Nomadic movements

McCabe, J. Terrence; Dyson-Hudson, Rada; Wienpahl, Jan

essay

Nomadic movements

turkana herders of the dry savanna : ecology and biobehavioral response of nomads to an uncertain environment • Oxford • Published In 1999 • Pages: 108-121

By: McCabe, J. Terrence, Dyson-Hudson, Rada, Wienpahl, Jan.

Abstract
This document summarizes the causes and consequences of livestock mobility by nomadic herd owners in Southern Turkana. Based on detailed reconstructions of the movements of four herding families in Ngisonyoka over a period of more than three years, the document illustrates the complexity of nomadic pastoralism which was often misunderstood by developers and scholars alike. The study reveals that pastoral mobility is not an exclusive response to either environmental conditions or political events as previous studies tend to argue. Instead, it is a complex decision in which all environmental, political and social factors are important.

Pastoral activities

Annual cycle

Functional and adaptational interpretations

Instigation of war

Aftermath of combat

Social relationships and groups

Settlement patterns

Community structure

Disasters

Environmental quality

Domesticated animals

Turkana