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Marginalisation of the Waata Oromo Hunter–Gatherers of Kenya: Insider and Outsider Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Aneesa Kassam  and
Ali Balla Bashuna
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Abstract

This paper examines how the way of life of a little known group of hunter–gatherers, the Waata Oromo, was brought to an end through British colonial wildlife conservation laws and the creation of national parks in Kenya. Through this policy and that of the containment of ethnic groups to ‘tribal reserves’, the Waata lost their place in the regional economic system and suffered loss of cultural identity. It also meant that when Kenya gained independence, the Waata were not recognised as a distinct entity with rights to their own political representation. Instead, they became appendages of the dominant pastoral groups with which they had been associated. They were thus doubly marginalised, in both economic and political terms. The paper describes how this situation has led some Waata in northern Kenya to claim separate ethnic status. It discusses the problem from the point of view of a Waata social activist and of an anthropologist. These two perspectives raise further issues for the etic/emic debate in anthropology.

Résumé

Cet article examine l'extinction du mode de vie des Waata Oromo, groupe peu connu de chasseurs-cueilleurs, sous l'effet des lois coloniales britanniques sur la protection de la faune et de la flore et la création de parcs nationaux au Kenya. Sous l'action de cette politique et du confinement de groupes ethniques à des «réserves tribales», les Waata ont perdu leur place dans le système économique régional et subi une perte d'identité culturelle. C'est pourquoi, au moment de l'indépendance du Kenya, les Waata n'ont pas été reconnus comme une entité distincte pouvant prétendre à une représentation politique propre. Au lieu de cela, on les a rattachés aux groupes pastoraux dominants avec lesquels on les avait associés. Ils étaient ainsi doublement marginalisés, économiquement et politiquement. L'article décrit comment cette situation a conduit certains Waata du nord du Kenya à réclamer un statut ethnique distinct. Il aborde ce problème du point de vue d'un militant social waata et de celui d'un anthropologue. Ces deux perspectives soulèvent d'autres questions faisant matière à débat étique et émique en anthropologie.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 74 , Issue 2 , May 2004 , pp. 194 - 216
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2004

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