why were masai tribes pushed into small areas in south kenya and north tanzania
Answers
The Maasai community have lost their
grazing lands due to the following reasons:
1. The lives of the African
pastoralists have changed drastically in the Colonial and postcolonial phases.
In the 19th Century the European powers were fighting for colonies. The
occupied several regions which were divided by multiple International borders between
British Kenya and German Tanganyika.
2. In 1885, Maasais land were
divided between the British and the Germans. The Maasai community was pushed
into a small area in South Kenya and North Tanzania which considerably reduced
their grazing lands.
3. From the late 19th century, The
British colonial rulers promoted cultivation on pasture lands. The movement of
herders were restricted in the settlements. The Maasais therefore lost their
grazing areas.
4.The Maasais were forced to live
in a dry area where there was a little water and poor pasture. They could not
graze their herds in such areas.
5. The British converted many
forest into game reserves like the Masai Mara, Serengeti national park and Samburu
National Park. This led to fall in pasture lands.
6. The Masai community was not
left with many Pasture tracts as a result their livestock declined and their
economic condition became worse.