Book

Cattle bring us to our enemies: Turkana ecology, politics, and raiding in a disequilibrium system

University of Michigan PressAnn ArborPublished In 2004 • Pages:

By: McCabe, J. Terrence.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This book examines how individual Turkana herd owners make decisions about mobility, livestock, and land use in an environment characterized by aridity, unpredictability, insecurity, and ethnic violence. Based on detailed ethnographic data from a multi-year study undertaken in the South Turkana location of Ngisonyoka, the book discusses how and why nomadic herders move across different landscapes. The core of the book chronicles the changing fortunes of four Turkana herd owners and their families over sixteen years. By doing so, the book hopes to bring to the fore the importance of the complex interactions and relationships of social, political, and ecological factors affecting the daily lives and decisions made by a living pastoral community.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Annual cycle
Pastoral activities
Domesticated animals
Land use
Settlement patterns
Real property
Community structure
Topography and geology
Flora
Fauna
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Cultural identity and pride
Inter-community relations
Inter-ethnic relations
Disasters
Instigation of war
Aftermath of combat
Property in movables
Life history materials
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Turkana
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2010
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Africa
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Eastern Africa
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi Abate Adem; 2009
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1980-1996
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1897-2004
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Turkana, Kenya
NotesAdditional notes
J. Terrence McCabe
Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-290)and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
2004008130
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Turkana (African people)--Domestic animals
Turkana (African people)--Social conditions
Turkana (African people)--Land tenure
Cattle herding--Kenya--Turkana District
Cattle stealing--Kenya--Turkana District
Turkana District (Kenya)--Social life and customs
Turkana District (Kenya)--Environmental conditions