Activity-how people live

‚ How people live

Use following information to create two texts, one about Bedouin, the other about Bushmen of the Kalahari. You can either use Cut and Paste or drag the text into the boxes.

Be careful: the sentences in each group are not in order!

Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, many Bedouin started to leave the traditional, nomadic life

In 2002, the Botswana government forced all the Bushmen from their lands

The government has given several different justifications for their action:

especially as grazing ranges have shrunk and population levels have grown.

Similarly, government policies in Egypt, oil production in Libya and the Gulf, and a desire for improved standards of living have had the effect that most Bedouin are now settled citizens of various nations,

that it was "to enable them to share in the wealth of the country";

which forced many of them to give up herding for standard jobs.

within the borders of that country and "resettled" them in fixed encampments.

that it was for purposes of nature conservation; that it was too expensive to continue to supply them with water (the water table had been lowered by farming and other development);

rather than nomadic herders and farmers.

In Syria, for example, their way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961,

that it was for their own good to become settled and "civilized".

Traditionally they would herd camels, sheep, and goats, while riding on highly prized horses, moving according to the seasons for grazing lands.

Nonetheless, the London Daily Telegraph of October 29, 2005 reported that the government had begun another wave of forced removals.

But a different group, (the Botswana Centre for Human Rights), dispute this, claiming that the Government's motives are simply altruistic, yet misguided.

The Bedouins were traditionally divided into related tribes, each led by a Sheikh.

For centuries and into the early 20th century they were known for their fierce resistance to outside government and influence.

The campaign group Survival International say the real reason for the re-settlement is to free up the land for diamond mining.

‚ How people live – Answer sheet

Cut and paste the following information to create two texts, one about Bedouin, the other about Bushmen of the Kalahari.

Be careful: the sentences in each group are not in order!

Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, many Bedouin started to leave the traditional, nomadic life especially as grazing ranges have shrunk and population levels have grown. The Bedouins were traditionally divided into related tribes, each led by a Sheikh. For centuries and into the early 20th century they were known for their fierce resistance to outside government and influence. Traditionally they would herd camels, sheep, and goats, while riding on highly prized horses, moving according to the seasons for grazing lands. In Syria, for example, their way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961, which forced many of them to give up herding for standard jobs. Similarly, government policies in Egypt, oil production in Libya and the Gulf, and a desire for improved standards of living have had the effect that most Bedouin are now settled citizens of various nations, rather than nomadic herders and farmers.

In 2002, the Botswana government forced all the Bushmen from their lands within the borders of that country and "resettled" them in fixed encampments. The government has given several different justifications for their action: that it was for purposes of nature conservation; that it was too expensive to continue to supply them with water (the water table had been lowered by farming and other development); that it was "to enable them to share in the wealth of the country"; that it was for their own good to become settled and "civilized". The campaign group Survival International say the real reason for the re-settlement is to free up the land for diamond mining. But a different group, (the Botswana Centre for Human Rights), dispute this, claiming that the Government's motives are simply altruistic, yet misguided. Nonetheless, the London Daily Telegraph of October 29, 2005 reported that the government had begun another wave of forced removals.