“Among the Turkana, it is difficult to underestimate the degree to which raiding and violence influence people’s lives. At any time a herd owner could lose all his livestock, and members of his family could be injured or killed. Even during times of relative peace, the topic of potential raids by enemies is a frequent topic of men’s discussions while sitting under the tree. Throughout the year scouts are sent to unused water holes to look for footprints or other evidence that enemies are nearby. Women know that they are especially vulnerable to enemy raids, as often many of the men are separated from the major awi. Attacks can be vicious, brutal, and deadly, often coming just before dawn with little or no warning” (McCabe 2004: 89).
J. Terrence McCabe’s Cattle Bring us To Our Enemies explores decision making and ecology in an unforgiving landscape. In the unpredictable drought and famine-ridden lands of north-western Kenya, Turkana men preside over herds of camels, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys. Their decisions are ruled by a non-equilibrium environment and by the social and political dynamics of violence. After asking people to rank their preferences for types of livestock, McCabe learned that women viewed cattle as the least desirable herd animal. “Cattle need grass, and as has just been pointed out, during most times of the year grass can only be found in the southern part of Ngisonyoka territory and in the highlands. In very bad years, grass will only be found in the southern highlands; this is the land that forms the border area with the Pokot. During the sixteen years that I worked with the Ngisonyoka I spent a good deal of time in this border area. The tension is palpable during the time when the families move here. Often women and children refuse to sleep in the awi, fearing night attacks by the Pokot. Environmental conditions and the viability of the pastoral livelihood draw them into the border zone; their safety and that of their livestock push them out. Cattle do indeed bring the Ngisonyoka to their enemies, as they do for the Nuer and many of the other pastoral peoples who migrate with their herds in this very dangerous part of the world” (McCabe 2004: 105).
References:
McCabe, J.T. 2004. Cattle Bring Us to Our Enemies: Turkana Ecology, Politics and Raiding in a Disequilibrium System. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
The Edited Jottings of an Amateur Anthropologist 