o - Aceh Books website

TURKMEN 807
lived only in tents and made short migrations. Since their loss of political independence,
however, most chomur have become sedentary and have taken up
mechanized, commercial cotton production.
The charwa live in more arid regions and gain their livelihood primarily by
raising sheep, goats, donkeys, camels and horses. High-risk cultivation of wheat
and barley is secondary. Both pastoral and agricultural products are traded in
urban markets for things the Turkmen cannot produce themselves, or at least
cannot produce as well as others.
The Turkmen also derive a part of their income from the production of carpets.
These are woven from the wool of local sheep by the women of most Turkmen
households. Rug dealers sometimes refer to these carpets as Bukharan carpets,
probably because those first brought to Europe were acquired in the markets of
Bukhara. Turkmen rugs coming from Afghanistan are sometimes placed under
the generic label of Afghan carpets. Most carpet dealers and collectors, however,
label such carpets correctly as Turkmen carpets. The large number of fine carpets
woven by the Turkmen and the intricate and beautiful designs they have perfected
in the process constitute an artistic achievement of the highest caliber.
Though political, and in some areas economic, changes have been extensive,
less change has occurred in Turkmen family life. This is well documented for
the Turkmen of Iran and Afghanistan, who were accessible until recently to
Western observers. The situation is less clear in the Soviet Union, although the
available information suggests that the Turkmen there are more conservative in
family life and religion than Soviet political leaders would like.
The Turkmen, like many warlike, or formerly warlike, peoples, accord formal
authority within the family to men. This, however, does not exclude women
from informal influence over family affairs. Turkmen families ordinarily go
through a cycle of development which begins when a man separates from his
father's household between the ages of 30 and 40. By this time, he usually has
been married 10 or 20 years and often has children who are old enough to be
economically productive. Once a man has established a household of his own,
he marries off his daughters according to the order of their birth. For each one
he collects bridewealth of 10 camels, or 100 sheep or the equivalent in cash. In
recent years, bridal payments in cash have become more common. Each daughter
then leaves his household to become part of her husband's household. Through
this process, a man's household eventually becomes an extended family, including
his wife, his married sons and their wives and children. Then, again
following birth order, the sons separate off, forming independent households of
their own. As each son separates, he is given part of his father's capital in land
and livestock to form the basis for the livelihood of the new household. Prosperous
men sometimes become polygynous in their later years, usually taking a
wife about the time their first wife approaches the end of her reproductive years.
Roughly 10 percent of men who live past 40 eventually marry polygynously.
Within each family, sons must be obedient and respectful to their fathers.
Their subordinate status is symbolized by many rules. They sit in less prestigious