Life in the open, in nature, and fighting with it. In constant motion. This is the life of nomads from Vlasic, one of the most beautiful mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The taste of Vlasic cheese is very well known, but the way to get there is less well known. It means living outdoors, in the sun, rain, snow, frost. The Tahirovic brothers, who are hundreds of kilometers away from their homes, are one of the last Bosnian nomads and are with their herd in the Semberija-Majevica district these days.
With a flock of about 400 sheep, the Tahirovic brothers left Vlasic almost two months ago. A tent-winged load on the back of a donkey, with some food, water, and clothes is all that, together with two faithful dogs, they take on a journey of about 300 kilometers towards grazing in the Semberija plain.
“We leave at the beginning of October and will be here all winter, we will stay in this area until the beginning of April. And then we slowly retreat, as the vegetation grows, so do we leave, “ Mujo Tahirovic emphasized.
“We are here until April, after April we go to the hills, mountains, Vlasic. It’s snowing up now, it doesn’t suit us. We went down to the lower parts, ” added his brother Sabahet Tahirovic.
On a long journey of survival, six months of living in the open air, they are in constant search of a place suitable for grazing.
“We face a lot of things, we see good people, as well as those who are not that nice. It all depends on where you come across. We get to see various animals. We have no problem here with anything, not even when it comes to animals. And when we goup, to Ozren, there’s a wolf up there, a bear. You have to be active, defend yourself, “ Mujo noted.
“People are good to us. We have a lot of friends here, they don’t touch us. We are alone here, we have no one. We are not located anywhere yet. When they start lambing, then we settle down somewhere, and it lasts for a month and then we move again, ” explained Sabahet.
Then the flock is doubled, and in the spring, while following the vegetation and going home, they return with a flock of about 800 sheep.
“This sheep is called Vlasic pramenka. We are very happy with it. In the winter, we move like this, in the summer we milk, make cheese, we do everything to make sure we stay alive, ” Sabahet told.
The nomadic life in nature which is more than difficult seems almost unreal today in the age of modern technology. The centuries-old tradition of nomadism in BiH lasts for more than 2.000 years, and today it is still maintained by some cattle breeders from central Bosnia.
E.Dz.
Source: Federalna
