I really wish people would understand that there is a vast gulf of cultural difference between “nomadic ethnic groups” and “ethnic groups which are not and have never been nomadic, but which were repeatedly violently expelled”
The Saami people are nomadic. The Buryats are nomadic. Uyghurs are not. Jews are not. Many Native American groups, including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek are not. This distinction may seem small and academic but it is absolutely vital to understanding modern day conflicts involving these groups.
Some cultures are itinerant, with physical movement from place to place as an inherent part of their identity. Some cultures were violently displaced, with a cultural identity that carries the scars of being forced to relocate, against their will. It is victim blaming of the highest order to treat the second type as though it is the first.
(via seananmcguire)
