The act of cattle-raiding is quite ancient, first attested over seven thousand years ago, and is one of the oldest-known aspects of
Proto-Indo-European culture, being seen in inscriptions on artifacts such as the Norse
Golden Horns of Gallehus and in works such as the
Old Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge ("Cattle Raid of
Cooley"), the
paṇis of the
Rigveda, the
Mahabharata cattle raids and cattle rescues; and the
Homeric Hymn to
Hermes, who steals the cattle of
Apollo.
Central Asia In his childhood, the
Turco-Mongol conqueror
Timur and a small band of followers raided travelers for goods, especially animals such as sheep, horses, and cattle. Around 1363, it is believed that Timur tried to steal a sheep from a shepherd but was shot by two arrows, one in his right leg and another in his right hand, where he lost two fingers. Both injuries disabled him for life. Timur's injuries have given him the names of Timur the Lame and Tamerlane by Europeans.
Ireland & Britain by John Derricke. In
Gaelic Ireland, cattle raiding, whether in retaliation for an insult under the code of conduct or to keep the whole clan fed during a difficult winter, was a common part of warfare between
Irish clans, as is often depicted in stories from
Irish mythology, such as the
Táin Bó Cúailnge and the
Táin Bó Flidhais. Cattle raiding and selling
protection against theft continued by
Irish clan chiefs and
rapparees, particularly against the estates of
Anglo-Irish landlords, well into the 18th century in Ireland. Warfare between
Scottish clans was often for very similar reasons and, during the 17th and 18th centuries, many
Scottish clan chiefs would similarly operate an extralegal
Watch over the cattle herds of the
Lowland gentry in return for
protection money, which Highland Chiefs similarly used to feed their tenants and clansmen. Any cattle that were stolen from herds under the Chiefs' Watch were either retrieved, or he paid for them in full. Cattle-raiding by the
Border reivers was a serious problem for many centuries on both sides of the
Anglo-Scottish border.
American Old West (1864) during the
American Civil War. In the
American frontier, rustling was considered a serious offense and in some cases resulted in
vigilantes hanging or shooting the thieves.
Mexican rustlers were a major issue during the
American Civil War (1861–1865); the Mexican government was accused of supporting the habit. American rustlers also stole Mexican cattle from across the border. Failure to
brand new calves facilitated theft. Conflict over alleged rustling was a major issue in the
Johnson County War of 1892 in
Wyoming. The transition from
open range to fenced grazing gradually reduced the practice of rustling in North America. In the 20th century, so called "suburban rustling" became more common, with rustlers anesthetizing cattle and taking them directly to auction. This often takes place at night, posing problems for law enforcement, because on very large ranches it can take several days for the loss of cattle to be noticed and reported. Convictions are extremely rare to nonexistent.
Chile and Argentina (1802–1858) '' (The Return of the Raiders) by
Ángel Della Valle (1892). Cattle raiding became a major issue at the end of the 19th century in Argentina, where cattle stolen during
malones were taken through
Camino de los chilenos across the
Andes to
Chile, where they were exchanged for alcoholic beverages and
firearms. Several indigenous groups and outlaws, such as the
Boroano and
Ranquel peoples, and the
Pincheira brothers, ravaged the southern frontier of Argentina in search of cattle. To prevent the cattle raiding, the Argentine government built a system of trenches called
Zanja de Alsina in the 1870s. Most cattle raids ended after the military campaigns of the
Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s, and the following partition of
Patagonia established by the
Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. In a letter to Chilean President
Manuel Montt Mapuche chief
Mañil denounced the plunder of graves in search of
Mapuche silver, arson of
Mapuche houses and other abuses against Mapuches that were happening in the newly created province. Mañil further accused intendant Villalón con Salbo of becoming rich by cattle theft. The return of Chilean veterans from the
War of the Pacific coincided with the Chilean Army's crushing of
Mapuche resistance in the
Occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883). This led to opportunities for bandits and veterans-turned-bandits to immigrate to the newly opened Araucanía territory, leading to sudden rise in violence and in a region that was recovering from Chilean-Mapuche warfare. Bandits that immigrated to Araucanía allied with displaced Mapuche and made cattle theft their chief business. Stolen cattle was sold in marketplaces through the region. ==Contemporary cattle raiding (1990–present)==