Turkana people
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The Turkana are a Nilotic people of Kenya, numbering about 340,000. They inhabit Turkanaland in northwest Kenya, a dry and hot region bordering Lake Turkana in the east. South of them live the Pokot (Pökoot), Rendille, and Samburu. The language of the Turkana, an Eastern Nilotic language, is also called Turkana; their own name for it is Ng'aturk(w)ana.
The Turkana are noted for raising camels and weaving baskets. In their oral traditions they designate themselves the people of the grey bull, after the Zebu, the domestication of which played an important role in their history. In recent years, development aid programs have aimed at introducing fishing among the Turkana (a tabu in Turkana society) with varying success.
Livestock is an important aspect of Turkana culture. Goats, camels, donkeys, and sheep are the primary herd stock utilized by the Turkana people. In this society, livestock functions not only as a milk and meat producer, but as form of currency used for bride-price negotiations and dowries. Oftentimes, a young man will be given a single goat or sheep with which to start a herd, and he will accumulate more via animal husbandry. In turn, once he has accumulated sufficient livestock, these animals will be used to negotiate for wives. It is not uncommon for Turkana men to lead polygamistic lifestyles, since livestock wealth will determine the amount of respective wives that he can negotiate for and support.
External links
- Various photographs and further explanation of the Turkana can be found at [Ejoka.com]. Various missionaries have collaborated on the creation of this supplement.
Bibliography
- Pavitt, Nigel (1997) Turkana. London: Harvill Press. ISBN 1-86046-176-X
- Lamphear, John (1988) 'The people of the grey bull: the origin and expansion of the Turkana', in Journal of African History, 29, 1, 27–39.
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