Breeds of Borana and the singing wells
The southern Ethiopian rangeland that gave the world the Boran cow, watered in the dry season at deep wells where herders sing.
Breeds of this place
Best time: January to March, the dry season, when the wells are busiest.
The Borana country of southern Ethiopia is a rolling savanna of grass and acacia, home to the Borana Oromo herders. It is the homeland of the Boran, a hardy East African zebu later improved by breeders in Kenya and exported across the tropics. In the dry season, herds are watered at the tula wells, deep wells dug long ago, where lines of people pass water up by hand and sing as they work.
The Boran
Boran cattle are white, grey or red, with a large hump and short horns. They can walk long distances to water, survive on dry grass and resist many tropical diseases. Kenyan ranchers improved the breed for beef in the twentieth century, and it was later taken to Australia, South Africa and the Americas. Among the Borana, cattle are at the centre of wealth, marriage and ritual.
The tula wells
The tula wells are run under strict customary rules set by the Gadaa system of the Borana, which decides who may water their herds and when. Water is lifted from deep in the well by a chain of people, who sing to keep time and calm the waiting cattle. Droughts in recent decades have hit the herds hard.
A trail idea for Borana and the singing wells
- Yabelo The main town of the area, with a weekly livestock market.
- A tula well See herds watered at the deep wells in the dry season.
- El Sod crater A volcanic crater where salt for people and herds is dug from the lake floor.
Written by the EveryCow desk with AI assistance. Background: "Yabelo" on Wikipedia. Fair dates, markets and visiting rules change; check locally before travelling, and keep a respectful distance from working animals. If something is wrong, tell us.
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