87:. The British, hampered by a lack of money and troops, were unable to risk antagonising the Maasai who controlled their lines of communication. The government therefore adopted a policy of appeasement towards the Maasai, employing Maasai warriors in expeditions and as security on the railway. The military protection given by the British enabled the Maasai to replenish their herds from raids on neighbouring tribes.
91:
military force was instituted in 1902. For the Maasai, the end of the War of Morijo resulted in greater stability within their community, and cattle herds had largely been replenished. The government passed a series of controls aimed at reining in the Maasai, including forbidding cattle looting, discontinuing the policy of raising levies and issuing a strict code of conduct for punitive expeditions.
83:, the IBEAC commander at Fort Smith, to mediate a truce between local Maasai and the Kikuyu and later that year, over three hundred Maasai survivors of a raid sought protection at Fort Smith. In 1895, the British government took over the possessions of the IBEAC and established the East Africa Protectorate over its former territories. The following year, they began construction of the
162:
It was agreed that the Maasai would vacate the entirety of the Rift Valley so that the government could use it for
European settlement. In return the Maasai sections concerned would migrate to two new settlements, which would be reserved for their use only and to the exclusion of Europeans or other
67:
raiders were making inroads into Maasai territory, and the Maasai were struggling to protect cattle and grazing land. The period between 1884-94 is referred to in Masaai tradition as "The
Disaster". Around 1883, the Maasai and their cattle were ravaged by bovine disease which spread from the north
90:
After 1900, the interests of the
British and the Maasai began to diverge. With completion of the railway the British no longer feared their lines of communication being disrupted, taxation was introduced in the Protectorate providing the government with a regular source of income, and a permanent
163:
settlers. The
Elburgu (Il Purko), Gekunuki (Il Keekonyokie), Loita, Damat and Laitutok sections would move to a northern reserve in Laikipia; the Kaptei, Matapatu, Ndogalani and Sigarari (all these are anglicised spellings) sections would move to a territory originally occupied by them south of
187:
some warriors asserted that they would rather die than leave their homesteads. Many Maasai did not move, and instead took up herding livestock for the East Africa
Syndicate. Only the Purko settled permanently in the northern reserve. The Loita and Damat, after initially moving to the northern
171:
where the Maasai could carry out circumcision rites and ceremonies and Lenana and his successors would be allowed to occupy land between
Nbagathi and the confluence of the Kisearian streams. The government further agreed to pay reasonable compensation to Maasai cultivators near Nairobi, and to
234:"Judgment of the High Court of the East Africa Protectorate in the Case Brought by the Masai Tribe Against the Attorney-General of the Protectorate and Others." The American Journal of International Law 8, no. 2 (1914): 380-89. doi:10.2307/2187148.
118:
and S.S. Bagge, who after talking with Maasai elders felt that whilst the grant to The East Africa
Syndicate was acceptable, grants to private individuals must not encroach on the heartland of the Rift Valley Maasai and should rather be north of
94:
For the
Protectorate government and the Foreign Office in London, the most pressing issue emerging was how to recoup its huge costs from the railway construction, and to turn the territory into a sustainable profit-making entity. For
30:
between 10 and 15 August 1904. It is often wrongly called the Anglo-Maasai
Agreement, but that was not its proper name. The Maasai tribe agreed to cede possession of pastures in the Central Rift Valley
99:, then Commissioner of the Protectorate, the answer was to encourage European settlement, utilising European technologies and expertise in farming. Eliot, and a number of other officials, regarded the
106:
Applications for land by
Europeans, and Boers from South Africa, had brought the issue into focus by the early years of the twentieth century, with the East Africa Syndicate requesting 320,000 acres,
147:
to discuss a land settlement scheme for the Maasai tribe. On 10 August 1904, the Laibon of the Maasai, namely Lenana, son of Mbatian, and chief representatives from all Maasai sections within the
79:(IBEAC) increasingly came into contact with the Maasai. Relations between the IBEAC and the Maasai grew close as co-operation offered benefits to both sides. In 1893 the Maasai asked
68:
and lingered for years. To augment their herds, the Maasai focused on raiding neighbouring tribes and concentrating stock amongst family and kin. Further trouble emerged in 1891 when
152:
135:
Despite Eliot's resignation, the government continued to entertain a land treaty with the Maasai. In the months prior to the signing of the treaty, Maasai chiefs had met with
127:, areas not previously inhabited by the Maasai. The controversy over these land concessions entertained by Eliot ultimately forced him to resign as Commissioner in 1904.
191:
Despite the signing of the treaty, later European demands for land at Laikipia would result in a second treaty, also known as the Masai Agreement of 1911.
317:
252:
Waller, Richard. "The Maasai and the British 1895-1905. the Origins of an Alliance." The Journal of African History 17, no. 4 (1976): 529-53.
107:
76:
286:
Robert L. Tignor, Colonial Transformation of Kenya: The Kamba, Kikuyu, and Maasai from 1900-1939, Princeton University Press, 8 Mar 2015
55:
Wars of the 1870s, however this created problems as they were unable to successfully occupy their new territories. By the early 1880s,
111:
114:
and A. S. Flemmer requesting 32,000 acres each. Eliot's vision was however opposed by some subordinate officers, notably
312:
72:
appeared in the Maasai herds, most likely spread from raided cattle, and spread rapidly throughout Maasai land.
148:
96:
32:
23:
103:
as the most suitable place for European settlement, an area long utilised by certain sections of the Maasai.
322:
302:
268:
William Robert Ochieng', Robert M. Maxon, An Economic History of Kenya, East African Publishers, 1992, p.113
183:
At first, large numbers of Maasai refused to move and the government had to delay the move. At a meeting at
307:
156:
136:
115:
80:
100:
60:
84:
175:
Stewart signed the Treaty on 10 August, whilst the Maasai chiefs signed on 15 August.
296:
64:
27:
164:
56:
52:
172:
maintain a station at Laikipia with only officers whom the Maasai know and trust.
216:
G.R. Sandford An Administrative and Political History of the Masai Reserve (1919)
124:
69:
184:
168:
140:
40:
35:
in return for exclusive rights to two territories, a southern reserve in
167:
and the Kisearian streams. An area was to be reserved on the slopes of
144:
36:
253:
188:
reserve, later moved south along with some Purko to the Loita Hills.
120:
51:
The Maasai acquired swathes of new land following success in the
207:
L. Hughes Moving the Maasai: A Colonial Misadventure (2006).
16:
1904 treaty between British East Africa and the Maasai
8:
282:
280:
278:
276:
274:
264:
262:
248:
246:
244:
242:
240:
230:
228:
226:
224:
222:
200:
7:
77:Imperial British East Africa Company
254:https://www.jstor.org/stable/180738
14:
24:British East Africa Protectorate
22:was a treaty signed between the
318:Treaties of the United Kingdom
26:government and leaders of the
1:
151:met with the newly appointed
110:requesting 100,000 acres and
20:The Masai Agreement of 1904
339:
39:and a northern reserve in
149:East Africa Protectorate
75:In the late 1880s, the
143:and John Ainsworth at
155:of the Protectorate,
313:1904 in British law
157:Sir Donald Stewart
112:Robert Chamberlain
116:Frederick Jackson
97:Sir Charles Eliot
330:
287:
284:
269:
266:
257:
250:
235:
232:
217:
214:
208:
205:
338:
337:
333:
332:
331:
329:
328:
327:
293:
292:
291:
290:
285:
272:
267:
260:
251:
238:
233:
220:
215:
211:
206:
202:
197:
181:
133:
101:White Highlands
49:
17:
12:
11:
5:
336:
334:
326:
325:
323:1904 in Africa
320:
315:
310:
305:
303:1900s in Kenya
295:
294:
289:
288:
270:
258:
236:
218:
209:
199:
198:
196:
193:
180:
177:
137:Charles Hobley
132:
129:
85:Uganda Railway
48:
45:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
335:
324:
321:
319:
316:
314:
311:
309:
308:1904 treaties
306:
304:
301:
300:
298:
283:
281:
279:
277:
275:
271:
265:
263:
259:
255:
249:
247:
245:
243:
241:
237:
231:
229:
227:
225:
223:
219:
213:
210:
204:
201:
194:
192:
189:
186:
178:
176:
173:
170:
166:
160:
158:
154:
150:
146:
142:
138:
130:
128:
126:
122:
117:
113:
109:
108:Lord Delamere
104:
102:
98:
92:
88:
86:
82:
78:
73:
71:
66:
62:
58:
54:
46:
44:
42:
38:
34:
29:
25:
21:
212:
203:
190:
182:
174:
161:
159:in Nairobi.
153:Commissioner
134:
105:
93:
89:
74:
53:Iloikop Wars
50:
28:Maasai tribe
19:
18:
125:Elementeita
33:Rift Valley
297:Categories
195:References
81:Frank Hall
70:rinderpest
47:Background
179:Aftermath
185:Naivasha
169:Kinangop
141:Naivasha
61:Kalenjin
41:Laikipia
145:Nairobi
37:Kajiado
131:Treaty
121:Nakuru
65:Kikuyu
165:Ngong
57:Kamba
123:and
63:and
139:at
299::
273:^
261:^
239:^
221:^
59:,
43:.
256:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.