SOAS Mule and Donkey
Conference
The fourth session
of our biennial conference
was held on the
Island
of Hydra, Greece
Friday
10 to Sunday 12 October 2014
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PROGRAMME
[Abstracts of the papers are found at the end of this
document.]
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FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER 2014
VENUE: The New Town Hall [former OTE building,
behind
the clocktower at the harbourside]
_____________________________________________________________
10.45-11.45 – Attendance at veterinary session of
Greek Animal Welfare, with the Island’s mules and
donkeys. Meet at
entrance to football pitch.
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The history of the mule in Moroccan mountain tourism
Glen Cousquer [Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
12.30-1.00pm
The strange history of the Irish donkey
James Smyth [Queen’s University, Belfast]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF
of paper]
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LUNCH: 1.00pm to 3.00pm
________________________
3.00-3.30pm
The use of donkeys and mules among the ancient North
Arabian nomads in the light of the epigraphic evidence
Mohammad I. Ababneh [Martin Luther University,
Halle-Wittenberg]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
3.30-4.00pm
The role of the donkey in the colonisation of Australia
Jill Bough [University of Newcastle, Australia]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
________________________
EVENING SESSION:
CHANGE OF VENUE – Melina Mercouri Hall at the harbourside
6.30pm – PUBLIC MEETING – OPEN TO THE GENERAL
PUBLIC
Presentation of "Action Agenda" of Hydra's Muleteers [this session will be in Greek and English]
Presented by
Argyris Kalamatianakis [Island
of Hydra] and
Ed Emery [SOAS and Free
University of Hydra]
ALSO: The Caravans of the Himalayas [Film and talk]
Brigitte Blot [L’âne voyageur, France]
ALSO: Film of the Donkeys and Mules of Santorini
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SATURDAY 11 OCTOBER 2014
VENUE: New Town Hall
10.30-10.45am
Welcome from the Mayor of Hydra, Yorgos Koukoudakis
10.45-11.15am
Invisible donkeys: the unsung role of the donkey in the Ancient Near
East
Jill Goulder [University College London]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
11.15-11.45am
Owning a donkey on Hydra: When does life begin?
Corinna Seeds [Island of Hydra]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
12.00-12.30pm
Veterinary work with mules and donkeys on Hydra
Elisa Geskou [Greek Animal Welfare]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
________________________
LUNCH – 12.45-2.45pm
________________________
2.45-3.15pm
The conquering Balkan mule, c.1700-1914
William Clarence-Smith [School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS),
London]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
3.15-3.45pm
Comparing the physiological and biochemical parameters
of mules and hinnies to those of horses and donkeys
Amy McLean [North Carolina State University]
[Link to abstract] [Download
PDF of paper]
4.00-4.30pm
The use of mules in Eastern Turkey
Orhan Yilmaz et al. [Canakkale University]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF
of paper]
4.30-5.00pm
The mule and donkey culture of the Island of Hydra: problems, prospects
and possibilities [Film and talk]
[This paper includes discussion of the Action Agenda prepared by the
Muleteers of Hydra]
Ed Emery [SOAS, London]
[Link to abstract] [Download PDF of paper]
8.00pm – CONFERENCE SUPPER
________________________
SUNDAY 12 October 2014
* Possible group discussion
with muleteers of Hydra
* Possible mule trek to
Profitis Ilias monastery [3 hours]
_________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACTS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER OF SPEAKERS
_________________________________________________________________
[Top]
Mohammad I. Ababneh [MLU
Halle-Wittenberg]
ABSTRACT: The epigraphic material (i.e.
inscriptions and drawings) of the ancient north Arabian Nomads, who existed almost between 200 B.C. and 300 A.D in
northern Arabia, which is known as Safaitic inscriptions and drawings presents
a clear image about their daily life (all its elements) and also is considered
as a register of the environment that time. They were camel breeder nomads and
they have donkeys and mules, this is clear through the appearance of the
illustrations of these animals, it is shown in the drawings the dissimilar sizes
of the donkeys, this means, there was more than one kind; the great-sized may
be represent the mule. These animals have been mentioned in the inscriptions in
different words as ( ‘r, ‘yr), which mean equally “domestic or/and wild
ass both female and male”, (h.mr) “ass or/and she-ass”, (’tn)
“she-ass”, (sh.ly) “wild ass, mule” and (bġl) mule.
According to the nomad’s
lifestyle and their objective of breeding donkeys, it seems to be that the
donkeys and mules were used by herders as individual carrier; furthermore it
has been used in plowing. This study aims to present an image about these
animals through analyzing and comparing the evidence with other Semitic
languages.
CV: Mohammad I. Ababneh 2004 PhD in
Semitic Studies, Free University of Berlin- Germany, 1995 MA in Semitic
Epigraphy, Yarmouk University – Jordan, 1990 BFA Fine Arts, Yarmouk University.
The research field is Semitic inscriptions especially language, culture and
history of northern Arabia in pre-Islamic times based on epigraphic materials as
well as nomadic studies. He is working as researcher at MLU- Halle-Wittenberg,
Germany
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Brigitte Blot [L’âne voyageur,
France]
ABSTRACT: Brigitte Blot is an
“indefatigable traveller”. As well as travelling throughout France with her own
donkey, doing educational work, she has also filmed donkey caravans in the
Himalayas. She will show a film about her travels in Nepal, directed by Patrick
Kersalé.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Jill Bough [University of Newcastle, Australia]
ABSTRACT: The contributions of donkeys to colonial
societies have all too often been sidelined or overlooked in official records
and the history books. This is particularly the case in Australia where it is difficult
to find records of donkeys in colonial times, and where their descendants are
now persecuted as ‘vermin’ by government authorities. Although the role that
other draught animals played in the opening up and economy of the colony has
been recorded, that of the donkey has not been systematically researched
before. This presentation gives an overview of my research into the history and
use of donkeys in Australia based on my PhD : Value to vermin, the donkey in
Australia. Although the first three donkeys arrived in New South Wales in
1793, they came into wider use with the opening up of Central and Western
Australia in the 1860s as Europeans went in search of minerals and land. Great
teams of donkeys were extensively employed until the late 1930s and beyond for
freight haulage in semi-arid areas where horse and bullock teams perished.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
William G. Clarence-Smith
[SOAS, University of London]
ABSTRACT: In a very influential
article, Traian Stoianovich (‘The conquering Balkan Orthodox merchant’, The
Journal of Economic History, 20, 2, 1960, pp. 234-313) illuminated the
history of muleteers turned merchants, who were mainly Greek Orthodox Arumani
(Vlachs) by religion and ethnicity. They set up a commercial empire that
spanned the Balkans and beyond in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
However, the reader searches in vain through the article for much about the
mules themselves. As so often in historical writings in English, ‘muleteers’
turn out to have employed a variety of animals, and not just mules. Mules were
very significant in the southern Balkans, but pack-horses became increasingly
important to the north. An attempt is made here to explain this difference, and
to explore the concealed history of how these animals were bred and marketed.
CV: William
Gervase Clarence-Smith obtained his PhD at the School of Oriental and African
Studies, University of London, where he is currently Professor of the Economic
History of Asia and Africa. He edits the Journal of Global History (Cambridge
University Press). He is researching and publishing on domestic animals in the
‘Global South’. He also works on commodities, manufacturing, labour, and
sexuality, with a special emphasis on Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Glen Cousquer
[Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh]
ABSTRACT: Mountain tourism has emerged as a
significant source of income for mountain communities across the High Atlas of
Morocco. Today, almost every family living in the shadow of the Toubkal (4167m)
owns a mule and it is the mule that allows the muleteer to seek work carrying
luggage, trekking equipment and tourists.
The emergence of this sector can be traced
back to the explorations of a number of travellers and alpinists during the first
half of the 20th Century. The number of visitors entering the Toubkal National
Park remained small, however, until the incursion of a track in the 1950s.
The local people at the time were
subsistence farmers. Over the last three generations, the valley has seen
artisanal mines open and close and agriculture switch to concentrate on apple,
cherry and other high-value crops. As the local population and tourism demand
have grown, tourism, construction and other industries – reliant on the mule –
have emerged. Muleteering is thus a largely new activity.
This paper charts the changing role of the
mule within these communities over a 95 year period and comments on how this,
in turn, impacts on the mule’s worth and welfare.
CV
Glen Cousquer is a veterinary surgeon and
International Mountain Leader. He currently holds a research position in the
Institute of Geography, at the University of Edinburgh. His research work
focuses on professional practice, professionalism and animal welfare within the
mountain tourism industry. He recently authored the new entry on 'Mountain
Tourism' for the Encyclopaedia of Tourism (Routledge World Reference) as
well as a range of other papers in various tourism journals. He has been
working in Morocco since 2008. In his previous life, he worked as a wildlife
vet before undertaking Masters Degrees in Outdoor Education and Educational
Research.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
possibilities
Ed Emery [SOAS, University of
London]
ABSTRACT: By a long-standing decision of
the residents and municipality of Hydra, the principal transportation of goods
by land is done by mules and donkeys, some owned by professional muleteers and
some owned by private individuals. Exception is made for municipal lorries
engaged in construction work, and garbage trucks for the (excessive) quantities
of waste generated on the island. For some years I have been documenting the
much under-valued work of the muleteers (agogiates), both photographing
and filming. This year has seen the production of an Action Agenda for the
muleteers, addressing the many problems that they face in pursuing their
traditional livelihood. My paper presents that document, and outlines some of
those problems, as well as possible avenues for solutions.
CV: Ed Emery is organiser of the
Free University of Hydra, an informal conference-based university dealing with
matters of cultural, political and social concern throughout the Mediterranean
region. The conferences are held in the Island of Hydra. Proposals for
collaborations and proposals for future research projects are welcomed. At the
School of Oriental and African Studies [SOAS, London] he also organises the
biennial "Camel Conference @ SOAS", and the triennial conference on
"War Horses of the World".
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Elisa Geskou [Greek Animal
Welfare]
ABSTRACT: Awaited
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Jill Goulder [University
College London]
ABSTRACT: The working donkey is
difficult to detect in Mesopotamian and southern Levant prehistory through
faunal analysis, and a Western mindset about working animals has allowed a
model involving ploughing oxen to prevail. This paper, based on work in
progress for my PhD thesis, outlines the near-invisibility of the working
donkey in Ancient Near Eastern prehistory, and the lack of archaeological focus
generally on the practicalities of the early systematic use of working animals,
such as the need for year-round utilisation to offset the investment. A new
approach is proposed, using analogies with modern African and other studies to
help detect systematic usage of donkeys in the Ancient Near East, for ploughing
and for the key work of local transportation, through tracing social and
economic changes in the cultures of the time.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
those
of horses and donkeys
Amy McLean [North Carolina
State University] [SEE FULL PAPER]
ABSTRACT: Mules and hinnies are hybrid
offspring from donkeys (Equus asinus) and horses (Equus caballus).
Little scientific information is known regarding mules and even less is known
about hinnies the reciprocial cross. There have only been a few studies that
have attempted to define commonalities and differences of these
hybrids especially in terms of comparing and contrasting them to their
sires and dams (donkeys and horses). This presentation will take a closer look
at hinnies and mules from around the world and how they are used today as well
as comparing both physiological and biochemical parameters of these
unique creatures while addressing many of the fallacies and myths
commonly associated with such equids with special attention being paid to
hinnies. Recent studies conducted by the author and colleagues on comparing
physiological, hematological, and biochemical parameters of both hinnies and mules
from several countries will be shared in this review. In addition,
interviews from both hinny and mule owners and breeders from Mexico,
Columbia, US, Spain and Portugal will also be included for a more comprehensive
understanding of behavior and training and how hinnies and mules are used
today.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
James Smyth [Queen’s University,
Belfast]
ABSTRACT: Introduction – The economic
importance of the donkey – The donkey as political metaphor: Home Rule –
Humanity Dick and the donkey trial – The donkey in literature, art and music –
The donkey as stereotype – The donkey as metaphor.
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
An assessment of welfare of working donkeys and
mules using health and behaviour parameters in Punjab, Pakistan
Muhammad Tariq[1],
Asif Hameed [2] and Parvez Akhtar [3]
ABSTRACT: Despite their
valuable contributions, mules and donkeys are the most neglected animal,
accorded low social status, frequently subjected to overloading, beating, injuries
and compelled for long working hours. It is regrettable that these animals are
not well cared for, thus reducing their draught capabilities. A protocol was
used to assess the welfare of working mules and donkeys using direct
observation of health and behavior parameters. In this study, 1200 Mules and
donkeys used for transportation, draught and ridden work in different areas of
Punjab were assessed. Overall, 53 % animals were found severely depressed,
while 32.7 % showed no response when approached. Eyes and mucous membrane
abnormalities were present in 64.3 % and 9.7 % Mules and Donkeys. Lip lesions,
missing of teeth and presences of molar or sharp edges were present in 45.3,
11.33 and 92.33 %, respectively. Only 4.3 % Mules and Donkeys were found in
good body condition, while majority (77.66 %) were in moderate body condition
(77.66 %). Lesions on head and ear, neck, breast, wither, girth, shoulder, ribs
and belly, spine, tail and tail base, hind quarters, hind legs, knee joints and
fore legs were present in order of 11, 9.7, 32, 39, 43.3, 19.0, 23.7, 11.0,
23.0, 17.0, 9.7, 23.0 and 31.0 % respectively. Knee lesions, hock lesions,
swelling of tendons and joints and deformed limbs were prevalent in 72.0, 55.0,
91.3 and 8.7 % animals, respectively. Bases on these results welfare needs priority
which is not only for their well-being but will also improve the economic
status of the owner.
[1, 3] University of Agriculture,
Faisalabad Sub-Campus TT Singh, Pakistan 38000
[2] Lok Sanjh Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan 44000
E-mail: [email protected]
________________________
[Top]
Orhan Yılmaz1* Füsun Coşkun2,
Yakup Erdal Ertürk3, Mehmet Ertuğrul4
ABSTRACT: In history mules used
to be used widely in Turkey. After mechanization started in the mid-1900’s, the
numbers of the mule population decreased year by year. Engine vehicles such as
tractors substitute not only mules but also camels, donkey and horses in rural
areas. The mules are raised in provinces of Sirnak, Mardin, Hakkari and Van in
the southeast and east of Turkey. All the mules are illegally imported from
Iraq. The provinces of Sirnak and Mardin are next to Iraq border, and Van is
next to Iran border. The province of Hakkari has border to both Iraq and Iran.
In these provinces mules are only raised places which are close to country
border.
In
these provinces mules are only used for border trading between two countries.
Mules carried food stuff such as sugar from Turkey to those countries and they
brought fuel-oil from Iran, and some items such as cigarette from Iraq. Mules
are escorted by owners in Iraq border, but mules are released in Iran land
which is near to Turkish border and they arrive to Turkish land on their own.
These clever animals definitely know the track and find their way in night
time. Turkish borders are guarded by army soldiers and in Turkey there are not
a special border guards. Because of European Union membership process, Turkish
Government will provide special border guards in several years. In these border
provinces geographical conditions are too harsh and therefore there is limited
arable land and animal husbandry. Local people have low education and income.
Hence some of them prefer border trading between two countries.
_____________________________________________________________
The
conference organisers would like to thank the Mayor and Municipality of Hydra for
their support in providing facilities for this conference.
William Clarence-Smith [SOAS] [Conference chair]
Ed Emery [SOAS] [Conference organiser]
For all inquiries about the
conference please contact
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Web
design: Ed Emery / Universitas adversitatis
Last
updated: 12 August 2017