Nomadic Communities of Central Eurasia, 18th – Early 20th Centuries CE: Household and Economic Responsibilities of Men and Women Revisited

Abstract

Introduction. In early nomadic societies of Central Asia, gender was the major factor in the division of labor. However, the written sources and archaeological evidence in the field do not provide enough detail to describe this division, hence the solution to the problem may be sought in the ethnographical data of the peoples, nomadic in their recent past. The article aims to analyze the household responsibilities of men and women in the nomadic societies in Central Eurasia in the 18th – early 20th centuries to use this data for a reconstruction of the gender labor division of the early nomadic societies in the region. Materials and methods. The study makes use of published sources on the recent nomads. Notably, the present authors proceed from the fact that, granted the largely conservative character of nomadic economy and the regional environment that remained unchanged in the period in question, the forms of regional nomadic economies were largely of a similar type. Hence, it may be possible to use the data on recently nomadic peoples for the reconstruction of the economy, culture, and socio-economic structures of the ancient nomads of the Eurasian steppes. Results. The undertaken analysis of the sources indicates a clear gender division of economic activities in the Eurasian nomadic societies in the 18th – early 20th cc. Tradition prescribed the division of household duties into strictly male and female, and any violation of the gender roles was discouraged. Conclusions. The range of economic responsibilities of men and women was clearly circumscribed in the nomadic societies of Central Eurasia, their ethnic affiliation and religion playing no part in the existent labor division structures. Men took care of the herds, keeping them safe and enlarging their number; crafts were also largely men’s field; men’s duties included maintenance and protection of caravans, as well as protection of the family and aul, property and livestock from enemy raids and baranta. Women were involved in childcare and domestic chores, including processing of animal raw materials, looking after livestock in the aul, cooking food, and collecting fuel for winter seasons. Thus, the data on labor division between men and women characteristic of the recent nomads makes it possible to reconstruct the gender labor division in the societies of the early nomads in the Eurasian steppe.