Saharan migrant camel herders : Znaga social status and the global age / Francisco Freire

Bibliogr. p. 442-446

In the late  th century,  Mauritanian shepherds travelled to the United Arab Emirates in order to tend the herds of some of that country ' s most prominent leaders. These low-tech subjects of global migration fl ows were particularly valued and sought after by their Emirati employers for their expertise in raising camels. I analyse the forms and consequences of this migration, focusing on the reintegration of these shepherds into Mauritanian strati fi ed tribal spheres following their return to the Sahara. The possibility of a change in their social status (after a fi nancially rewarding experience in the Gulf) will be a central theme of this article. This issue arises from the pervasive designation of these shepherds as a ' tributary ' ( zna ̄ ga ) group, through the application of the tripartite social model that, to a large extent, still de fi nes Mauritania ' s arabophone population