Towards a Theory of Dung Culture: An Inner Asian Case Study

Abstract

Research on milk, meat, fur, bone and animal power predominates in theories of livestock resources. However, research on livestock dung, an important livestock resource that is produced regardless of the age and sex of the animal, and is a continuous and stable resource in terms of quantity, has been neglected. From the perspective of cultural anthropology, based on archival and ethnographic research, this paper examines livestock dung culture in terms of dung gathering, utilisation, and naming systems. It is argued that a theory of dung culture will provide an insight into the forma- tion of pastoralism and the origin of domestication.