Iraqi shepherds view Diné methods
(Times photo - Shondiin Silversmith)
Iraqi sheep herders and their translator and host, left to right, Hafed M. Elgandoz, L. Hameed Al-Graa, Hussein Huidi Jassim, Lyle McNeal and Hayder Hussein Mohammed attended the Sheep is Life Celebration held at Diné College on June 24 and 25.
By Shondiin Silversmith
Navajo Times
TSAILE, Ariz., July 14, 2011
Dr. Lyle McNeal of the Animal and Veterinary Science Department at Utah State University believes the skills of the sheepherder are the same regardless of locations and race.
McNeal has worked with sheep and wool growers on the Navajo Nation and throughout the U.S. for over 40 years, and on June 24 and 25 he brought three sheepherders from Iraq to the annual Sheep Is Life Celebration so they could compare notes with their Diné counterparts.
"They're victims like the Diné were," McNeal said, referring to war-torn Iraq. "Whether it was Kit Carson or the livestock reduction, they've had similar experiences losing their animals."
L. Hameed Al-Agraa, Hussein Huidi Jassim and Hayder Hussein Mohammed are from southern Iraq. They were accompanied by a translator, Hafed M. Elgandoz, from Libya.
The four men are spending three months exploring different parts of the United States, visiting sheep camps and learning more about the surrounding cultures.
Back home they all manage large herds of Awassi sheep, the dominant breed in Arabic countries and one with many characteristics in common with the Navajo Churro.
Mohammed said he has at least 400 head. Jassim said his flock is over 250 head. Al-Agraa said his flock is at least 200.