NOMADs, NO-ADs, and Us: Why These Biblical Cultures Are Nothing Like Ours.

NO-ADs?!? Where Did That Come From?

Extended families ideally include mutual love and respect, loyalty, protection, and provision. It says, “This is who we are!”

For years, I’ve been working with others to define what it means to be a NOMAD. But through interviews with people across different countries, I kept encountering a pattern. I would present our working definition of NOMADs and ask a series of questions to determine whether a particular group fit the definition.

Many among the Pashtun, for example, would respond:

“Well, definitely Networking relationships externally, Organized internally by clan and tribe, Autonomy is a super high value, and they definitely see themselves as Distinct, but not on the basis of Mobility. Many people move, but it is not a community resource.”

After hearing this kind of response several times, it became clear: These groups weren’t NOMADs. They are fully settled, both ethnically and sociologically. Individuals may be mobile, but that mobility is not considered a resource for or on behalf of the community. They are collectivists in general, but mobility is not part of that collective identity. The only missing element was Mobility as a community resource. That realization led to the concept of NO-ADs.

The Core of NOMAD Identity

If you’ve been following my work, you know my working definition of NOMADs. It’s built around five key characteristics:

Naturally Networking – Relationships, both internal and external, are the foundation of survival and success.

Organized by Clan – Social structures are based on extended family groups that provide identity and security.

Mobility as a Community Resource – Movement is not just about individuals relocating—it is a strategy for survival, economy, and identity.

Autonomous Communities – The group functions as a unit, distinct from the outside world, valuing its own way of life.

Distinct Identity – NOMADs see themselves as a people set apart from settled societies, often with a strong cultural heritage.

What Happens When Mobility Isn’t a Resource?

Take away the ‘M’ from NOMAD, and you get NO-ADs. These are people who still embody the networking, clan-based organization, autonomy, and distinct identity—but they don’t see mobility as a resource at the community level.

That doesn’t mean individuals don’t move. Plenty of NO-ADs travel, migrate, or relocate for work. But as a group, they don’t rely on movement for survival, identity, or opportunity in the way that NOMADs do. Mobility is not embedded in their way of life.

Examples of NO-ADs

Many groups that were once NOMADs have become NO-ADs over time. Some still carry the mindset of networking, clanship, and autonomy, but their mobility has diminished due to external pressures—government policies, land restrictions, economic changes, or even shifts in cultural priorities.

Think of communities that were historically agro-pastoralists, service-traders, or hunter-gatherers. Some of them may now live in urban centers, but that alone does not define them. If they still think like NOMADs—still seeing mobility as a community resource, even if they do not actively use it—then they remain NOMADs by our working definition. However, after multiple generations, often four or more, they may lose this aspect, and at that point, they would be considered NO-ADs. They still think like NOMADs in many ways, but their movement is no longer essential to their collective survival. The difference between NOMADs and NO-ADs isn’t just about where they live—it’s about whether they view movement as a resource for or on behalf of the extended family community.

Why Does This Distinction Matter?

Understanding the difference between NOMADs and NO-ADs helps us engage with each type of community more effectively. But perhaps the biggest reason this distinction is relevant is because both NOMADs and NO-ADs are completely different from most of us in the so-called “Developed World.”

Most of us from North America and much of Northwestern Europe are highly individualistic. Our relationships are based on personal choice rather than communal responsibility. We have nothing like clan or tribal identity, and almost no collectivist thinking—certainly none that spans generations.

Ironically, many of us are highly mobile, but that mobility has zero relevance to our community. In this way, we resemble NO-ADs, but only partially, because our North Atlantic cultural view of autonomy is really only about personal freedom. Over and over again, we tell each other, “It shouldn’t matter what anybody else thinks—just do and say what seems good to you.”

We also value being distinct, but again, our distinctiveness is purely individual. I used to think this kind of individualism wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the Bible. But then I realized that there is one statement that describes it perfectly. It appears a couple of times in the book of Judges:

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

This radical individualism is a modern phenomenon.

Sociologists recognize that our current style of extreme individualism is quite recent in human history. Perhaps, as Muslim historian Tamim Ansary suggested in Destiny Disrupted, it began with the Protestant Reformation. Whatever the case, it’s a shift that has separated us from how most of humanity has lived and thought for thousands of years.

What Have We Lost?

For those of us in the so-called Developed World, understanding NOMADic and NO-ADic thinking can help us grasp just how radically different we are from much of the world. It can also help us recognize what we’ve lost.

We are not more civilized than these societies. In some ways, we are less.

NOMADs, even those who no longer move, still think of Mobility as a community resource. They see relationships not just as personal connections but as interwoven networks that strengthen the whole. NO-ADs may not have mobility as a key factor, but they still hold on to their collective identity, their clan-based organization, and their autonomy as a people.

Meanwhile, in much of North America and Europe, we’ve lost almost all of these things. We tell ourselves that individualism is progress, but is it really? Have we achieved something better—or just given up something essential? Tamim Ansary, in the book mentioned above, suggests this is the main reason his people, Muslims, reject Christianity. What do you think?

I Wish There Had Been A Course On This!

Wow, I really wish there had been a course on this when I was in college, or at least some kind of preparation before launching among nomads. It could have saved me a decade or more of grief—and it could possibly have saved my nomad friends a great deal of grief as well.

Well, that’s exactly why we developed Nomad Connect—a course designed to help you connect deeply with the nomad worldview, both in Scripture and personally within today's nomadic communities. It may even help you connect with NO-ADic communities! It starts with a self-paced digital course to prepare for 5 weeks of mentored interaction, camping and walking with nomads in Kenya. Registration for this course is now open! The deadline to sign up is 25 April. But keep in mind, agency deadlines may be much sooner! Whether you're preparing for long-term work among nomadic peoples or simply want to understand these communities better, Nomad Connect will equip you with the insights and tools you need to engage meaningfully and avoid common missteps. Learn more and register now at NomadicPeoples.net/nomad-connect.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going

This concept of NO-ADs is still developing, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are there groups you know that fit this description? How would you navigate your identity as compared to such people? Let me know in the comments below.

Let’s dig deeper together. Sign up for Let Nomads Move You! a newsletter that helps us walk this journey together, click —> sign up to explore more and be sure to check out Nomad Connect—a place where we help people learn, connect, and engage with nomadic communities worldwide.