One of the loveliest things about autumn is the transformation of leaves from green to beautiful yellows, oranges and reds, eventually falling to the each dried and crunchy. Although the colder and shorter days may be less pleasant than the warm and sunny spring and summer, find some joy in the last moments before winter and have a go at crunching on some leaves. Trust me, it’s quite fun.
No kidding, crunching on some fall leaves can be satisfying and fun.
Today’s goat of the day comes from the film Ski-baz, or The Skier. The Skier was directed and written by Fereidoun Najafi. The film follows the day in the life of Jolie, a small boy in red wellies who lives in rural, southwest Iran amongst the Bakhtiari tribes. Jolie has cared for a mountain goat that wandered into his village to escape wolves; however, a death in his family network has made his parents wish for it to be sacrificed in a traditional funerary ceremony. To not sacrifice the goat would be to dishonour his family and imbalance important economic distinctions between groups. Jolie is also on a quest to get enough money to buy some new skis so he can compete in a skiing competition, which will give him enough money to potentially keep the goat.
The main theme was not animal rights or coming of age; rather, the steady creep of globalization and change against traditional, tribal values. The Bakhtiari people have long inhabited the southwest corner of Iran as pastoralists, although the number of nomadic pastoralists has significantly dwindled. According to legend, some believe they were descended from Cyrus the Great of Persia. Sheep, goats and their associated by-products are a large part of the traditional economy of the Bakhtiari, but in a world increasingly connected by technology many values fade along with the nomadism. In some ways this is good, for example women can move more freely throughout society. In other ways, letting go of old traditions is sad. By the end of the film, Jolie had seemed to have moved on from his pet goat onto his next quest across the snowy hills. The Skier was nominated for a Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Youth Feature Film in 2017.
The balance between the old while welcoming the new can be difficult. As an anthropologist, I really enjoyed this film and learning about this part of the world. As a goat enthusiast, I wish that there had been more goats.
Note: Until today, all of the goats have been from my own personal photos. Today’s goat of the day comes from a picture from the film.
Jolie and his pet goat, named simply Mountain Goat.
In a previous post, goat’s dietary preferences were discussed and some mythology about what goats actually eat were dispelled. However, goats do enjoy eating some unusual things. For example, goats can eat and digest poison ivy leaves without issue. The urushiol compound that causes the nasty, blistering rash in humans does not effect them at all, leading some people to use them as a means to mitigate and destroy poison ivy. You can even hire a herd of goats in some areas to take care of excess brush and such plants! In the UK, poison ivy is rare, but there are still unpleasant, rash-inducing plants about, such as stinging nettle. Unsurprisingly, goats do not experience similar negative reactions to stinging nettle, and are known to enjoy the leaves as a snack. Perhaps goat browsing is an effective and fun solution to problematic plants.
Snacking on stinging nettles in Kent. Yum?
Just as humans have populated the earth, so have goats. Just as humans should be free to go where they like, perhaps so should goats. Challenge your boundaries, embark on a new adventure, visit a new place, change your perspective. Don’t let arbitrary borders limit your experience or define who you are as a person. The more you travel, the more you realise that there is more that brings us together than sets us apart.
A caprine friend looking for adventure.
Goat of the Day 