Why do the Inuit inhabit the wastelands of Nunavut when they could have migrated South? Why do the Berber and Bedouin inhabit deserts when they could move to the Mediterranean coast or Mesopotamia/Egypt/Levant?
In short, what makes people accept terrible conditions rather than migrate like the Germanic tribes moved into Roman territory?
Cultural belief systems and historical ways of life are just a couple of reasons peoples stay. Many believe that to leave their indigenous home lands means to leave your beliefs and way and integrate into a new culture. And history shows us that this is a fairly accurate portrayal of how cultures and languages are lost.
