Livestock Acquisitions Dynamics in Nomadic Pastoralist Herd Demography: A Case Study Among Ngisonyoka Herders of South Turkana, Kenya

Abstract

Despite the attention given to social relations in the pastoral literature, the role of livestock acquisitions-additions of livestock to herds through bridewealth, exchanges, gifts, payments, and begging (requests)-in herd build up has usually been assumed to be relatively minor compared to births and relevant mostly when the need for rebuilding arises after major losses. This study is based on an unusual set of data-the reproductive histories of the female cattle, camels, and goats and sheep of 13 Ngisonyoka Turkana nomadic herders in northwestern Kenya, collected in 1987. The article reports on the means by which mothers were added to the herd and how these changed through time. The results suggest that for this population in the late 1970s and 1980s, acquisitions were not merely relevant when disaster struck, but instead were a continuously important component of herd management. The results demonstrate the crucial role of social networks in the survival of Ngisonyoka pastoralists in their non-equilibrial ecosystem. Social exchanges, such as bridewealth, provide a resource security well suited to the challenges of coping with such unpredictable environments. Researchers and policymakers are urged to make efforts to support such indigenous networks if they want nomadic pastoralists to continue their effective use of arid, marginal lands.

Lakeside View: Sociocultural Responses to Changing Water Levels of Lake Turkana, Kenya

“…Despite sharing a common language, settlement, and social structure, the Rendille and Ariaal pastoralists who inhabit contiguous territories in northern Kenya maintain distinct ethnic identities based on different modes of livestock production and ecological niche exploitation (Fratkin 1986). However, pastoralists like the Dassanetch and Turkana have traditionally been adept at absorbing immigrants into their communities and maintaining robust interethnic alliances so that they can access resource patches during ecologically challenging periods (de Vries et al 2006;Sobania 1988Sobania , 2011. Schlee (1991) documents ritualized movements of nomadic pastoralists in the circum-Turkana region based on clan affiliations and scheduled circumcision rituals.…”

“…With so many centers where nonlocal resources are infiltrating the region, there has been a substantial shift in the settlement ecology and nature of interactions between people living in the region. Presently, many pastoralists use the villages as child-rearing centers while males who are able to shepherd animals move from pasture to pasture, returning home occasionally to sell animals or resupply their families (de Vries et al 2006;Fratkin 2001;Schlee 1991;Sun 2005). Conflicts over resource patches have also developed.…”

Nomad aesthetic: Cattle modifications among the northern Turkana of north west Kenya

“…Droughts are common, and while areas of higher elevation receive more rainfall, agriculture is limited to a few riverine zones (McCabe 1987, Rutten 1989, Opiyo et al 2015. Because of such harsh ecological conditions, the Turkana are highly mobile pastoralists, managing a variety of livestock species (small stock, donkeys, cattle and camels) and balancing the challenges of living in an unpredictable ecosystem with a complex social network (Gulliver 1958, Wienpahl 1984, McCabe 1990, 1995, De Vries et al 2006, Juma 2009, 2016.…”

The nexus of oil, conflict, and climate change vulnerability of pastoral communities in northwest Kenya

“…There is a strong perception within the three communities and among pastoral groups in Turkana in general that they have been "forgotten" by the central government, who they believe does not care if they live or die (Schilling et al, 2012b;de Vries et al, 2006;Lesorogol, 2008;McCabe, 2004). This perception and the high development needs in Turkana create a hotbed for extremely high community expectations for the oil companies operating in the area.…”

“…Especially in arid and semi-arid regions such as Turkana in northwest Kenya, pastoralism is a well-suited livelihood and production system that makes efficient use of the highly limited water and pasture resources (Levine, 2010;Koocheki and Gliessman, 2005). But pastoralism across the African continent is often viewed by national governments as being "backward" and partly even "primitive" (see Pavanello, 2009;Devereux, 2010). Views like these have resulted in political, economic and social marginalisation and discrimination of pastoral communities (Government of Kenya, 2007).…”