PhD thesis Title Page Final _Richard Juma - Victoria University ...

Traditionally, livestock ownership and numbers in Turkana reflect wealth
and prestige, help redeem from damage, and are a sacrificial gift (Gulliver
1951). According to informants, their livelihoods are based on livestock.
They stated as follows:
The Turkana know each individual animal. It’s all they
do. They don’t build houses, they don’t drive motorcars
– they just have animals. Their life is animals
(Household Interview 10 th March 2007, Morulem
village; Household Interview 6 th June 2007, Lokichar
Village).
Turkana households also own livestock to provide meat, milk, blood, hides
and skin, and other by-products. Cattle, camels and goats can be used as
payment e.g. bridewealth and bloodwealth 82 (Gulliver 1951). Turkana
people also constantly strive to increase the number of their livestock.
When they attain certain numbers, and initiations, marriages and
livestock exchanges may take place. Species composition is also
manipulated to ensure that animals’ diets and water requirements are
met. The sex composition of the herd is manipulated to maintain a higher
ratio of female to male animals and thus, a higher level of livestock
productivity. Surplus males are traded in town markets to buy non-
livestock goods (e.g. tobacco, beads, rubber tyre sandals, sugar, maize
meal etc).
It is important to note that Turkana women have no control over the
livestock despite the fact that they are responsible for the care of small
animals. In terms of access to livestock, women have access through their
husbands, sons, and male relatives, but very limited access to their own.
The rationale provided to explain why women have limited access to
livestock was summarised in a discussion held with a female key
informant, aged 60 years, from Morulem village. She stated as follows:
82 Bloodwealth means compensation paid when responsible for the death of another
person.
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