To clarify the system involved in the initial domestication of asses, this study explores breaking and the consequent establishment of tameness through focusing on a human ecological approach based on reports of the epigenetic inheritance of human-induced stress in animals. The research subjects are Afar pastoralists who use donkeys for packing loads in two areas (A and B) in the Afar Regional State of Ethiopia; both areas are home to an endangered species of wild ass. Interviews were conducted on the methods of wild ass capture that caused initial human-induced stress. Next, the method currently adopted for breaking donkeys for packing which the Afar pastoralists considered to promote tameness was investigated. The number of informants from Community (A) who answered in the negative to the possibility of capturing wild asses for domestication was significantly greater than those who replied in the positive. However, four suggestions were made for capturing wild asses for domestication. In both areas, the target age for breaking the donkeys for packing was 1 to 3 years inclusively. Differences, however, were seen between Afar communities with regard to whether training for packing should happen in a series of processes and with regard to the number of days needed for the process. The training methods characteristically used in both areas includes forelimbs tying, jaw tying, and ears tying. A combination of these methods was observed to be a neuro-physiologically effective approach, promoting obedience while controlling stress; stress caused by jaw and forelimbs tying was nullified by ears tying, which produced an analgesic effect. Therefore, for domestication during the ancient period and maintaining the tame status of donkeys, the age for training for packing and controlling stress by tying the forelimbs, jaws, and ears might have been the effective techniques in taming the animal through epigenetic mutations.

中文翻译：

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驯化驴子的驯服要求：埃塞俄比亚阿法尔牧民的培训方法和概念

为了阐明与驴的初始驯化有关的系统，本研究基于对人类诱发的动物应激的表观遗传的报道，着重于人类生态学方法，探索了驯服的破裂和随之而来的驯化。研究对象是使用驴子在埃塞俄比亚阿法尔州的两个地区（A和B）打包货物的阿法尔牧民。这两个地区都是濒临灭绝的野驴物种的家园。采访了引起最初人为压力的野驴捕获方法。接下来，研究了阿法尔牧民认为促进驯服的目前用于破坏驴子的包装方法。来自社区（A）的回答是否定的回答者是捕获野生驴体以进行驯化的可能性远远大于回答为肯定的回答者。但是，针对捕获野驴进行驯化提出了四个建议。在这两个地区，打破驴包装的目标年龄均为1至3岁。但是，在是否应该在一系列过程中进行包装培训以及过程所需的天数方面，Afar社区之间存在差异。在这两个领域中特有的训练方法包括前肢绑，下颌绑和耳朵绑。观察到这些方法的组合是一种神经生理学上有效的方法，可以在控制压力的同时促进服从。颌部绑扎消除了颌骨和前肢绑扎引起的压力，从而产生了止痛作用。因此，为了在古代驯化和保持驴的驯服状态，通过绑扎前肢，颚和耳朵来训练和控制压力的训练年龄可能是通过表观遗传突变驯化动物的有效技术。