Mythologies of the Boier Ahmadi/Kohgiluyeh Tribes

The Boir Aḥmadī inhabit the mountainous territory stretching from east of Behbahān and north of Dogonbadān to the Kūh-e Denā range in the northeast, an area of some 2,500 sq miles and nearly half of the present province Kūhgīlūya wa Boir Aḥmad. Their population appears to have increased more than tenfold over the past century. In the 1890s, the number of their households was estimated at nearly 2,000 (Fasāʾī, II, p. 271), in 1910 at 4,750 (Ranking, pp. 3, 32), and in 1944 at about 10,000 (Garrod, p. 38); for 1966, computation of the Boir Aḥmadī component in probably deficient provincial census figures indicates 14,551 households (Iranian Statistical Center), and for 1980, 23,503 households, comprising 127,097 individuals. The natural increase over these fourteen years was at an average annual rate of 3.85 percent. The sex ratio in 1980 was 100 females to 106 males. Tribal and political divisions. The Boir Aḥmadī constitute a tribal confederation (usually referred to as īl) composed of some seventy different tribes (usually referred to as ṭāyefa). These occupy, in partially overlapping manner, three political entities: Boir-Aḥmad-e Garmsīr, Boir Aḥmad-e Sardsīr-e ʿOlyā, and Boir Aḥmad-e Sardsīr-e Soflā, each of which constituted the domain of a paramount chief (khan) derived from the dynastic Boir Aḥmadī lineage. The most important of the tribes in terms of size and past political roles are: the Tām(o)rādī, the Qāyed Gīvī; the Āqāʾī tribes, including the Narmābī, Zengevāʾī, and Bābāḵānī; the tribes called Daštemawrī, including the Awlād-e Mīrzā ʿAlī, Šayḵ, and Ṭās-Aḥmadī; and about fifteen different tribes of sayyed descent, including the Sādāt-e Emāmzāda ʿAlī, Sādāt-e Maḥmūdī, and Sādāt-e Reżā Tawfīq. Also important are the Jalīlī, Negīntājī, and Sīsaḵtī. In addition, there are about forty smaller tribes, two thirds of which are named after the locality of their residence, like Čītābī, the tribe living in the village of Čītāb. Structurally, these tribes, especially the larger ones among them, are divided into a varying number of sections (tīra, taš) which commonly take the form of lineages, but are not considered of uniform origin. Typically, certain sections in each tribe are identified as its original stock, while the others are seen as later accretions of different origins. Thus, the tribes represent integrated composites of lineages around a lineage or clan core, but they do not form common descent groups in spite of the fact that the eponymous designations of most large tribes suggest such a claim.

Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmadi have located southwest of Persia. It is a mountainous region where the Zagros Mountains range covers most northern and eastern parts. The highest point is Dena Mountain, with 4409 meters above sea level. Considering the geographical features of this area, the more you move from the north-eastern mountains to the south-western regions, the height of the mountains and the humidity of the weather significantly decrease, which causes this area to have two distinct cold Boyer-Ahmad and hot Kohgiluyeh regions. Therefore, Persian nomads have found it an ideal home from the earliest times of civilization. One of the most important protected territories of the wildlife in this province is Dena, which is rich in species of plants and animals. There are different kinds of trees, forest plants, lawns, herbs, and edible plants crucial economic resources for local people. This area is also the home of many animals such as large brown bears, leopards, wolves, wild cats, and birds like eagles, hawks, partridges, skylarks, and other local birds like Kamarkoli and Sangcheshm. Music among Boyer-Ahmadi nomads - like other tribes of nomads - enjoys high respect. These tribes of Boyer-Ahmadi nomads play and sing special folk songs called "Ghass". The musical instruments used to compose such songs are kettledrum, Persian oboe, and a kind of reed flute called Pīsheh. Common folk dances include the Dopā, Sarpā, Chūb, Sad Dastmālī, Yālābeh, Bakhtīārī, Narmeh-Narmeh and Torkī Shah Farangī. Making handicrafts is a common art and a source of income among the nomad tribes. They have been involved in rug weaving, coarse blanket weaving, and Gachmeh weaving. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad have Lor ancestors, and they also speak in the Lori dialect.

Boyer Ahmadi is one of the old Iranian tribes and the greatest tribe of Lor who live from Behbahan to the foothills of Dena mountain. In Qajar era a lot of events had happened in their socio-political life of this tribe that only a few of them were recorded in local songs. Since the late of Zandieh until the end of the reign of Naser-o-Dinshah several famous people of Boyer Ahmad such as Hadi Khan, Shaheen Khan, were the local authority of the region and that part of their political events are reflected in the Requiem, which was written in their grief and was carved on gravestones. Khoda Karam Khan Boyer Ahmadi had a close friendship with famous governors of Fars province such as Farhad Mirza Moetamed-o-Dowla and his son Sultan Owais Mirza Ehtesham-o-Dowla, was a local famous poet and some parts of the events of Boyer Ahmad are reflected in his poetry. Other unknown poets describe the events of the day - especially wars KhodaKaram Khan and his descendants – have written a lot of poems and a few have been recorded and transmitted orally, chest by chest. What remains to this day in local and traditional literature, suggests that important events and influential personalities are reserved and reflected in the mind and language of the public and poets of this tribe. Poems and songs are available both in Persian and in the local dialect (= Lory of Boyer Ahmad). This article is based on research of historical and descriptive - analytical, to reflect historical events of Boyer Ahmad at the desired interval. Some parts of the poems that were studied in this article were earlier in some local resources and other parts were the result of the author's field research, developed. The supposition of the article is that Boyer Ahmadians about important political, social, and military events and big and famous personalities wrote poems and epic poems. As a result, it must be known that Boyer Ahmadians have had a special folk literature about important historical events and influential people, that is a small part of the culture and customs of the public.

Kohgiluyeh and Boier-Ahmadi province is located in the southwest of Iran. It is a mountainous region where Zagros Mountains range cover most of the northern and eastern parts of its area. The highest point is Dena Mountain with a height of 4409 meters above the sea level. Considering the geographical features of this province, the more you move from the north-eastern mountains to the south-western areas, the height of the mountains and the humidity of the weather significantly decreases which causes this province to have two distinct cold Boyer-Ahmad and hot Kohgīlūye regions. Therefore, from the earliest times of civilization, Iranian nomads have found it an ideal home.One of the most important protected territories of the wild life in this province is called Dena which is rich in terms of species of plants and animals. There are different kinds of trees, forest plants, lawns, herbs, and edible plants-- crucial economical resources for local people. This area is also the home of many species of animals such as large brown bears, leopards, wolves and wild cats as well as birds like eagles, hawks, partridges, skylarks and some other local birds like Kamarkoli and Sangcheshm.Music among Boyer Ahmadi nomads—like other tribes of nomads --- enjoys a high respect. These tribes of Boyer-Ahmadi nomads play and sing special folk songs called "Ghass". The musical instruments used to compose such songs are kettledrum, Iranian oboe and a kind of reed flute called Pīsheh. Common folk dances include the Dopā, Sarpā, Chūb, Sad Dastmālī, Yālābeh, Bakhtīārī, Narmeh-Narmeh and Torkī Shah Farangī.