Cattle as actors in a pastoral landscape. Gis analysis of an agropastoralist group

In the study of pastoral landscapes, ethnoarchaeology can incorporate first-hand information on material features and herding prac- tices and identify the active role of domestic animals in such practices. The Mursi are a present day transhumant agro-pastoralist group, which are specialized in the livestock herding of cattle (Bos indicus). This study examines evidence from this animal behaviour and its needs, which allows us to enrich a particular construction of a herding landscape in contemporary SW Ethiopia. Remote sens- ing techniques are employed to obtain landscape snapshots of the Mursi main pasture area, which are contrasted with fieldwork data. Moreover, recent improvement in digit…