Cattle raiding

{{Short description|Act of stealing cattle}} {{redirect|Rustling}} {{globalize|date=May 2022}} [[File:Schwäbischer Bund Luzerner Schilling.jpg|thumb|A cattle raid during the Swabian War, 1499]] '''Cattle raiding''' is the act of stealing live cattle, often several or many at once. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as '''duffing''', and the perpetrator as a '''duffer'''.<ref name=":0">Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English speech as used in Australia'' Angus and Robertson, Ltd., Sydney, p. 32, {{OCLC|186257552}}</ref><ref>Derricourt, William (1899) ''Old Convict Days'' (2nd ed.) T.F. Unwin, London, p. 103 {{OCLC|5990998}}</ref> In other areas, especially in Queensland, the practice is known as '''poddy-dodging''' with the perpetrator known as a '''poddy-dodger'''.<ref>{{cite news |last= Anderson |first=John |date= 19 June 2018|title= Poddy-Dodger Festival celebrates Croydon's cattle-stealing fame|url= https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/news/townsville/poddydodger-festival-celebrates-croydons-cattlestealing-fame/news-story/67962067a8cb110ee630053b7f229c11|work= Townsville Bulletin |access-date=24 February 2023}}</ref> In North America, especially in the Wild West cowboy culture, cattle theft is dubbed '''rustling''', while an individual who engages in it is a '''rustler'''.<ref>{{cite web|title=rustler|url=https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=rustler&oldid=39197313|publisher=Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary.|access-date=6 September 2016}}</ref>

==Historical cattle raiding== The act of cattle-raiding is quite ancient, first attested over seven thousand years ago,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://perfectirishgifts.com/blog/2008/06/prehistoric_massacres_the_twin.html|title=The Perfect Gift: Prehistoric Massacres|website=Perfect Irish Gifts (The twin vices of women and cattle in prehistoric Europe)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611045553/http://perfectirishgifts.com/blog/2008/06/prehistoric_massacres_the_twin.html|archive-date=2008-06-11}}</ref> and is one of the oldest-known aspects of Proto-Indo-European culture, being seen in inscriptions on artifacts such as the Norse Golden Horns of Gallehus<ref>Bruce Lincoln, ''The Indo-European Cattle-Raiding Myth'', History of Religions (1976), p. 58.</ref> and in works such as the Old Irish ''Táin Bó Cúailnge'' ("Cattle Raid of Cooley"), the ''paṇis'' of the ''Rigveda,'' the ''Mahabharata'' cattle raids and cattle rescues;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Episode46-TheCattleRaid|title=Episode 46 – The Cattle Raid : Lawrence Manzo : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive|date=2001-03-10|access-date=2012-12-29}}</ref> and the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, who steals the cattle of Apollo.

===Central Asia=== In his childhood, the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur and a small band of followers raided travelers for goods, especially animals such as sheep, horses, and cattle. Around 1363, it is believed that Timur tried to steal a sheep from a shepherd but was shot by two arrows, one in his right leg and another in his right hand, where he lost two fingers. Both injuries disabled him for life. Timur's injuries have given him the names of Timur the Lame and Tamerlane by Europeans.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marozzi |first=Justin |title=Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, conqueror of the world |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2004}}</ref>

===Ireland & Britain=== [[File:The_Image_of_Irelande_-_plate02.jpg|thumb|Depiction of cattle raid in Ireland c. 1580 in The Image of Irelande by John Derricke.]] In Gaelic Ireland, cattle raiding, whether in retaliation for an insult under the code of conduct or to keep the whole clan fed during a difficult winter, was a common part of warfare between Irish clans, as is often depicted in stories from Irish mythology, such as the ''Táin Bó Cúailnge'' and the ''Táin Bó Flidhais''. Cattle raiding and selling protection against theft continued by Irish clan chiefs and rapparees, particularly against the estates of Anglo-Irish landlords, well into the 18th century in Ireland.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJC13H8h6PIC&q=Irish+cattle+raids+the+pale&pg=PA80 | title=An Atlas of Irish History| isbn=9780415278591| last1=Edwards| first1=Ruth Dudley| last2=Hourican| first2=Bridget| year=2005| publisher=Psychology Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvFpuRoiL24C&q=Irish+cattle+raiding+in+tudor+Ireland&pg=PA26 |title = Enforcing the English Reformation in Ireland: Clerical Resistance and Political Conflict in the Diocese of Dublin, 1534–1590|isbn = 9780521369947|last1 = Murray|first1 = James|date = 2011| publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref>

Warfare between Scottish clans was often for very similar reasons and, during the 17th and 18th centuries, many Scottish clan chiefs would similarly operate an extralegal Watch over the cattle herds of the Lowland gentry in return for protection money, which Highland Chiefs similarly used to feed their tenants and clansmen. Any cattle that were stolen from herds under the Chiefs' Watch were either retrieved, or he paid for them in full.<ref>W. H. Murray (1982), ''Rob Roy MacGregor: His Life and Times'', Barnes & Noble Books. pp. 59–64.</ref>

Cattle-raiding by the Border reivers was a serious problem for many centuries on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border.

===American Old West=== [[File:The Great Cattle Raid at Harrison's Landing.jpg|thumb|300px|The Beefsteak Raid (1864) during the American Civil War.]] In the American frontier, rustling was considered a serious offense and in some cases resulted in vigilantes hanging or shooting the thieves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldmeadecounty.com/cattlerustling.htm |title=Cattle Rustling |website=Old Meade County |access-date=2010-01-07 |archive-date=2021-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508160555/http://oldmeadecounty.com/cattlerustling.htm |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Mexican rustlers were a major issue during the American Civil War (1861–1865); the Mexican government was accused of supporting the habit. American rustlers also stole Mexican cattle from across the border. Failure to brand new calves facilitated theft.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Conflict over alleged rustling was a major issue in the Johnson County War of 1892 in Wyoming.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

The transition from open range to fenced grazing gradually reduced the practice of rustling in North America. In the 20th century, so called "suburban rustling" became more common, with rustlers anesthetizing cattle and taking them directly to auction. This often takes place at night, posing problems for law enforcement, because on very large ranches it can take several days for the loss of cattle to be noticed and reported. Convictions are extremely rare.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

===Chile and Argentina=== {{See also|Malón|Banditry in Chile}} [[File:Johann Moritz Rugendas-el rapto.jpg|thumb|right|''El Malón'', Johann Moritz Rugendas (1802–1858)]] [[File:Ángel DELLA Valle - La vuelta del malón - Google Art Project (cropped).jpg|thumb|''La vuelta del malón'' (The Return of the Raiders) by Ángel Della Valle (1892).]] Cattle raiding became a major issue at the end of the 19th century in Argentina, where cattle stolen during ''malones'' were taken through ''Camino de los chilenos'' across the Andes to Chile, where they were exchanged for alcoholic beverages and firearms. Several indigenous groups and outlaws, such as the Boroano and Ranquel peoples, and the Pincheira brothers, ravaged the southern frontier of Argentina in search of cattle. To prevent the cattle raiding, the Argentine government built a system of trenches called Zanja de Alsina in the 1870s. Most cattle raids ended after the military campaigns of the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s, and the following partition of Patagonia established by the Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In a letter to Chilean President Manuel Montt Mapuche chief Mañil denounced the plunder of graves in search of Mapuche silver, arson of Mapuche houses and other abuses against Mapuches that were happening in the newly created province. Mañil further accused intendant Villalón con Salbo of becoming rich by cattle theft.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Colonialismo republicano, violencia y subordinación racial mapuche en Chile durante el siglo XX|journal=Revista de historia regional y local|url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6794837|last1=Nahuelpán Moreno|first1=Héctor Javier|volume=11|pages=211–248|via=Dialnet|last2=Antimil Caniupán|first2=Jaime Anedo|issue=21|year=2019|doi=10.15446/historelo.v11n21.71500|s2cid=150099942|language=es|trans-title=Republican Colonialism, Violence and Mapuche Racial Subordination in Chile during the Twentieth Century|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The return of Chilean veterans from the War of the Pacific coincided with the Chilean Army's crushing of Mapuche resistance in the Occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883). This led to opportunities for bandits and veterans-turned-bandits to immigrate to the newly opened Araucanía territory,<ref name=salinas60>{{cite journal |last1=Salinas |first1=Maximiliano A. |date=1986 |title=El bandolero chileno del siglo XIX: Su imagen en la sabiduría popular |url=http://www.bibliotecanacionaldigital.gob.cl/visor/BND:68533 |journal=Araucaria de Chile |pages=57–75|language=es |access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref><ref name=MembandidajeCRONO>{{Cite journal| url = http://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-560.html#cronologia | title = Bandidaje rural en Chile central (1820–1920): Cronología | journal = Memoria Chilena | publisher = Biblioteca Nacional de Chile | access-date = December 30, 2019 | language = es }}</ref> leading to sudden rise in violence and in a region that was recovering from Chilean-Mapuche warfare.<ref name=cadiz>{{cite journal |last=Cádiz Villarroel |first=Francisco Felipe |date=2013 |title=Chilenización institucional y progreso en Villarrica, Chile, 1900–1920 |url=http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/200/20025468005.pdf |journal=Procesos Históricos|language=es |volume=XII |issue=23 |pages=58–73 |access-date=5 December 2013}}</ref> Bandits that immigrated to Araucanía allied with displaced Mapuche and made cattle theft their chief business.<ref name=salinas60/> Stolen cattle was sold in marketplaces through the region.<ref name=salinas60/>

=== Southern Africa === In southern Africa, cattle were an essential part of the economies of its agropastoral societies, including Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speaking peoples. Cattle served as a store of wealth and were exchanged through dowries, tribal tributes, indemnities, and political alliances. Chiefs accumulated cattle through tributes, fines, forfeits, and raids, and redistributed them through loans for regular members to tend to, in exchange receiving some of the milk.<ref>{{cite web |last=Huffman |first=Thomas N. |date=29 March 2011 |title=Prehistory: Pre colonial farmers in Gauteng |url=https://sahistory.org.za/article/prehistory-pre-colonial-farmers-gauteng |access-date=15 May 2026 |website=South African History Online}}</ref> Cattle raids were regularly conducted during warfare.<ref>{{cite journal |last=King |first=Rachel |date=August 2017 |title=Cattle, raiding and disorder in Southern African history |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10024582/1/Cattle_raiding_and_disorder_in_Southern.pdf |journal=Africa |volume=87 |issue=3 |pages=607–630 |doi=10.1017/S0001972017000146}}</ref>

Raiding intensified during early nineteenth century amid environmental stress, changing trade networks, European settler encroachment, and state formation in a period known as the Mfecane or ''Difaqane,'' as smaller chiefdoms were incorporated into larger polities. Captured cattle helped chiefs supply followers and reward military service, centralizing their power, while the loss of herds made smaller tribes dependent on more powerful chiefs.<ref name="Wright2009">{{cite book |last=Wright |first=John |title=The Cambridge History of South Africa |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2009 |editor1-last=Hamilton |editor1-first=Carolyn |volume=1: From Early Times to 1885 |pages=211–252 |chapter=Turbulent Times: Political Transformations in the North and East, 1760s–1830s |doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521517942.006 |editor2-last=Mbenga |editor2-first=Bernard K. |editor3-last=Ross |editor3-first=Robert}}</ref><ref name="Eldredge1992">{{cite journal |last=Eldredge |first=Elizabeth A. |year=1992 |title=Sources of Conflict in Southern Africa, c. 1800–30: The 'Mfecane' Reconsidered |journal=The Journal of African History |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=1–35 |doi=10.1017/S0021853700031832}}</ref>

Mzilikazi, the founder of the Ndebele nation, raided widely on the highveld, incorporating some conquered Sotho-Tswana groups while displacing others.<ref name="Wright20092" /> Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation, raided nearby Thembu and Xhosa groups for cattle, and loaned them among his followers to consolidate his power.<ref name="King2017" /><ref name="BritannicaMoshoeshoe">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Moshoeshoe |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moshoeshoe |access-date=15 May 2026}}</ref>

==Contemporary cattle raiding (1990–present)== ===East Africa=== {{See also|Cattle raiding in Kenya}} The Pokot and Samburu Nilotic populations in northwestern Kenya often raid each other for cattle.<ref>{{cite news| work=Daily Nation|date= September 15, 2009| url= http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/658232/-/umvbb5/-/index.html |title=31 killed in Laikipia cattle raid}}</ref> Violent cattle rustling has caused massive loss of lives such as the Monday 12 March 2001 raid among the Marakwet in Murkutwo Location, Elgeyo Marakwet County, suspected to have been caused by the Pokot.<ref>Kenya Human Rights Commission, ''Raiding Democracy: The Slaughter of the Marakwet in Kerio Valley'', Nairobi: Kenya Human Rights Commission.</ref>

===South Sudan=== {{Main|Sudanese nomadic conflicts}} Conflict over pastures and cattle raids has been happening between Dinka and Nuer as they battle for grazing their animals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Diamond |first1=Jared |title=The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? |date=2012 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1101606001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VP1JS2eWGbUC&pg=PT59}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Conflict between Dinka and Nuer in South Sudan {{!}} Climate-Diplomacy |url=https://climate-diplomacy.org/case-studies/conflict-between-dinka-and-nuer-south-sudan |access-date=2022-05-26 |website=climate-diplomacy.org |language=en}}</ref>

Cattle rustling is a major problem in rural areas of South Sudan. In the state of Jonglei, cattle raids in August 2011 left around 600 people dead. Once again in January 2012, ethnic clashes related to cattle theft killed between 2,000 and 3,000 people and displaced as many as 34,500 in the area around Pibor.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16575153|work= BBC News|title=South Sudan horror at deadly cattle vendetta}}</ref>

===West Africa=== {{See also|Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria}} Cattle rustling is common in Nigeria.<ref name="urlCows, Bandits, and Violent Conflicts: Understanding Cattle Rustling in Northern Nigeria | Olaniyan | Africa Spectrum">{{cite journal |url=https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/afsp/article/view/989 |title=Cows, Bandits, and Violent Conflicts: Understanding Cattle Rustling in Northern Nigeria |journal=Africa Spectrum |date=14 December 2016 |volume=51 |issue=3 |pages=93–105 |last1=Olaniyan |first1=Azeez |last2=Yahaya |first2=Aliyu |doi=10.1177/000203971605100305 |s2cid=149806324 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="urlCattle rustlers kill 23 people in northern Nigeria | World news | The Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/03/cattle-rustlers-kill-northern-nigeria-zamfara-vigilante |title=Cattle rustlers kill 23 people in northern Nigeria |website=The Guardian |date=3 June 2018 |agency=Agence France-Presse }}</ref><ref name="urlBetween Manslaugtering and cattle rustling: The tales of Fulani herdsmen and rural banditry in Nigeria | Calabar Reporters">{{cite web |url=https://calabarreporters.com/31436/manslaugtering-cattle-rustling |title=Between Manslaugtering and cattle rustling: The tales of Fulani herdsmen and rural banditry in Nigeria |website=Calabar Reporters |access-date=2018-10-10 |archive-date=2019-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190615125511/https://calabarreporters.com/31436/manslaugtering-cattle-rustling |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/16/BUQ6TT0PK.DTL|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218164328/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/16/BUQ6TT0PK.DTL|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 18, 2007|title=Cattle rustling on the rise in California|author=George Raine|date=2007-12-16|publisher=San Francisco Chronicle}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jbc01|title=The Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association}} * {{Cite book|title=The Handbook of Texas|last=Webb|first=Walter Prescott|author2=Eldon Stephen Branda|year=1952|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|isbn=9780876110270 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dx0UAAAAYAAJ&q=Cattle+rustling}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/25/us/cattle-rustling-making-a-comeback-as-tough-times-hit-texas.html|title=Cattle rustling making a comeback as tough times hit Texas|author=Robert Reinhold|date=1987-04-25|work=The New York Times}} * {{Cite book|title=The Black Hills, Or, The Last Hunting Ground of the Dakotahs|last=Tallent|first=Annie D.|year=1899|publisher=Nixon-Jones|url=https://archive.org/details/blackhillsorlas00tallgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/blackhillsorlas00tallgoog/page/n670 559]}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cattle Raiding}} Category:Cattle Category:Criminal occupations Category:Animal theft Category:American frontier Category:Organized crime activity Category:Cattle in Australia