| People of the Desert | |
| Ja Kanji: | 砂漠の民 |
| Ja Romaji: | Sabaku no Tami |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Type: | Illustrated story |
| Author: | Akitsu Saburō |
| Magazine: | Boys and Girls Newspaper |
| First: | September 12, 1969 |
| Last: | March 15, 1970 |
, or The Desert Tribe, is an emonogatari written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki. It was serialized, under the pseudonym, and ran in between September 12, 1969, and March 15, 1970.
The story is set in the distant past, on the fictionalised desert plains of Central Asia. Part of the story takes place in the fortified city named . The story follows the exploits of the main character,, a shepherd boy of the fictional tribe, as he tries to evade the mounted militia of the nomadic tribe. In order to restore peace to the realm, Tem rallies his remaining compatriots and rebels against the Kittāru's attempts to gain control of the Sokut territory and enslave its inhabitants through military force.
Miyazaki initially wanted to become a mangaka but started his professional career as an animator for Toei Animation in 1963. Here he worked on animated television series and animated feature-length films for theatrical release. He never abandoned his childhood dream of becoming a mangaka completely, however, and his professional debut as a manga creator came in 1969 with the publication of his manga adaptation of Puss 'n Boots, which was serialized in 12 weekly chapters in the Sunday edition of Tokyo Shimbun, from January to March 1969. It was in color and created for promotional purposes in conjunction with his work on Toei's anime film of the same title, directed by Kimio Yabuki.
In 1969 pseudonymous serialization also started of Miyazaki's original manga . This manga was influenced by he read in boys' magazines in his youth, such as Soji Yamakawa's and in particular Tetsuji Fukushima's .
People of the Desert was serialized for 26 chapters weekly in, a publication of the Japanese Communist Party, between September 12, 1969 (issue 28) and March 15, 1970 (issue 53). Miyazaki made the manga under the pseudonym .
The strip has been identified as a precursor for Miyazaki's manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1982–1995) and later emonogatari Shuna's Journey (1983), published by Tokuma Shoten.