Boma
An enclosure of thorn bushes that protects cattle at night in East Africa.
Also: enkang, thorn enclosure
In East Africa a boma is a fenced enclosure, traditionally built of cut thorn branches, into which cattle, goats and sheep are brought at night to protect them from lions, hyenas, leopards and raiders. Among the Maasai, houses are built in a ring inside a thorn fence, the enkang, with the livestock in the middle. Bomas remain important for keeping the peace between herders and wildlife, and conservation groups help herders build sturdier predator-proof bomas from chain-link and wooden posts. The word is Swahili, and in East Africa it can also mean a government post or a meeting place.