TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

Case Study 4
Dromedary Pastoralism in Africa and
Arabia
GUDRUN DAHL AND ANDERS HJORT
INTRODUCTION
This paper provides an overview of different economic systems in
which the breeding and ownership of camels playa significant role; it
explores some of the strengths and weaknesses of such systems. The
emphasis is on camel pastoralism in Africa and Arabia. ("Camel"
here refers to the dromedary.)
While a number of anthropological efforts are focused on more
general studies of cattle pastoralism, few efforts have been made
within the equivalent field of camel pastoralism. One exception is
Rubel (1969), who has tried to create a "generative model" for
residential and kinship patterns, comparing a number of pastoral
societies with varying emphasis on camels or small livestock. Her
hypothesis is that small-stock pastoralism necessitates a wider range
of pasture and water than camel pastoralism, and that this need for
resources in tum affects the social structure of the herders' groups:
the strict ideal of patrilinearity must be compromised in practice
so the small-stock herder can maintain a widespread network of
alliances also outside his patrikin, ensuring access to such resources.
Rubel has been criticized (Pastner, 1971) for using untrustworthy
data and for relying too heavily on simplistic assumptions about the
hardiness of camels. One of her critics, Lewis (1975; 1977), however,
notes the correlation between cultural differences and variations in
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