ABSTRACT
Often referred to as "pure" pastoralism, herding is practiced throughout the country and is the chief mode of production in those areas where there is no permanently flowing water and no other source of livelihood: namely inland, and along the coastal plain. Given the stringent demands of nomadism there is a tight fit between social organization and pastoral practices among Somali herders. A potentially significant attitudinal difference does exist between Somalis who view themselves as pastoralists and others who have held to a different work ethic grounded in agriculture. Doubtless the presence and use of slaves for "dirty" work reinforced pastoral Somalis' cultural attitudes about eschewing dirty work themselves. Believing themselves to be "more" Somali because their parents or grandparents were pastoralists could then enable many urban-based Somalis to carry on with the distinctions. Even more to the point, this might also explain their affinity for what, at a distance, could be regarded as the pastoralist idyll.
