Nomadic Cultures

Imagine that you are now leaving the parking lot of your local Wal-Mart. Just before you pull out onto the busy highway you notice a single man walking along the highway with a bed role, back pack, and looks as though he has been walking for days. Now imagine that one person and add to it a thousand others. This is most likely the closet imagination we have to what a nomadic people would look like. Unlike the single man you might have imagined, nomadic cultures have plans, they have purpose in their actions, and they have lived this way for thousands of years spanning multiple generations. The man that you imagined may not have been an imagination. We have all been introduced to these various demographics rather or not we live in big cities. However, imagination or not, both have the commonality of stereotyping. Based on our own culture and beliefs we have certain presuppositions about the two groups of people mentioned above. One of the best ways of dispelling the issue of stereotypes is true understanding based on knowledge and truth. Like most of the western culture our first reaction to the individual at Wal-Mart is to ignore it or at the very most, do the minimum that is expected. The nomad has a rich history and even personal story. The people and their culture of Turkmenistan deserve a closer look and are is desperate need of missionary efforts from the Christian church.

History and Language

How far back in history can you trace your family history? Most people can only go about four generations if they are really giving some effort. Most likely in today’s culture young people haven’t a clue to what their ethnic background is. However, in the scriptures we find that it was a very important ideal. The first chapter ...

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