essay

People and herds

turkana herders of the dry savanna : ecology and biobehavioral response of nomads to an uncertain environmentOxford • Published In 1999 • Pages: 232-247

By: Leslie, Paul W., Dyson-Hudson, Rada.

Abstract
This article discusses the multifaceted relationship of family size and herd size in Turkana society. It argues that the overall Turkana strategy for managing the relationship between the livestock and the human populations entails maximization of herd growth, and coping with shorter-term fluctuations in herd size and available resources through accretion or sloughing of dependents. In the longer run, the strategy involves maximizing labor and herd management potential through family building, as well as cooperative arrangements with other herders. Nuptiality and fertility, the demographic keys to family formation, are thus central to the Turkana subsistence strategy, and to the relationship between people and their herds.
Subjects
Pastoral activities
Domesticated animals
Annual cycle
Functional and adaptational interpretations
Household
Labor supply and employment
Social relationships and groups
Disasters
Ordering of time
Extended families
Basis of marriage
Mode of marriage
culture
Turkana
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Eastern Africa
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Types
Anthropologist
Ecologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2009
Field Date
1980-1996
Coverage Date
1980-1999
Coverage Place
Turkana, Kenya
Notes
Paul W. Leslie and Rada Dyson-Hudson
For bibliographical references see document 24: Little and Leslie
LCCN
99219983
LCSH
Turkana (African people)