Changing World of a Pastoralist

By Dr. Moses Mwangi

I am not a pastoralist but have close to three decades lived among them, working in the field of water sciences to sustain their core livelihood – livestock. The period has allowed building some understanding of the people in both social and economic terms. This has helped in unpacking a definition of pastoralism given while studying water for the arid lands. It was then put forth that pastoralism was ‘a stage in the development of civilization between hunting and agriculture, a way of life dependent on the herding of livestock, specifically, ungulates’ At the time I did not think much of the definition.  Having come from an agrarian background, the only quick conclusion was that maybe, the pastoralists were still ‘evolving’ and would at some point start being a different people. And, as a good student, I clung to the teacher’s definition, for the sake of passing examinations. It was only later when I came to closely associate with pastoralists that I got excited in debunking the definition and knowing their realm. Suffice it to say that I am still learning their dynamic world.

As with all nomadic people around the globe, pastoralists are losing out on many fronts in the current society as a result of policy and governance systems that are not compatible to their way of life. There are physical threats to their well-being in the combined effects of climate variability, frequent droughts and famines, destruction of ecologies and lands, all of which spell disaster. With the increasing frequency and severity of the adversities, pastoralists’ land can no longer sustain them well and people are forced to migrate.  Some completely drop out of the pastoralist lifestyle and system, moving to seek casual work as the first line of defense. Others migrate to areas with pastures and water that include cities.

My take is that people have been hasty to write the pastoralists off. The first claims of pastoralism in decline were written in the 1920s. But the pastoralists numbers have multiplied since then. It has also been widely believed that herders are primitive and inefficient users of natural resources by both the colonial and post-independence governments. Appreciation was lost that pastoralist communities have from time immemorial depended on their natural surroundings and, precisely for that reason, devised ways of sustaining their environment in the long run. The reality is that pastoralism is transforming, far from disappearing. What is clear is that the future of pastoralism is affected by radical changes in their milieu in terms of access to resources, options for mobility and opportunities for marketing. The question is then whether these changes bring new possibilities for making livelihoods stronger and sustainable.

Times and researches have shown that by adopting the use of technology, pastoralism has become greener. Technology is changing what they know about the world outside their milieu. For instance, while the Maasai pastoralists still largely live in mud huts without electricity, they have gradually accepted selected modes of modern technology. A visitor to Maasailand will see many cell-phones which are becoming increasingly common. The gadgets have become part of their lives and, are used for communication, scout for pastures and water, banking, security and, marketing of products! In light of this, one may say that perhaps it was right to think that the pastoralists were still evolving. With all the encroachments into their rangelands and disruptions in their way of life, the pastoralists keep transforming their lifestyles to fit with emerging situations. Remarkably, in spite of external pressure to change, the pastoralists have endeavoured to maintain their cultural identity and choose which parts of external culture and modernity to accept. For this, there is still no issue that is more critical to their well-being than secure land tenure that guarantees sustenance to their economic mainstay. But with the craze to own a piece of their soil, we can only anticipate more evolution!

February 2014