LIVESTOCK MANAGEMENT AMONG THE TURKANA: A SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF HERDING IN AN EAST AFRICAN PASTORAL POPULATION

This dissertation analyzes the process of livestock management for a group of Turkana pastoralists. The theoretical orientation is ecological. Emphasis is placed on defining the linkages among the ecology, the livestock population and those aspects of the social organization which related to the management of animals. Fieldwork was carried out in Turkana District, Kenzy, between May 1980 and November 1982.;Data were collected on livestock productivity, herd dynamics, mobility and the formation of social networks. Data were systematically collected from four sample families, and supplemented with data from a much larger sample. Milk and blood yields were weighed for each livestock species. Herd inventories were conducted seasonally. Movement was recorded both through interviews and by travelling with families as they migrated. Data relating to the formation of social networks was collected both through participant observation and through interviews.;The results revealed that the Ngisonyoka are truly nomadic, with no fixed residences. Factors involved in movement decisions include the amount and quality of forage, the mineral content and flow of water, the location of wells, the presence of predators and security. There is a high degree of variation in the patterns of movement seasonally and annually.;Analysis of livestock production indicated dramatic seasonal and annual fluctuations in the amount of food available to the pastoral family. The Ngisonyoka respond to these fluctuations by adjusting the numbers of people to the number of livestock.;Research focused on Ngisonyoka Turkana, who raise camels, cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys. The Ngisonyoka practice no agriculture and depend on their livestock either directly or indirectly for all their subsistence needs.;All livestock losses and gains were recorded. Data suggest that two to three years is needed for the livestock population to recover from a severe perturbation, such as a drought.;Social networks allow a herdowner to gain access to livestock and labor when necessary. The manipulation of the social system is as important to a herdowner's success as the manipulation of the environment.;The study concludes that each component in the process of livestock management is linked to all other components. It further concludes that seasonal and annual variation in livestock productivity and herd dynamics are critical factors in Ngisonyoka management strategies.