Q.

The story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’ revolves around characters that belong to a
tribe in Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now prepare a write-
up on the Garoghlanian tribes. Write about people, their names and traits, geographical and
economic features.

ANS:

Introduction
A tribe is a group of people who live and work together in a shared geographical area. A tribe has a
common culture, dialect and religion. They also have a strong sense of unity. The story ‘The Summer
of the Beautiful White Horse’ revolves around characters that belong to the Garoghlanian tribe in
Armenia. Mourad and Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Both of them showed the
characteristics of the tribe, through the story.

General Information about the People of the Tribe

The Garoghlanian tribe was actually an Armenian tribe. The members of this tribe were mainly
famous for their honesty. It had been the hallmark of the tribe for many centuries. They were very
proud of their honesty. Even during their prosperous times, the tribe took pride in their honesty.
This trait was there among the members during their good days and they did not lose this even after
losing all their wealth also. For them, their honesty was first, then pride and then came the idea of
right and wrong. No member of their tribe could think of taking undue advantage of anyone. No
member of the Garoghlanian family could be a thief because stealing was considered despicable
among them. The elders in the tribe felt pained to remember that they had lost their homeland.
These people shifted their residence from one place to the other. In the particular year they were
staying at Walnut Avenue. They loved countryside having vineyards, orchards, olives and walnuts.
They ended up settling in areas such as Fresno and California. Part of the tribe's culture is trying to
find a sense of placement and self in a new and modern setting. The Garoghlanian tribe is a group
that operates in this modern predicament while clinging to values of the past, of their native
Armenia.

Names of the People of the Tribe

The names of the people of the tribe suggest the coexistence of many ethnicities such as Armenian,
Russian, Kurdish, Assyrian, Greek, Christian, etc., and the blending of their culture values. The names
of the people are semi-Arabic: Mourad, Aram, Khosrove etc.

Geographical Features of Armenia

Armenia has been identified with the mountainous Armenian plateau since pre-Roman times. The
plateau is bordered on the east by Iran, on the west by Asia Minor, on the north by the
Transcaucasian plains, and on the south by the Mesopotamian plains. The plateau consists of a
complex set of mountain ranges, volcanic peaks, valleys, lakes, and rivers. It is also the main water
reservoir of the Middle East, as two great rivers—the Euphrates and the Tigris— originate in its high
mountains. The mean altitude of the Armenian plateau is 5,600 feet (1,700 meter) above sea level.
Economic Features of the Tribe
Once upon a time, precisely eleven centuries ago, Garoghlanian tribe was one of the wealthiest tribe
in the world. However, with the passage of time, they became poor and at present, every branch of
the Garoghlanian tribe was living in the most amazing and comical poverty in the world. These poor
people had no money. Their whole tribe was poverty-stricken. They were so poor that it was difficult
for them to arrange for two square meals a day also. Nobody could understand where they ever got
money enough to keep them with food in their bellies, not even the old men of the family i.e., the
elders in their tribe also had no idea how to earn money to manage the basic necessities of life.

Conclusion
The entire concept of the existence of Garoghlanian tribe is said to be fictitious. It's said to be
formed by William Saroyan in his book “My name is Aram” (1940). The culture of these people,
known for their honesty, is at the heart of the story ‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse’.
Hospitality is also an important function in the Armenian culture. Social gatherings revolve around
large amount of food. The religion of most Armenian people is Christianity, which is structured
around forgiveness of sins and focuses on the spirit of Tolerance.