>In fact, the Grazers do become rich and sedentary (thanks to their wealth
>in slaves), but this is a slow, careful process in which they keep as much
>of their lifestyle as possible. I for one believe they still live in tents
>which they occasionally move to keep up the pretense of being nomads. The
>Hyalorings, on the other hand, live in an immobile fort.
And I believe that I have stated that the Grazers who became part of the Hyalorings were discontent with their old rigid lifestyle. Thus they have no need to keep up the pretense of being nomads or adhering to ancient traditions.
>The Grazers didn't survive as long as they did by changing lifestyle
>whenever it was convenient.
So why did some defect to the Pol Joni then?
>It might be useful to think of them like Hebrews, refusing any sort
>of flexibility.
Pshah. There were plenty of Hebrews who adopted foreign traditions. King Solomon packed his Temple with foreign gods, King Jehu had a sideline in Assyrian boot-licking and so forth. When Alex conquered the area, Hellenisim was a great influence even into Roman Times, there was a High Priest called Jason who had a statue of Zeus in the Temple.
The rigidity of a lifestyle may help a minoritiy preserve its identity over time _but_ it also ensures that a sizable fraction of that minority every year is going to defect to the mainstream.
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