Social networks and exchange

Johnson, Brooke, R.

essay

Social networks and exchange

turkana herders of the dry savanna : ecology and biobehavioral response of nomads to an uncertain environment • Oxford • Published In 1999 • Pages: 88-106

By: Johnson, Brooke, R..

Abstract
This document discusses the context of Turkana social network based on a sample of 22 nomadic and settled herd owners. It shows that the Turkana people have adopted various levels of social interaction and strategies of livestock management that enhance their ability to survive in and exploit the arid scrub savanna environment they inhabit. The relative paucity and patchiness of rainfall require them to keep a variety of livestock. Vulnerability of the livestock to patchy vegetation, limited forage and water, endemic disease, and livestock raids from neighboring tribes requires the Turkana to maintain livestock-exchange and food-sharing relationships that provide a resources safety net. These relationships form an intricate social network that can extend throughout the district and beyond to other areas of the country.

Social relationships and groups

Kin relationships

Community structure

Inter-community relations