Nomad aesthetic: Cattle modifications among the northern Turkana of north west Kenya(Article)(Open Access)

Volume 8, Issue 1, 1 December 2018, Article number 6 Dioli, M.Email Author View Correspondence (jump link) Riu Tajo 15A, Alfaz del Pi, Alicante, Spain Abstract View references (85) Among the Turkana of north western Kenya, as well as in many other eastern African pastoral societies, cattle are not only a source of food but also an essential tool for a man to establish his own concepts of aesthetic and to visibly express his own personal identity and social relationships among his people. A Turkana man achieves these objectives by choosing a specific male cow and then modifying its external appearance with branding to permanent alter the coat, with a forceful modification of the growth direction of the horns, and with peculiar cuttings of the ear margins and dewlap. These modern-day practices are identical to the images of cattle present in numerous Neolithic rock art scenes over widespread geographical areas. This present-day Turkana custom may facilitate a correct interpretation of prehistoric rock art and help to understand the systems of thoughts, values and aesthetic perceptions of long-vanished prehistoric pastoral societies. © 2018, The Author(s). Author keywords African rock artBrandingCattle modificationsEast African pastoralistHorn deformationsTurkana ISSN: 20417136 Source Type: Journal Original language: English DOI: 10.1186/s13570-017-0110-4 Document Type: Article Publisher: SpringerOpen References (85) View in search results format All View all 85 references 1 Abbink, J. Love and death of cattle: The paradox on Suri attitudes toward livestock (2003) Ethnos, 68, pp. 341-364. Cited 10 times. 2 Almagor, U. Name-oxen and ox-names among the Dassanetch of southwest Ethiopia (1972) Paideuma, 18, pp. 79-96. Cited 3 times. 3 Altenmüller, H. Presenting the ndt-hr-offerings to the tomb owner (2006) The Old Kingdom art and archaeology, Proceedings of the Conference Held in Prague, May 31–June 4, 2004. Prague, pp. 25-35. Cited 2 times. In:, Bárta, M. Ed) 4 Barrett, J.A. Turkana iconograph: Desert nomads and their symbols (1998) Symbols, rituals, myths Kenya, Lodwar 5 Barton, J. Notes on the turkana tribe of British East Africa (1921) African Affairs, 20 (79), pp. 204-211. View at Publisher 6 Beaton, A.C. Record of the Toposa tribe (1950) Sudan Notes and Records, 31 (1), pp. 129-132. Cited 2 times. 7 Binford, L.R. (1983) In pursuit of the past: Decoding the archaeological record. Cited 340 times. Academic Press, New York 8 Brown, J. Hom-shaping Ground-stone Axe-hammers (1990) Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 25 (1), pp. 57-67. Cited 8 times. doi: 10.1080/00672709009511408 View at Publisher 9 Calegari, G. (1999) L’arte rupestre dell’Eritrea: repertorio ragionato ed esegesi iconografica, Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Volume XXIX (1) Milano 10 Chaix, L. Les boeufs à cornes parallèles: archéologie et ethnographie (1996) Sahara, 8, pp. 95-97. Cited 2 times. 11 Chaix, L. Animals as symbols, the bucrania of the grave KN24 (Kerma, Northern Sudan) (2001) Animals and man in the past. Essays in honour of Dr. A.T. Clason Emeritus Professor of Archeozooology, pp. 364-370. Cited 9 times. Bruitenhuis H, Prummel W, (eds), ARC-Publicatie 41, Groningen 12 Chaix, L. Les boeufs africains à cornes déformées: quelques élément de réflexion (2004) Anthropozoologica, 39 (1), pp. 335-342. Cited 3 times. 13 Chaix, L. Déformations anciennes et actuelles du cornage bovin en Afrique du Nord-Est (2004) Élevage d’hier, élevage d’aujourd’hui. Mélanges d’ethnozootechnie offerts à Bernard Denis, Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, pp. 21-32. Cited 2 times. Guintard C, Mazzoli-Guintard C, (eds) 14 Chaix, L. Boeuf a cornes deformees et beliers a spheroide: de l'art rupestre a l’archeozoologie (2006) Hic sunt Leones, Melanges sahariens en l’honneur d’Alfred Muzzolini, Cahiers de l’Association des Amis de l’Art ripestre Saharien, 10, pp. 49-54. Cited 3 times. In:, Gauthier Y., Le Quellec, J, L, Simonis, R. ed 15 Chaix, L., Dubosson, J., Honegger, M. Bucrania from the Eastern Cemetery at Kerma (Sudan) and the practice of cattle horn deformation (2012) Studies in African Archaeology, 10, pp. 185-208. 16 Chaix, L., Hansen, J.W. Cattle with “forward-pointing horns”: Archaeozoological and cultural aspects (2003) Cultural markers in the later prehistory of Northeastern Africa and recent research, 8, pp. 269-281. Cited 2 times. Krzyzaniak L, Kroeper K, Kobusiewicz M, (eds), Studies in African Archaeology, Poznan 17 Chapman, S.E., Dunham, D. (1952) Decorated chapels of the meroitic pyramids at Meroë and Barkal, p. 50. Cited 2 times. Royal cemeteries of Kush, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 18 Clark, D. Memorial service for an ox in Karamoja (1952) Uganda Journal, 16, pp. 215-218. 19 Coote, J. ‘Marvels of everyday vision’: The anthropology of aesthetics and the cattle-keeping Nilotes (1992) Anthropology, art, and aesthetics, pp. 245-273. Cited 59 times. Coote J, Shelton A, (eds), Clarendon, Oxford 20 Cummins, S.L. Sub-tribes of the Bahr-El-Ghazal Dinkas (1904) The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 34, pp. 149-166. Cited 2 times. 21 David, N., Kramer, C. Ethnoarchaeology in action (2015) Ethnoarchaeology in Action, pp. 1-476. Cited 214 times. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316036488 ISBN: 978-131603648-8; 978-052166105-8 doi: 10.1017/CBO9781316036488 View at Publisher 22 de Vries, D., Leslie, P.W., McCabe, J.T. Livestock acquisitions dynamics in nomadic pastoralist herd demography: A case study among Ngisonyoka herders of South Turkana, Kenya (2006) Human Ecology, 34 (1), pp. 1-25. Cited 30 times. doi: 10.1007/s10745-005-9000-2 View at Publisher 23 Dubosson, J. (2006) Le statut des bovins et de leur cornage dans les sociétés pastoralesd'Afrique de l'est: approche ethnoarchéologique Neuchâtel, Institut de préhistoire et des sciences de l'antiquité. Université de Neuchâtel 24 Dubosson, J. Human ‘self’ and animal ‘other’. The favourite animal among the Hamar (2014) Ethiopian images of self and other, pp. 83-104. Girke F, (ed) 25 Dupuy, C., Denis, B. (2011) Les robes des taurins dans les peintures de la Tassili-n-Ajjer (Algérie): polymorphisme ou fantaisies? Les Cahiers de l’AARS, pp. 29-46. Association des amis de l'art rupestre saharien, Saint-Lizier 26 Eczet, J.B. Des hommes et des vaches: L’attachement entre les personnes et leursbovins en pays Mursi (Éthiopie) (2015) Anthropologie et Sociétés, 391 (2), pp. 121-144. 27 Evans-Pritchard, E.E. Imagery in Nok Dinka Cattle-Names (1934) Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 7 (3), pp. 623-628. Cited 6 times. doi: 10.1017/S0041977X00138340 View at Publisher 28 Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1940) The Nuer: A description of the modes of livelihood and political institutions of a Nilotic people. Cited 927 times. Clarendon, Oxford 29 Evans-Pritchard, E.E. The sacrificial role of cattle among the Nuer (1953) Africa, 23 (3), pp. 181-198. Cited 15 times. doi: 10.2307/1156279 View at Publisher 30 Evans-Pritchard, E.E. (1956) Nuer religion. Cited 581 times. Clarendon, Oxford 31 Franchini, V. Pitture rupestri a Sullum Baatti (1951) Rassegna di Studi Etiopici, 10, pp. 122-123. Cited 2 times. 32 Franchini, V. Pitture rupestri a Ba’attì Sullùm nel Deghien (1952) Rassegna di Studi Etiopici, 11, pp. 47-48. 33 Fukui, K. (1984) A preliminary report on Pastoralism among the Narim. Sudan-Sahel Studies vol. 1, Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University, 75–94 34 Gauthier, Y., Gauthier, C. Monuments en trou de serrure et art rupestre: sur la distribution du groupe d’Iheren-Tahilahi/Wan-n-Amil et ses relations avec les autres groupes culturels (2006) Hic sunt leones. Mélanges sahariens en l’honneur d’Alfred Muzzolini (Cahiersde l’AARS 10), pp. 79-110. Gauthier Y, Quellec JL, Simonis R, (eds) 35 Gauthier, Y., Gauthier, C., Morel, A., Tillet, T. (1996) L’Art du Sahara. Cited 6 times. Le Seuil, Paris 36 Gombrich, E.H. (1977) Art and illusion: A study in the psychology of pictorial representation, p. 386. Cited 896 times. 5, Phaidon, London 37 Gourlay, K.A. The ox and identification (1972) Man (N.S.), 7 (2), pp. 244-254. Cited 2 times. 38 Gramly, R.M. Meat-feasting Sites and Cattle Brands: Patterns of Rock-shelter Utilization in East Africa (1975) Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 10 (1), pp. 107-121. Cited 22 times. doi: 10.1080/00672707509511616 View at Publisher 39 Gulliver, P.H. (1951) A preliminary survey of the Turkana. A report compiled for the Government of Kenya. Communication from the School of African Studies, N.26(n.s.). University of Cape Town, South Africa 40 Gulliver, P.H. Bell-oxen and ox-names among the Jie (1952) Uganda Journal, 16, pp. 72-75. Cited 5 times. 41 Gulliver, P.H. The Karamajong cluster (1952) Africa, 22 (1), pp. 1-22. Cited 17 times. doi: 10.2307/1157083 View at Publisher 42 Gulliver, P.H. The Turkana age organization (1958) American Anthropologist, New Series, 60 (5), pp. 900-922. 43 Gulliver, P.H. (1966) The family herds: A study of two pastoral tribes in East Africa, the Jie and Turkana. Cited 82 times. 2, Routledge and Keagan Paul LtD., London 44 Hall, H. A note on the cattle skulls excavated at Faras (1962) Kush, 10, pp. 58-61. Cited 7 times. 45 Hall, J.B., Greiner, S.P., Gregg, C. Cattle identification: freeze branding (2004) Publication Number, pp. 301-400. Accessed 5 Apr 2017 http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/400/400-301/400-301_pdf.pdf 46 Hazama, I. Daily life as poetry: The meaning of the pastoral songs of the Karimojong in Northeastern Uganda (2012) Nilo-Ethiopian Studies, 17, pp. 27-49. 47 Herskovits, M.J. (1926) The cattle complex in East Africa. American Anthropologist. 28: 230–272, 361–388, 494–528, 633–664 48 Honegger, M., Bonnet, C., Chaix, L. Kerma (Soudan): origine et developpment du premier royaume d’Afrique noire (2009) Archeologie Suisse, 32 (1), pp. 1-13. 49 Huard, P. Les cornes déformées sur les gravures rupestres du Sahara oriental (1959) Recherches Sahariennes, 1, pp. 109-131. 50 Huard, P., Massip, J.-M. (1963) Gravures rupestres du Tibesti méridional et du Borkou. In: Bulletila Société préhistorique de France, tome 60, n°7-8, Travaux en retard, 468–481 51 Insoll, T., Clack, T., Rege, O. Mursi ox modification in the Lower Omo Valley and the interpretation of cattle rock art in Ethiopia (2015) Antiquity, 88 (343), pp. 91-105. Cited 2 times. http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2F3899_9DF69D7F269AAFC5C52D4E1D1CE7AD88_journals__AQY_AQY89_343_S0003598X14000325a.pdf&cover=Y&code=49954edfdc098e8ae051a6bcc1b17fc3 doi: 10.15184/aqy.2014.31 View at Publisher 52 Juma, R.O. (2009) Turkana livelihood strategies and adaptation to drought in Kenya. PhD dissertation. Cited 4 times. Wellington, Victoria University of Wellington, Accessed 25 Mar 2017 http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/1063/thesis.pdf?sequence=1 53 Juma, R.O. Live hood strategies in North-Western Kenya: A study of Turkana people’s customary response to famine (2016) International Journal of Science and Research Accessed 25 Mar 2017 https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v5i11/ART20162920.pdf 54 Kronenberg, A. The Longarim favourite beast (1961) Kush, 9, pp. 258-277. Cited 5 times. 55 Lamphear, J. Aspects of Turkana Leadership During the Era of Primary Resistance (1976) The Journal of African History, 17 (2), pp. 225-243. Cited 14 times. doi: 10.1017/S0021853700001304 View at Publisher 56 Lamphear, J. The people of the grey bull: The origin and expansion of the turkana (1988) The Journal of African History, 29 (1), pp. 27-39. Cited 33 times. doi: 10.1017/S0021853700035970 View at Publisher 57 Landais, E. The marking of livestock in traditional pastoral societies (2001) OIE Revue Scientifique et Technique, 20 (2), pp. 463-479. Cited 9 times. 58 Lewis, B.A. (1972) The Murle. Red chiefs and black commoners, p. 166. Cited 13 times. Clarendon, Oxford 59 Lokuruka, M.N.I., Lokuruka, P.A. Ramifications of the 1918 Turkana Patrol: Narratives by Ngturkana (2006) Ethnohistory, 53 (1), pp. 121-141. Cited 6 times. doi: 10.1215/00141801-53-1-121 View at Publisher 60 Lynch, M., Robbins, L.H. Animal brands and the interpretation of rock art in East Africa (1977) Current Anthropology, 18 (3), pp. 538-539. Cited 10 times. 61 Mathan-Kumar, S., Johnson, E.H., Tageldin, M.H. (2012) Wasm - an ethnoveterinary treatment of camels in Oman. in: Proc. 3rd Conf. Intl. Soc. Camelid Res. Dev., January 29, 2012. Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 62 McCabe, J.T. Drought and recovery: Livestock dynamics among the Ngisonyoka Turkana of Kenya (1987) Human Ecology, 15 (4), pp. 371-389. Cited 53 times. doi: 10.1007/BF00887997 View at Publisher 63 McCabe, J.T. Turkana pastoralism: A case against the Tragedy of the Commons (1990) Human Ecology, 18 (1), pp. 81-103. Cited 87 times. doi: 10.1007/BF00889073 View at Publisher 64 McCabe, J.T. Turkana. In D. Levinson(ed.) Encyclopedia of World Cultures. G.K. Hall-Macmillan Press and the Human Relation Area. New Haven (1995) Connecticut., 9, pp. 370-373. 65 Nalder, L.F. (1937) A tribal survey of Mongalla Province. International Institute of African Languages and Cultures, Oxford University Press, 232. Cited 6 times. 66 Ohta, I. Symptoms are classified into diagnostic categories; Turkana’s view of livestock diseases (1984) African Study Monographs, 3, pp. 71-93. Cited 5 times. 67 Ohta, I. Livestock individual identification among the Turkana: The animal classification and naming in the pastoral livestock management (1987) African Study Monographs, 8 (1), pp. 1-69. Cited 6 times. 68 Opiyo, F., Wasonga, O., Nyangito, M., Schilling, J., Munang, R. Drought Adaptation and Coping Strategies Among the Turkana Pastoralists of Northern Kenya (2015) International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 6 (3), pp. 295-309. Cited 17 times. http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/natural+hazards/journal/13753 doi: 10.1007/s13753-015-0063-4 View at Publisher 69 Quibell, J.E. (1896) The Ramesseum with translations and comments by W. Spiegelberg and, The Tomb of Ptah-Hetep, copied by R.F.E. Paget and A.A. Pirie, with comments by F. Ll. Griffith. Egyptian Research Account, London, 125 70 Robbins, M.E., Robbins, L.H. A note on Turkana dancing (1971) Ethnomusicology, 15 (2), pp. 231-235. Cited 3 times. 71 Russell, T., Kiura, P. A re-consideration of the rock engravings at the burial site of Namoratung'a South, Northern Kenya and their relationship to modern Turkana livestock brands (2011) South African Archaeological Bulletin, 66 (194), pp. 121-128. Cited 5 times. 72 Rutten, M.M.E.M. The struggle for land and livestock among the Turkana, (ex) nomadic pastoralists of North-West Kenya (1989) The struggle for land world-wide, pp. 48-71. Cited 2 times. Peperkamp G, Remie CHW, (eds), Verlag Breitenbach Publishers, Saarbrucken-Fort Lauderdale, NICCOS Nijmegen 73 Schwabe, C.W. A unique surgical operation on the horns of African bulls in ancient and modern times. (1984) Agricultural history, 58 (2), pp. 138-156. Cited 7 times. 74 Searight, S. (2004) The prehistoric rock art of Morocco. A study of its extension, environment and meaning, p. 333. Cited 7 times. BAR international series 1310, Archeopress, Oxford 75 Searight, S. Morocco’s rock art: Age and meaning (2013) Art, 2, pp. 35-43. Cited 2 times. 76 Seligman, C.G. Egyptian Influence in Negro Africa. In S.R.K. Glanville (ed.), Studies Presented to F. Ll. Griffith, London Egypt Exploration (1932) Society, pp. 457-462. 77 Seligman, C.G., Seligman, B.Z. (1950) Pagan tribes of the Nilotic Sudan The Humanities Press, New York 78 Soper, R. Archaeo-astronomical Cushites: Some Comments (1982) Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 17 (1), pp. 145-162. Cited 18 times. doi: 10.1080/00672708209511304 View at Publisher 79 Thomas, E.M. (1966) Warrior herdsmen Secker & Warburg, London 80 Tornay, S. The Nyangatom: An outline of their ecology and social organization (1981) Bender, M. Lionel. Peoples and cultures of the Ethio-Sudan borderlands. East Lansing: African studies center, Michigan State University, pp. 137-178. Cited 11 times. Dioli, M.; Riu Tajo 15A, Alfaz del Pi, Alicante, Spain; email:camel4ever@fastemail.us © Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.