Abstract
In some respects nomadic pastoralists resemble most of our descriptions of hunter-gatherers. Like most hunter-gatherer groups, pastoralists use lands whose vegetation they only minimally manage: They graze their animals on wild grasses, shrubs, and, sometimes, fallow crop lands. On the other hand, like agricultural populations, pastoralists invest time and energy in the management of productive resources—their livestock. In 1984 northern Kenya was hit by severe drought which decimated herds. Fratkin and Roth describe how one population, the Ariaal, coped with drought and, more important, coped with governmental agencies that intervened to help them. The 1984 drought offered an opportunity to test the assumption that natural disasters or catastrophes level or diminish wealth inequalities among pastoral households. Moreover, the study offers insight into why many pastoralists try to maintain herds well above what is needed for subsistence.
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Fratkin, E., Roth, E.A. (1996). Who Survives Drought? Measuring Winners and Losers among the Ariaal Rendille Pastoralists of Kenya. In: Bates, D.G., Lees, S.H. (eds) Case Studies in Human Ecology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9584-4_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9584-4_6
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