Pastoralism in Africa

Introduction

The African continent was a long-serving colony of Britishers and other European countries. The sole aim of these colonial powers was to drain as much wealth as they could from the colonies. The most significant source of income was the revenue generated from agriculture. For that purpose, the colonial masters always sought to increase the agricultural land and encouraged natives to cultivate those lands so they could generate more revenue. Pastoral tribes moved across the country according to season and in search of food and water for themselves and their cattle.

The new rules and regulation introduced by colonial masters restricted their movement across the country. The colonial masters found it easy to control the people if they lived in one fixed place and indulged themselves in cultivation. These absurd laws completely transformed the centuries-old tradition and livelihood of tribes and reshaped their social relationship.

Massai Tribe Herder

Andreas Lederer, Young Masai herder, CC BY 2.0

Where Have the Grazing Lands Gone?

• There are many tribal communities in Africa, such as Massai, Boran, Berbers, Bedouins, Turkana and Somali.

• The major problem for these pastoral tribes was the lessening of Grazing fields, due to the policies of colonial masters.

• The Massai tribe was most affected by the loss of grazing fields.

• Earlier Massai tribes were stretched over a vast area, from Kenya to Tanzania.

• In 1885 the division of Kenya and Tanzania led to the loss of most of the Grazing land.

• The best pasture and fertile lands were made reserved for white colonies and Massai were pushed to a small area in Kenya and Tanzania.

• Maasais lost about 60 percent of their lands due to new borders and countries. They were not allowed to move to another country.

• After the arrival of colonial power, they encouraged farmers to cultivate more land and the pasture lands were converted into agricultural lands. This completely changes the social dynamics of Africa.

• The colonial government had turned a large part of grazing areas into game reserves.

• Serengeti Park in Tanzania and Maasai mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya were the major reserves.

• Serengeti Park in Tanzania and Maasai mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya were the major reserves.

• Pastoralists were not allowed to enter, Hunt and graze their animals in these parks.

• The same case was seen in Namibia, the Kaokoland tribes were not allowed to cross the border and get into Ovamboland where they have been going for centuries to sell animal products and get fresh food and water for their cattle. Due to newly formed boundaries, their livelihood was destroyed.

Maasai Tribe

David Berkowitz from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Closed Borders

• Before the 19th century in Africa, Pastoralists moved freely in search of better pastures and water for their cattle. They move to another place once the resources in one Pasture are depleted.

• After the arrival of colonial governments in the late 19th century. They imposed various kinds of restrictions and brought many laws which restricted the pastoralists from entering reserved forests.

• Tribal groups were forced to reside in small places, they were not allowed to go to other places even though the resources were not sufficient for the survival of their cattle.

• Newly formed countries stopped their movement across the border, they needed permits to move with their stock.

• Tribes were restricted from going into areas reserved for white colonies. They were not allowed to come in any kind of contact with white people.

• Tribes were not allowed to trade with white people and they were made as slaves and forced to work in mines and fields.

• The new boundaries affected the livelihood and trade of these tribes; they were adversely affected by such policies.

When Pastures Dry

• Drought is one of the biggest natural calamities for Pastoralist tribes all over the world.

• The year when Rain fails, all the pastures and ponds dry up.

• Cattle could not endure drought unless they are taken to a place where food and water is available to them, which is why these tribes are nomadic.

• They tend to move from one place to another in search of fodder.

• The newly formed boundaries restricted the movements of tribes and they were pushed to live in a fixed area. They cannot go to another place even in drought.

• This caused massive devastation for the Maasai tribe, there were approx. thousands of cattle and sheep in Maasai's reserved land but just after two years of severe drought, the number of cattle was halved.

• The policies of the colonial government led to a steady decline in the number of tribes and the loss of their cattle.

Not All Were Equally Affected

• Pastoralists in Africa and the Maasai land were not equally affected by the new colonial rule.

• The Massai society was divided into two sections; Elders and Warriors.

• Elders were old and they used to oversee the administration and settle disputes in the community.

• The warriors were young people who were subject to the authority of elders, they would go to war with other tribes to gain more cattle.

• The Britishers changed the dynamics of elders and warriors, they appointed a community head who was paid by Britishers as well as allowed to have a large stock.

• The new head of community acted as a subject of the colonial master and gained so much wealth while other Maasai were adversely affected.

Conclusion

The African Pastoralist tribes were also adversely affected by the colonial government. They were restricted to smaller areas and were not allowed to cross the newly formed borders. They were also restricted from entering the White colonies and left to starve even in drought. The colonial rule imposed many rules and regulations which gradually led to the decline of these tribes. They also broke the social structure of these tribes by introducing newly appointed leaders who worked on the behalf of colonial power.

FAQs

Q1. What were the game reserves?

Ans. Game reserves were large areas reserved only for white people. The tribes were not allowed to enter that area. The European colonists used to hunt for sport in those areas.

Q2. Why did the Britishers appoint chiefs for tribes?

Ans. British colonials appointed chiefs to different subgroups of Maasai tribes to administer the affairs and to keep elders and warriors in check.

Q3. How did the new laws affect the Maasai tribe?

Ans. Several new laws were introduced that restricted the movement of tribes and forced them to live in one place. In the drought of 1932, approx. half of the cattle of the Maasai tribe died due to starvation.

Q4. How did the chief appointed by the colonial government accumulate much wealth?

Ans. The newly appointed chiefs got a fixed salary from the government and from this money they could bring more cattle. They possessed big flocks and used to lend money to poor tribals and when they could not pay it back, they seized their cattle.

Q5. What was the occupation of Kaokoland herders?

Ans. The Kaokoland herders were from Namibia, they used to sell animal products like animal skin, furs, and meats to nearby Ovamboland.