Herki is the second largest tribe in Kurdistan after Jaff

Jaff (people)

The Jaff people . are one of the biggest Kurdish tribes, if not the biggest, native to the Zagros area, which is presently divided between Iran and Iraq. The Jaff dialect is part of Sorani, a south-southeastern branch of Kurdish language family...

. The largest part of this tribe live in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...

, and a significant number live in Iranian Kurdistan

Iranian Kurdistan

Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....

 and also some large communities in Turkish Kurdistan

Turkish Kurdistan

Turkish Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the southeastern part of Turkey, which is inhabited predominantly by ethnic Kurds. The area covers between 190,000 to 230,000 km² , or nearly a third of Turkey...

.

Sub-tribes

The Herkis are divided in three sub-tribes: Menda, Sida and Serhati. These three sub-tribes contain a very large number of families. The Mendas are Stuni (which are both Mendas and Sidas), Male Keje, Mamshekha, Avdia, Male Zahire, Mam Brahima, Male Sheme,
Male Melaye, Mam Hacika, Male Shine, Male Kore Reshe, Male Suvare (which are both Mendas and Sidas), Bab Ezdini (which are both Mendas and Serhatis) and many more. The Sidas are Mamusa, Mirza Shekha, Male Melheme, Liasia, Ki, Male Suvare, Peseagha, Misamdini, Khodedai, and Male Khane. The Serhatis are Aghuba, Navi, Male Be, Male Ise and many more. The legend says Menda, Sida and Serhati are the names of the three brother which are the ancestors of the Herkis. Their father's name was Babeker. The Herkis draw back their ancestry to the Shamzina/Herkobedav located in today's Turkish Kurdistan. The Herki dialect belongs to the Kurmanji

Kurmanji

Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish is the most commonly spoken dialect of the Kurdish language.- Scripts and books :...

 dialect which is spoken by most Kurds.

Lifestyle

The Herkis lived mostly a nomadic life with their herds; however, this changed a lot after 1920 and the Treaty of Sèvres

Treaty of Sèvres

The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...

. The new hand-drawn borders of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey hindered Kurdish

Kurdish people

The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...

 tribes to continue their way of life in harmony with nature in many ways. The Turkish Gendarmerie

Turkish Gendarmerie

The Turkish Gendarmerie is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces , as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific...

 was famous for its brutality against nomads and their herds. This led to many Kurdish tribes

Kurdish tribes

Kurdish tribes of Kurdistan consist of:*Republic of Azerbaijan*Sheylanli tribe*West Azarbaijan Province:*Jalali*Milan*Haydaran*Donboli*korahsuni*Shekak*Herki*Bagzâdah*Zerzâ*Pirân*Pizhdar*Mâmash*Mangur*Mokri*Dehbokri*Gowrâg*Malkari*Suseni...

 besides the Herkis leaving their nomadic lifestyle and settled in villages which they had before only used during the winter. The nomadic and free lifestyle they had, was taken from them.
The new borders soon had a major impact on every aspect of the Kurdish life. For Herkis and many other Kurds this meant that areas which had belonged to them and their herds were taken from them, and they could not move freely like their forefathers had done for a century. They had to decide in which country to settle, which is the reason why Herkis and many other Kurdish tribes can be found dispersed in Iran, Iraq and Turkey, but still be of the same tribe.

Today, the Herkis live in Iranian Kurdistan around and in Urmia

Urmia

- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...

 city, mainly in Mergever, Tergever and Dasht, in Iraqi Kurdistan from Mosul

Mosul

Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...

 to Hewler, the capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region and the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government

Kurdistan Regional Government

The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...

, and in Turkish Kurdistan around Lake Van

Lake Van

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...

 and in the Semdinan and Ağrı

Agri

Agri may refer to:* As shorthand or prefix referring to agriculture* Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development * Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania Interconnector * Ağrı, a city in eastern Turkey* the Agri in southern Italy...

 areas.

Isabella Bird on the Herkis

Isabella Bird

Isabella Bird

Isabella Lucy Bird was a nineteenth-century English explorer, writer, and a natural historian.-Early life:Bird was born in Boroughbridge in 1831 and grew up in Tattenhall, Cheshire...

 (Mrs. Bishop) wrote about the Herkis in the context of her visit to the Nestorian Christian villages in Hakkari

Hakkari

Hakkâri , is a city and the capital of the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The name Hakkâri is derived from the Syriac word, Akkare, meaning farmers...

, Gawar and surroundings:

The Gawar Christians are industrious and inoffensive, and have no higher aspiration than to be let alone, but they are the victims of a Kurdish rapacity which leaves them little more than necessary food. Their villages usually belong to Kurdish Aghas who take from them double the lawful taxes and tithes. The Herkis sweep over the plain in their autumn migration " like a locust cloud", carrying off the possessions of the miserable people, spoiling their granaries and driving off' their flocks. The Kurds of the neighbouring slopes and mountains rob them by violence at night, and in the day by exactions made under threat of death. The latter mode of robbery is called "demand." The servants of a Kurdish Bey enter and ask for some jars of oil or roghan, a Kashmir shawl, women's ornaments, a jewelled dagger, or a good foal, under certain threats, or they show the owner a bullet in the palm of the hand, intimating that a bullet through his head will be his fate if he refuses to give up his property or informs any one of the demand.