Biocultural community protocols for livestock keepers
Documentation
Community protocols provide fascinating glimpses into the world of livestock keepers
according to their own perspectives and concepts. The protocols that have been completed
have brought to light significant pieces of previously unrecorded information in some cases.
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The Pashtoon livestock keepers describe their customary laws regulating access to
grazing lands and water (pargorr), their migration routes and drought-coping mechanisms, as well as alarm over the best genetic material systematically purchased by Arab
livestock traders.
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The Samburu provide details about the use of animals in life-cycle rituals:
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Bulls are slaughtered to decide on the time for mass circumcision of boys.
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Boys are circumcised while wearing and sitting on Red Maasai sheep skins.
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As part of wedding ceremonies, the man must find a pure Red Maasai sheep
(signified by its red color, long ears and clear eyes) and present it to his future
mother-in-law who is then referred to as “Paker”, literally meaning “the one who
has been given sheep.” Another sheep is slaughtered for the wedding.
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The bride is given a calabash full of milk and a gourd that is filled with the fat from
a signet bull slaughtered to seal the wedding as the bride will belong completely
to the new husband. If the fat from the bull is not enough, then a Red Maasai
sheep ram is slaughtered whose tail fat is used to fill the gourd. The bride drinks
the milk to assuage her fears about going to her new home and moisturizes her
skin with the fat to help her relax.
• The Raika describe the breeds that they have developed, including the Nari cattle, which
is a distinct breed that has not yet been recognized officially. This indicates that biocultural community protocols can also be considered as an important tool for identifying
“new” breeds that may previously not have been recorded.
Identification of problems
Biocultural community protocols analyse the situation from the perspective of communities
and thereby pinpoint opportunities for possible development interventions.
• The Samburu describe the perceived challenges of climate change and population
pressure, straining the resources and community harmony, as well as the relationship
with wildlife. They note that the exotic breeds are dying at a much higher rate than
the indigenous breeds and bemoan the fact that the children are learning less about
traditional knowledge. They attribute this to a number of factors, including the reduc-
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