Unique individuals

Look at her ears. In Hamar society every single animal in the herd is seen and known as an individual. A way to underscore the uniqueness of each animal, the Hamar alter the shape of the ears of the cow. Or they ink them, creating beautiful markings on their coats.

Each clan, each family has a specific way to cut the ears and a specific marking. So when a cow gets lost, everybody who finds it knows where it belongs. Herders are aware of the ear marking systems and tattoos used by other families. This is important because the Hamar cows are free to roam on their own, they are not always guided by a herder. Here again, the Hamar language is a useful tool as it has special words to describe the types of ear cuts.

One might compare it to farmers in the Netherlands who brand cattle as a way to show that they are theirs. And, more individuated, they tag cows by punching a number in their ears, marking that specific cow as an individual. Of course, farmers in the Netherlands may also bond with their cattle, even naming them. Still, they are not treated as family or part of the community by the whole Dutch society, and the level of closeness to the cow is incomparable to the experience of the Hamar. For Hamar people, each and every cow is a member of society.

That also means that, like the cattle need their herders, the opposite is also true: the Hamar people need their cattle to be there in important moments in their lives…