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Nomadic Frontiers is the outgrowth of the vision of Scott and Dana Clement,
expatriate residents of Mongolia who over the course of the last few
years have come to deeply appreciate the lives and plight of Mongolia's
nomadic families.
Pastoral nomadism has a long history in Central Asia. It developed as a lifestyle due to environmental necessity. Most of Mongolia and its neighbouring contries are composed of vast grass steppes, rugged mountains, or desert. This land is largely non-arable, ruling out for the most part the possibility of crop production. Due to the harsh, extreme climate, the land is also unable to sustain grazing year round.
Centuries ago, Central Asian people learned that in order to maintain both their flocks and herds and the land itself, they had to make optimum use of the land on which they lived. To allow the land needed seasonal rest, they developed the practice of moving seasonally, shifting their homes, families and animals between winter, summer, and often spring and autumn grazing grounds.
Around this lifestyle evolved a community and culture that are unique in the world, a community and culture that today are threatened by what most of us call "progress" and economic development.
Central Asia's nomadic people are not "museum pieces" to be shielded from the outside world, put on display and forced to live in an antiquated, primative way. They are people who long to be a part of the modern world, to share in the technological advances and benefits of life in the third millenium that we all enjoy. But they are also a people steeped in history, a strong work ethic and a rich culture and tradition; a people who have much to offer to those of us who would leave behind our fast paced lives for a moment and learn from these wonderful neighbors.
Nomadic Frontiers works to join hand-in-hand with these people to help them be better equipped to face the challenges of life in the third millenium for people whose lifestyle has changed little over several millenia. They don't want a hand out, and we don't want to give them one. What they do want, and what we strive to provide, is help in learning to meet these challenges in a self-sufficient, productive way that will make the nomadic tradition a viable alternative throughout the twenty-first century.
