wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 32
b) The Gabbra People |
KENYA
The territory of the nomadic Gabbra people is characterized by its broad ecological diversity of grasslands, montane forests, semi-arid
lands, deserts, rivers, and a desert lake (Turkana), with vast rangelands across some 35,000 square kilometers of Ethiopia and Kenya, and
is home to an estimated 50,000 people.
The Gabbra have long been known as “the people of the five drums,” referring to the ritual and governance assemblies known as the
Yaa. The community is governed by the Yaa assembly, the highest level of social organization responsible for the functioning of the
social structure. Important decisions on critical issues that affect the larger community are made at the Yaa, and it promotes upholding
the traditional laws that protect the very survival of both the environment and the community. It is a living and open school where
knowledge that is important for cultural survival is passed from generation to generation. The Yaa is a culturally autonomous organization that strictly follows the community’s traditional customary rules to manage time and activities governing ceremonies, rituals,
migrations, environmental protection, social order, and the rule of law. It is the ultimate decision-making organ that does not bend the
rules for any internal or external pressures that do not conform to Gabbra cultural values.
The Gabbra society is divided into five sections, or phratries, called dibbe (drums) each with a large mobile village and a myriad of
smaller mobile units called Ch’eeko. The five phratries have regional assemblies, each of which include a council of elders, living holy
shrines, and capitals where political powers and administrative and spiritual lives are centered.
02
RANGELANDS
Each phratry resides in a particular grazing area which is historically tied to the region. The five Yaa are independent of each other, each
following their own circuit, occupying a circumscribed core area of their own that they utilize and manage across the Kenya-Ethiopia
borders as they care for their expansive sacred landscape. Each phratry undertakes pilgrimage to their site, trekking along prescribed
routes at specific times determined by a combination of the solar and lunar cycles of their calendar. Limiting access through local
governance structures both contributes to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ensures that a comprehensive and
respected conflict resolution mechanism is in place when needed. The Gabbra also institute taboos on the cutting of culturally important trees and conserve sacred areas where all extraction is forbidden. These practices have contributed to the conservation of biodiversity in the arid lands ecosystems.
Decisions on lesser issues are made at individual village levels, which may include when a village is to set off on the next leg of migration
in search of water and pasture. This kind of decision is based on information such as an alarm being raised by livestock herders, or
updates from scouts based on their survey of the range land. Important decisions on critical issues affecting the larger community are
made at the Yaa, the highest level of social organization. This includes the decision of when and how to undertake a mass cross-border
spiritual migration that takes place in 15 year cycles. In all cases, decision-making includes the participation of youth, men (especially
elders), and women after exhaustive discussions in open public meetings, guided by wise elders.
When planning for livestock migration in times of scarcity or drought, the decision to migrate is usually taken jointly by a community’s
elders. This is determined on the basis of understanding the state of natural resources, and the host communities’ attitudes in potential
areas for migration. When water and pasture are dwindling, Abuuru (a team of emissaries) are sent to potentially suitable locations for
migration to check the availability and quality of water and pasture, and the willingness of the host community to accept visitors. On
the basis of the emissaries’ feedback, elders meet to discuss and assess potential sites, and eventually decide whether, when, and where
to migrate. During these meetings, decisions are usually achieved by consensus and all participants are given the chance to express their
opinions on the matter discussed. Decisions are not taken hastily, but elders reconvene after one or two days to allow some time for
reflection. During this important period of deliberation, elders also take this opportunity to discuss the issues with their wives at home,
and the wives’ opinions and observations may also be incorporated into the final decision.
Gabbra
People
ANNEXES
|
RANGELANDS
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