Scholars have revived the concept of primitive accumulation to describe how explicit violence is an ongoing and structural, rather than simply historical, tool for capitalist domination. However, the ...relationship between the logic of capitalism and history of capitalism remains obscured. Capitalism is politically enforced and hegemonic, but ongoing instances of capitalist violence repeatedly appear as though they were breaking new ground or finding new frontiers for capitalist growth. In this paper, I offer a novel framework for understanding how primitive accumulation not only creates a capitalist material order but also a temporal order that motivates and reproduces capitalist violence. Focusing on Maasai conflicts over conservation lands in Kenya and Tanzania, I describe how primitive accumulation imposes the historical narratives that naturalize capitalism, ecological rhythms that suppress competing lifeways, and identity categories that marginalize dispossessed populations by characterizing them as primitive. This account advances key debates about settler-colonialism, racial capitalism, and potential resistance by clarifying how disproportionate harm against particular populations is justified, how those justifications reproduce and naturalize capitalist domination, and how temporality represents not only a site of domination but also political struggle.
•Estimation of genetic parameters for growth traits of indigenous sheep in pastoral production system within a crossbreeding program is feasible.•The direct heritability estimates were of moderate ...value for all the growth traits•Genetic and phenotypic correlations were high and positive among all growth traits with weaning weight a preferred key trait for selection purposes.•Remarkable good genetic gain was achieved by the Red Maasai sheep compared to other breed groups•Effects of various environmental factors were considerably smaller in pure Red Maasai sheep relative to other breed groups.
The Red Maasai are indigenous sheep breeds known for their adaptability in arid and semi-arid environments while the Dorper is known for its good mutton production. A field experiment cross breeding program for the two breeds was set up in 2003 to exploit these traits. In this paper, we present the genetic parameters for birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (WWT) and weight at nine months (MWT) for pure Red Maasai (RRRR), pure Dorper (DDDD), 75% Dorper (DDDR) and 50% Dorper (DDRR) breeds. The genetic parameters were estimated by fitting four different multivariate animal models while ignoring or including maternal effects. The model with the lowest Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) was chosen as the best model for the estimation of genetic parameters. The average annual genetic gain of the studied traits for each breed group was estimated by regressing the estimated breeding values on year of birth. Records from 5442 lambs recorded over a period of 17 years (2003-2019) were used in this analysis. The breed group, sex, type of birth, season of birth and age of the dam significantly (P < 0.001) affected the weights of the animals. The direct heritability estimates for BWT, WWT and MWT were highest in the RRRR (0.40 ± 0.08, 0.39 ± 0.08, 0.45 ± 0.08 respectively). Direct heritability was lowest for BWT in the DDDR (0.18 ± 0.06), and for WWT and MWT in the DDDD (0.10 ± 0.07, 0.08 ± 0.06 respectively). The maternal heritability estimates were highest in BWT for DDRR (0.12 ± 0.05) and at WWT for DDDD (0.05 ± 0.03), and lowest in BWT for DDDR (0.03 ± 0.03) and at WWT for DDRR (0.00 ± 0.01). The maternal heritability for MWT for all the breed groups was close to zero. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between the traits were all high and positive across all breed groups. The phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.41 to 0.73 while the genetic correlations ranged from 0.40 to 0.99. The pure Red Maasai had an average annual genetic gain of 0.012 ± 0.005 kg, 0.144 ± 0.037 kg and 0.170 ± 0.047 kg for BWT, WWT and MWT respectively while the pure Dorper had an average annual genetic gain of 0.006 ± 0.006 for BWT, 0.047 ± 0.033 for WWT and 0.069 ± 0.044 for MWT. Between the crosses, the 50% Dorper had higher annual genetic gains for all the traits. The observed genetic gains demonstrate that selective breeding based on estimated breeding values can lead to significant genetic improvement in the Red Maasai sheep and its crosses.
In 1976 and 2014, scientists reported hominin footprints in Pliocene volcanic deposits at Laetoli, north-eastern Tanzania. They hypothesized that the footprints belong to the extinct hominin species ...Australopithecus afarensis. Not only have the footprints shaped scientists' understanding of human biological evolution, but they have also placed Laetoli and Tanzania on the world's paleoanthropological studies map. However, there have been different interpretations of who made these footprints. Opinions of the scientists on the footprints are widely documented, yet narratives of Maasai (local people living around Laetoli) have never been investigated. This paper documents the perceptions of Maasai on what these footprints are, and to whom they belong. We report that concepts related to the nature and genesis of the footprints and who made them form part of the Maasai's history. Finally, we suggest that for sustainable footprints preservation, local narratives about footprints be integrated into scientific interpretations of the site.
Cooperative resource sharing is widespread across cultures, and it was likely critical during much of human evolutionary history for pooling risk. Need-based sharing specifically pools risk by ...following two cooperative rules: help others when asked, and only request help when in need. In a two-part study, we first expanded an agent-based model of need-based sharing partnerships, adding two types of defection and varying partnership sizes. We show that refusing to help always has a long-term cost, which increases with larger partnerships. In contrast, “greedy” requests that are not based on survival risk carry little-to-no cost. We then conducted an experimental vignette study of osotua, a need-based sharing tradition, with Tanzanian Maasai pastoralists. We found that participants generally complied with osotua requests, but shared larger amounts for requests that were based on survival risk. We conclude by proposing an expanded framework for evolutionary models involving need and fitness interdependence, where the cost asymmetry among types of defection generally favors a decision heuristic where individuals prefer sharing with those in need, but err on the side of generosity when need is uncertain.
Human-wildlife conflict in Kenya is a complex issue with environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Conservation education can raise awareness of environmental issues, by increasing knowledge, ...promoting positive attitudes, leading to proenvironmental behaviours. Educated youth can become ‘conservation ambassadors’ who help spread messages through the community. This qualitative study critically examined the extent to which this took place using the Wildlife Warriors Kids education programme, in areas of human-wildlife conflict in Kenya. Data were collected on students’ knowledge, attitudes and practice in three primary schools in Maasai areas; in one of these school areas, interviews and a focus group were also held with Maasai community members. The influence on students was evident, regarding knowledge about wildlife, positive attitudes and an understanding of pro-environmental behaviours. The filtration of knowledge and pro-environmental behaviours to the community level was positive but limited. Culture and human wildlife conflict were the predominant factors influencing attitudes. It was evident there is a need to include intergenerational learning, and focus attention on cultural and environmental challenges, to enhance the filtration of conservation education to the community.
Keywords: conservation education, Maasai, human wildlife conflict, indigenous knowledge, culture
Male physical formidability may reflect capacities to provision and protect, resource holding potential, and social status. Handgrip strength (HGS) is a robust measure of overall muscular strength ...and function that correlates positively with ratings of male facial attractiveness and dominance. Here, we examine strength, attractiveness, and aggressiveness assessments as a function of facial cues to HGS in a sample of male Maasai of Northern Tanzania. Adult Maasai (56 women, 40 men) rated three strength-calibrated facial morphs of Maasai men. These morphs were constructed by performing a geometric morphometric shape regression on HGS using digital images of 54 men (20–29 years). Participants judged facial morphs calibrated to greater HGS higher on strength and attractiveness, but lower on aggressiveness. The accurate assessment of male Maasai physical strength from facial cues and the corresponding attractiveness assessments of strength cues are consistent with evolutionary predictions and previous research. The situation is less clear for the association of facial strength cues with the assessment of aggression. Future research should consider the possibility of a (feature-based) perceptual overgeneralization, especially in the interpretation of facial aggressiveness judgments, in addition to population-specific influences, and distinguish them from facial cues that indicate behavioral dispositions. Collectively, the findings of the present study corroborate the suggestion that the Maasai are sensitive to facial cues of strength and use these cues in social assessments.
•We assessed the faces of male Maasai from Northern Tanzania.•Novel facial stimuli were calibrated to vary with handgrip strength.•Strength assessments reflected strength-calibrated facial morphology.•Attractiveness assessments increased with physical strength cues.•Aggressiveness assessments decreased with physical strength cues.
Abstract Lists of basic needs necessary for a decent human life have found their way into approaches to sustainable development such as the “Safe and Just Space for Humanity” framework. The ...“dominant” conceptions of a decent human life have been criticised by social groups which find themselves at the margins of public debates such as the Degrowth or Post-colonial movements. According to the latter, the dominant conceptions neglect certain values which are necessary constituents of a decent human life: meaningful activities, convivial activities, and relationships of certain quality (love, respect, harmony, care) towards human and other-than-human beings. With this paper, we present results of interviews with male Maasai pastoralists in a village in Northern Tanzania in which we elicited what they consider as requirements for a good human life. According to our results, Maasai pastoralists disagree about the necessary constituents of a decent human life as well, replicating the controversy from the international debates between the proponents of the dominant approaches and their critics from Post-colonial and Degrowth movements.
Designing adaptation strategies to climate change and variability impacts requires an understanding of people's perception of climate change. Despite Maasai of the Maasai Steppe being vulnerable to ...climate change, how communities understood and interpret climate change have received little attention. A cross-sectional study of community's perceptions of climate change and adaptation was conducted. A multinomial logistic regression in R 3.3.2 was used to analyze the determinants of adaptation decisions at a household level. Perceptions of climate change was based on experience of increasing temperature (94.4%, n = 136), insufficient rainfall with spatial-temporal variation (88.2%, n = 136) and frequent dry spell in recent years (91.2%, n = 136). Impacts of these changes were drop of livestock productivity (85.7%, n = 136), death of livestock (11.9%, n = 136) and conflicts (3.4%, n = 136). Although trekking livestock to ronjo and livestock based donation from relatives were commonly used to moderate adverse impacts of drought, at the 95% CI, at least primary education influenced household decision to move to ronjo (β = 2.5, SE = 1.2, p = 0.045) and donation (β = 3.1, SE = 1.4, p = 0.029) when compared to not adapting. Moreover, few livelihood assets observed in this study may limit perceptions and even adaptations of Maasai communities.
•Over the past 30 year, Maasai Steppe has experienced climate and non-climate changes.•Different age set embrace different adaptation strategies.
The Maasai of Matapato Spencer, Paul
1988, 20040301, 2004, 2003, 2004-03-01, 20030101
eBook
When first published in 1988, this classic study was the first to relate the dynamics of the Maasai age organisation to the tensions within the family. Together, these provide the twin strands of a ...man's career, opposed ritually and reflecting a fundamental ambivalence in Maasai thought. The analysis is illustrated with extensive case material from the the Matapato, selected for this study as a typical Maasai group.
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