[How About This Book] A Wanderer Who Roamed Nature... An Interrupter Who Defied Nature

Reexamining the History of Nomads in Harmony with Nature
The Present Prosperity May Be Their Legacy
The Paradox of Humanity's Life Trying to Escape Reality

The story begins in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. It is the home of the Bakhtiari tribe, who periodically move in search of pastures to feed their flocks. The author, Anthony Sattin, has been staying in the same tent with the tribe for several days, thanks to their hospitality. The Bakhtiari people take only what nature offers and live in harmony with it. As Sattin talks about life with them, his soul soars to the heights, and he feels a wellspring of joy deep within his heart. For Sattin, this place is nothing short of paradise.

After sharing his experiences in the Zagros Mountains in the preface, Sattin begins the main text with a story about paradise. He refers to the Garden of Eden, the first paradise of humanity mentioned in Genesis. Like Adam and Eve, who were expelled from paradise, Sattin sees modern humans as beings who have lost the garden. By trying to conquer nature, they have endangered the plants and animals they should live with and have put themselves at risk of survival. Sattin calls for efforts to reclaim the garden and reexamines the history of nomads who lived in harmony with nature. The history of nomads dates back nearly 12,000 years.

‘G?bekli Tepe’ is an archaeological site located in southern T?rkiye, near the border with Syria. Its name means “Potbelly Hill” in Korean, and it was discovered by chance in 1963. The true archaeological value of this site was confirmed thanks to a German archaeologist named Klaus Schmidt. Dr. Schmidt became interested in G?bekli Tepe in 1994, about 30 years after its initial discovery, after hearing from an elderly villager that flint stones had been found there. Flint was a tool used by ancient people to smoothly carve bedrock. Finding clues to craftsmanship, Dr. Schmidt began full-scale excavations. Megaliths up to 5.5 meters tall and weighing as much as 16 tons were uncovered. Most astonishingly, the formation of G?bekli Tepe was dated to around 9500 BCE, about 7,000 years earlier than the Egyptian pyramids or England’s Stonehenge. Dr. Schmidt noted that those who built G?bekli Tepe brewed something similar to beer but found no evidence that they lived there. In short, G?bekli Tepe is a trace of a highly advanced civilization created by nomads about 12,000 years ago.

Genetic research also suggests that the nomadic lifestyle can enrich human life. DRD4-7R is a variant gene known as the ‘nomad gene.’ Among the Ariaal tribe living in northern Kenya, about one-fifth carry the DRD4-7R gene. Northwestern University analyzed their genes and discovered something interesting. The Ariaal people live a mixed lifestyle of settlers and nomads. Some groups herd camels, goats, and sheep in lowlands, while others cultivate crops and live settled lives in highlands. The study found that the health status of gene carriers differed depending on their lifestyle. Those with the nomad gene living a settled life had poor nutrition and weak physical strength, but those living nomadically had good nutrition and strong physical strength. In other words, a nomadic lifestyle leads to a healthier life. This gene regulates the secretion of dopamine, a hormone that induces pleasure and happiness. Dopamine can positively influence the nomadic way of life.

Osiris

Sattin reexamines the value of nomads from various perspectives based on extensive knowledge. The sections dealing with myths of ancient civilizations are as fascinating as listening to old stories. In Egyptian mythology, the god Osiris teaches the people of the Nile how to farm and live settled lives. Osiris’s brother Set is the king of nomads who rule the desert. As more people worship Osiris, Set becomes jealous of his brother. Eventually, Set hosts a banquet and kills Osiris. Osiris married his sister Isis, who gathered his body parts. Set cut Osiris’s body into 14 pieces and scattered them in the Nile, but Isis collected 13 pieces and made Osiris’s missing phallus from Nile mud. Isis wrapped Osiris’s body tightly in linen, creating the first mummy.

Sattin does not advocate following the nomadic lifestyle through his book. Rather, he aims to show how nomads achieved highly advanced civilizations from ancient times and that it is possible to develop sufficiently while living in harmony with nature.

According to Sattin, ancient hunter-gatherers who lived nomadically rarely formed groups larger than 10 people per 2.5 square kilometers because food was insufficient to support more. Today, nearly 200,000 people live in the same area in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This is because they have the technology to produce surplus food and store it until needed. Despite such abundance, it is paradoxical that many people seek to escape reality.

Sattin says that in the last century, most of humanity settled in large and small cities, dramatically changing human life to living inside walls, away from the natural world. He points out that this change has turned some of us into evil humans, untrustworthy companions, drug addicts, thrill seekers, gamblers, and risk-takers.

Nomad | Written by Anthony Sattin | Translated by Lee Sunho | Kkachi | 464 pages | 22,000 KRW