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Submitted byHenry ole Saitabau, September 2009 (Synopsis by Leslie Main Johnson, ISE Newsletter Editor)
Need for Biocultural Mapping of Sacred Sites of the Loita Maasai
Preservation of cultural heritage and associated indigenous knowledge systems of the Loita Maasai is very important particularly in this era of climate change, and increasing impact of negative human activities on the environment. The Loita Maasai community have for many decades conserved and maintained their cultural heritage through traditions, and taboos regarding use and misuse of environmental resources with high spiritual and cultural values.
Today, the plight of many Loita people depends on the policy to mapping out sacred and ceremonial sites of their land. Custodianship must be mandated to the Loita Maasai people, their traditional and conventional leaders under the watchful eyes of the Chief Oloiboni since, this arrangement will guarantee the Loita Maasai people retain total ownership of their cultural heritage, and will enhance biodiversity conservation within such sites. It will be of great importance to register such sites with relevant government institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and Social Service, and international agencies such as UNESCO to recognize and protect these sites. Such recognition will also ensure awareness, recognition and respect for Maasai bio-cultural heritage nationally and internationally, and will help arbitrate local conflicts over land and resources at the community level.
Chief among the risks to what Henry calls the cultural matrix of the Loita Maasai are:
Population growth which increases settlement and need for land for subsistence agriculture. Such shifts in land use can encroach on ceremonial sites.
Changing socio-economic patterns The Maasai have shifted from a completely pastoral way of life to a mixed agro-pastoral economy, with consequences for continuation of ceremonies and cultural practices. Modernization through education also impacts participation in cultural practices and continuation of cultural heritage such as constitution of age sets, which have been fundamental to the organization of Maasai social life.
Land demarcation- Sacred sites may be affected by this process. Mapping these sites will help to conserve them and maintain the Loita Maasai heritage.
Human activities- besides changing livelihood strategies, other activities that have negative affects on the cultural sites include fires, deforestation and environmental degradation. These have direct negative impact on biodiversity related aspects of the sacred sites. Cultural ceremonies takes place within sacred groves where specific trees and plants are sacred; any human activity destroys the sacred species, while environmental degradation threatens entire ceremonial sites. Today there is a looming danger: developers wants to put up a tourist lodge at one of the most sacred and secret sites in Loita forest. This situation underscores the need for bio-culture mapping in land use planning.
Religion- religious change is also a threat to cultural practices which erodes the cultural base of traditional practices. It is therefore important to map and record the cultural heritage of the Maasai for future reference and posterity.
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Submitted byHenry ole Saitabau
The Loita Maasai, located in southern Kenya and in the northern region of Tanzania, are still intricately interwoven with the environment for their pastoral and cultural existence. This is attested to by their intimate knowledge of ecology acquired since childhood. The Loita people have unique ways of learning and understanding changes within their surrounding environment and are able to use various indicators to monitor and predict local climate through seasonal cycles, hence coming up with preparedness and adaptation strategies to encounter expected effects (both positive or negative) brought about by climate change. Their cordial interaction and respect for the environment through discipline and adherence to taboos of use and misuse of environmental resources and land use patterns are among the strategies for environmental conservation. Traditionally, the Loita Maasai observe a variety of environmental indicators which enable them monitor changes in local climate and subsequently predict weather patterns and their impact on their livelihood. This paper explores the type of indigenous knowledge that helps the Loita Maasai to monitor and predict weather patterns and assesses how indigenous knowledge (IK) can be used in predicting and monitoring climate change. The paper also explores the various unique adaptation strategies used by the Maasai to cope with impacts and implications of climate change to marginal ecosystems and their agro-pastoralists livelihood. The knowledge can also be used to recommend measures to stem global climate changes and to enable local communities participate in finding sustainable solutions to threats of climate change.
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