily concentrated in the north, where they enjoy demographic majorities in three provinces: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dahuk. There are only a few Kurdish towns: Diyarbakir and Van in Turkey; Erbil and Kirkuk in Iraq; and Mahabad in Iran. 22 <strong>TRAVERSE</strong>
STATELESS Top: Female Kurdish fighters prep their ammuniation Bottom: A female Kurdish fighter sleeps, but ready for ny instances of ISIS coming <strong>TRAVERSE</strong> 23
Page 1: TRAVERSE REVEALING THE CULTURE BEHI
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Page 14 and 15: THE CORRESPONDANT UKRAINIAN ACTIVIS
Page 16 and 17: THE CORRESPONDANT QUIET MOMENTS AMI
Page 18 and 19: THE CORRESPONDANT A DAY IN THE LIFE
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Page 22 and 23: STATELESS THE KURDS No Friends but
Page 26 and 27: STATELESS Left: A family in their h
Page 28 and 29: STATELESS “The idea of a Kurdish
Page 30 and 31: STATELESS Left: Two young Kurds see
Page 32 and 33: THE KURDS INSIDER NEW YEARS IN AKRE
Page 34 and 35: THE INSIDER I n Kurdish, New Year
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Page 38 and 39: THE INSIDER “It is not just a dre
Page 40 and 41: STATELESS THE HMONG Our Forgotten A
Page 42 and 43: STATELESS Left: A Hmong woman falls
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Page 52 and 53: STATELESS in Romania to around 60 p
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Page 60 and 61: STATELESS In this community where R
Page 62 and 63: STATELESS Between the sitting Roma
Page 64 and 65: THE HMONG A PEOPLE UNCOUNTED: DOCUM
Page 67 and 68: THE WRITER STORIES TOLD FROM THE EY
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THE WRITER Both are extremely intel
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THE WRITER But it has made very lit
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THE WRITER “nonpersons”, and so
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THE WRITER THE FOUNTAIN Anis leaned
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THE WRITER Anis had untied the scar
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THE WRITER “How many times do you
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THE WRITER “How old can that tree
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THE WRITER “Canonically, commonly
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THE WRITER new bottle FROM THE FREN
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THE ANALYST single foreign term thr
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THE ANALYST it has been responsible
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THE ANALYST Tristan, 7, New York, U
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THE ANALYST Douha, 10, Hebron, West
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THE ANALYST Jaime, 9, New York, USA
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THE ANALYST Where Children Sleep ja
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