UNIQUE HAND CRAFTED RARE VINTAGE ETHNIC AFGHANISTAN KUCHI (KOCHI) NOMAD TRIBE JEWELRY, REAL PEARLS & OLD TRADE BEADS NECKLACE WITH PENDANT ADORNED WITH BELL FRINGES & BLUE STONE, FUSION CHEST ORNEMENT COLLECTED IN LATE 1900’S, MIDDLE EAST (NECK AFGA2)

WE ONLY HAVE 2 OF THESE UNIQUE VINTAGE NECKLACES LEFT: BOTH LISTED.

THIS IS A ONE OF A KIND RARE OLD ETHNIC AFGHANISTAN NOMAD JEWELRY NECKLACE, WITH A COIN PENDANT ADORNED WITH  A BLUE STONE AND SOME HANGING SILVER FRINGES. THE NECKLACE CONSISTS OF OLD GLASS TRADE BEADS AND REAL PEARLS, A GLASS HEART, A NICE BOHO HIPPIE  STYLE FUSION CHEST ORNEMENT,  ONCE WORN BY AN AFGHAN KUCHI WOMAN, & COLLECTED IN LATE 1900’S, MIDDLE EAST.

Kuchi means ‘nomad’ in the Dari (Persian) language. Kuchis are Pashtuns from southern and eastern Afghanistan. They are a social rather than ethnic grouping, although they also have some of the characteristics of a distinct ethnic group. Though traditionally nomadic, many have been settled in northwestern Afghanistan, in an area that was traditionally occupied by Uzbeks and Tajiks, after strong encouragement by the Taliban government. Nowadays only a few thousands still follow their traditional livelihood of nomadic herding. Others have become farmers, settled in cities or emigrated. The largest population of Kuchis is probably in Registan, the desert in southern Afghanistan.

Tribes are formed among the Kuchis along patrilineal lines. A clan is composed of a core family, their offspring and their families. The leader of the tribe, the Khan, is responsible for the general well-being of the community, for governing the group and for representing it to visitors. Tribes live communally, and on becoming too large separate in order to facilitate more efficient management. Typically, there are three types of Kuchis: pure nomads, semi-sedentary and nomadic traders. The majority are semi-sedentary, living in the same winter area year after year. The purely nomadic Kuchis have no fixed abode and are dependent on animals for their livelihood; their movements are determined by the weather and the availability of good pasturage. Traders constitute the smallest percentage of Kuchis; their main activity being the transport of goods. The semi-pastoral Kuchis are gradually tending towards a more sedentary way of life. The majority do so because they can no longer support themselves from their livestock.