One hundred years ago, in 1904, the British robbed the Maasai of what became Kenya of the best part of their land by moving them into two reserves to make way for white settlers. Seven years later they went back on their word (having promised this move was permanent) and moved the Maasai again - at gunpoint - into one large reserve that was arid and full of stock diseases. Hundreds of Maasai allegedly died of exposure, disease and famine. There was an outcry led by a maverick British doctor and whistle-blower in East Africa, who alerted British MPs to what was going on. He helped the Maasai bring a landmark lawsuit in 1913 - but the Maasai lost on a technicality. Now the story has come full circle, with modern-day Maasai, who claim they are still affected by this huge land loss, suing Britain again for the return of land and reparations.
'[A] fascinating account of imperial land theft.' - Tribune
'Hughes' book tells the story of the most significant event in 20th-century Masai history: the forcible dispossession of Masai territories by the colonial government to make way for British settlement. Hughes has meticulously pieced together an account of the evictions and the court cases from a range of official and unofficial sources. Beyond the traditional archival records she has used, she also interviewed Masai survivors of the second move, and managed to retrieve some of the correspondence of Norman Leys, a colonial doctor in colonial Kenya who harshly criticised the Masai moves.' - The Sunday Times South Africa
'Moving the Maasai is a compelling analysis of the history and legacies of the Maasai moves of 1904 and 1911 and the ensuing 1913 court case in Kenya...She reveals the people, processes, principles, and power behind the production of these 'facts,' providing an absorbing study of history-in-the-making.' - Dorothy L Hodgson, African Affairs, Vol 107, No 427, April 2008
Abbreviations and Style
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Preface
PART 1: THE MOVES AND WHAT LED UP TO THEM
Introduction
The Moves
In Search of the Truth
PART 2: THE AFTERMATH
The Court Case
The Ecological Impacts
PART 3: INTERPRETATIONS
Blood Oaths, Boundaries and Brothers
Highland Games: Settlers and their Farm Workers
Conclusion
Appendix 1: List of Interviewees
Appendix 2: Chronology of Events, 1895-1918
Bibliography
Index
LOTTE HUGHES is a Lecturer in African Arts and Cultures at the Open University, and previously a Research Officer and Junior Fellow at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK. A former journalist, she is an historian of Africa and empire, and author of The No Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples.
Description
One hundred years ago, in 1904, the British robbed the Maasai of what became Kenya of the best part of their land by moving them into two reserves to make way for white settlers. Seven years later they went back on their word (having promised this move was permanent) and moved the Maasai again - at gunpoint - into one large reserve that was arid and full of stock diseases. Hundreds of Maasai allegedly died of exposure, disease and famine. There was an outcry led by a maverick British doctor and whistle-blower in East Africa, who alerted British MPs to what was going on. He helped the Maasai bring a landmark lawsuit in 1913 - but the Maasai lost on a technicality. Now the story has come full circle, with modern-day Maasai, who claim they are still affected by this huge land loss, suing Britain again for the return of land and reparations.
Reviews
'[A] fascinating account of imperial land theft.' - Tribune
'Hughes' book tells the story of the most significant event in 20th-century Masai history: the forcible dispossession of Masai territories by the colonial government to make way for British settlement. Hughes has meticulously pieced together an account of the evictions and the court cases from a range of official and unofficial sources. Beyond the traditional archival records she has used, she also interviewed Masai survivors of the second move, and managed to retrieve some of the correspondence of Norman Leys, a colonial doctor in colonial Kenya who harshly criticised the Masai moves.' - The Sunday Times South Africa
'Moving the Maasai is a compelling analysis of the history and legacies of the Maasai moves of 1904 and 1911 and the ensuing 1913 court case in Kenya...She reveals the people, processes, principles, and power behind the production of these 'facts,' providing an absorbing study of history-in-the-making.' - Dorothy L Hodgson, African Affairs, Vol 107, No 427, April 2008
Contents
Abbreviations and Style
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Preface
PART 1: THE MOVES AND WHAT LED UP TO THEM
Introduction
The Moves
In Search of the Truth
PART 2: THE AFTERMATH
The Court Case
The Ecological Impacts
PART 3: INTERPRETATIONS
Blood Oaths, Boundaries and Brothers
Highland Games: Settlers and their Farm Workers
Conclusion
Appendix 1: List of Interviewees
Appendix 2: Chronology of Events, 1895-1918
Bibliography
Index
Authors
LOTTE HUGHES is a Lecturer in African Arts and Cultures at the Open University, and previously a Research Officer and Junior Fellow at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK. A former journalist, she is an historian of Africa and empire, and author of The No Nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples.
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