Subsistence Ecology of the Pastoral Gabra: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

This paper deals with the subsistence pattern of the pastoral Gabra in northern Kenya. The author describes it in relation to the natural environment and several neighbouring pastoralists. Although the Gabra originated from several neighbouring pastoralists, they do not have friendly relationship with them except the Boran. The natural environment of the Gabra territory is extremely dry, with low annual rainfall, and the surface water is distributed unevenly. Cultivation is impossible in such an arid area, so that the Gabra keep livestock and depend their subsistence almost entirely on the product of their livestock such as milk, meat and blood. The Gabra seldom hunt wild animals. In the following the author describes aspects of frequent nomadic movement of their residential and herding area for effective livestock management. He also describes the diet taken by the Gabra in a main camp. Based on this, it is pointed out that the subsistence basis of the Gabra is the products of livestock, and that the most important livestock for the Gabra diet is not a large one, like cattle or camels, but goats.