Commoditization and the Pursuit of Piety: The Transformation of an African Pastoral System.

509 Pages·2011·1.33 MB·English

Mark Moritz

Commoditization and the Pursuit of Piety

The Transformation of an African Pastoral System

© Copyright remains with the author

Not-For-Profit-Publication

By virtue of submitting this document for online publication with Mandaras
Publishing, the author certifies that this is a true electronic equivalent of the copy of
the dissertation approved by the University of California, Los Angeles, for the award
of the degree Doctor of Philosophy and Anthropology in 2003. No alteration of the
content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are as
a result of the conversion to Adobe Acrob at format (or similar software application).

Mandaras Publishing

Electronic Publication

London – 2011

www.mandaras.info

ISBN-13 978-1-906168-10-0

A voluntary legal deposit of this publication has been submitted to the British Library
at
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles

Commoditization and the Pursuit of Piety:
The Transformation of an African Pastoral System

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the
requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology

by

Mark Moritz

2003
© Copyright by
Mark Moritz
2003
In memory of my parents
Ben J. M. Moritz & Truus Moritz-van Leeuwen
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures .............................................................................................................. viii
List of Maps ................................................................................................................. viii
List of Plates .................................................................................................................. ix
List of Tables ................................................................................................................. ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................... 1
Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1
Changing Topics ............................................................................................................. 4
Pastoralists under Pressure.............................................................................................. 9
Two Pastoral Development Paradigms ..................................................................... 12
Evaluating Economic Performance........................................................................... 15
Definitions of Pastoralism and Perceptions of Change............................................. 16
Pastoral Systems ....................................................................................................... 18
Intensification of Pastoral Systems............................................................................... 19
Integration of Livestock in Agriculture .................................................................... 23
Intensification and Production Orientation ............................................................... 25
Von Thünen’s Model of Rural Development ........................................................... 27
Commoditization of Production Systems ................................................................. 29
The Role of Institutions ................................................................................................ 31
Households and Family Herds...................................................................................... 35
Plan of Discussion ........................................................................................................ 38
Some Notes ................................................................................................................... 41
CHAPTER 2: SETTING AND METHODS ................................................ 43
Introduction................................................................................................................... 43
FulBe Pastoralists in the Far North Province................................................................ 45
Population and Sample ................................................................................................. 58
Peri-urban pastoralists of Wuro Badaberniwol......................................................... 66
Agro-Pastoralists of Wuro Hoore Ladde .................................................................. 70
Nomadic Pastoralists of Wuro EggoBe .................................................................... 73
Being There............................................................................................................... 78
Language and Research Assistants ............................................................................... 80
iv
Household Surveys ....................................................................................................... 82
Demographic Survey ................................................................................................ 83
Agricultural Survey................................................................................................... 83
Household Consumption Survey .............................................................................. 84
Pastoral Production Costs ......................................................................................... 86
Herd Surveys................................................................................................................. 87
Herd Inventory Surveys ............................................................................................ 91
Herd History Survey ................................................................................................. 94
Summary....................................................................................................................... 94
CHAPTER 3: PASTORAL ECONOMY, 1800-2000.................................. 96
Introduction................................................................................................................... 96
Pre-Colonial Period, 1800-1900 ................................................................................... 97
Markets ..................................................................................................................... 99
Trade Networks....................................................................................................... 100
Livestock Trade ...................................................................................................... 101
FulBe Incorporation into the Market Economy...................................................... 102
Colonial Period, 1900-1960........................................................................................ 104
Introduction of Veterinary Services........................................................................ 106
Supporting Livestock Trade Infrastructure ............................................................. 107
Levying Taxes......................................................................................................... 109
The Pastoral Economy, 1960-2000............................................................................. 110
The Current Economy of the Far North Province................................................... 111
International Livestock Trade ................................................................................. 116
Sanitary Barrier ....................................................................................................... 117
Livestock Markets................................................................................................... 117
Dairy Marketing...................................................................................................... 121
Hides and Skins....................................................................................................... 124
Veterinary Services ................................................................................................. 125
Corruption ............................................................................................................... 127
Terms of Trade........................................................................................................ 128
Summary..................................................................................................................... 133
CHAPTER 4: MARKET INCORPORATION .......................................... 134
Introduction................................................................................................................. 134
Defining Market Incorporation................................................................................... 135
Commoditization of Pastoral Products ................................................................... 139
Consumption of Market Goods............................................................................... 147
Income from Non-Pastoral Sources ........................................................................ 158
Commoditization of Production Inputs................................................................... 163
v
Market-Oriented Production ................................................................................... 167
Market Exchanges within Pastoral Society............................................................. 173
Summary..................................................................................................................... 175
CHAPTER 5: INTENSIFICATION........................................................... 176
Introduction................................................................................................................. 176
Pastoral Ecology ......................................................................................................... 177
Population Growth .................................................................................................. 184
Pressures on Rangelands......................................................................................... 187
Intensification ............................................................................................................. 192
A Recent Phenomenon............................................................................................ 195
Labor Inputs ............................................................................................................ 200
Capital Inputs .......................................................................................................... 204
Comparison of Production Costs ............................................................................ 205
Questions of Economic Viability............................................................................ 215
Economic Performance............................................................................................... 217
Reproduction........................................................................................................... 217
Milk Production ...................................................................................................... 223
Financial Returns .................................................................................................... 224
Herd Changes, 2000-2001 ...................................................................................... 227
Summary..................................................................................................................... 231
CHAPTER 6: ISLAMIC RENEWAL........................................................ 233
Introduction................................................................................................................. 233
The Study of Islam.................................................................................................. 234
Islam and Trade in West Africa .............................................................................. 235
Islam in Pastoral Societies ...................................................................................... 237
Islam in the Far North of Cameroon ....................................................................... 239
Islamic Renewal.......................................................................................................... 242
Influence of the Gulf States .................................................................................... 245
Ideology and Economic Behavior........................................................................... 247
Local Traditions ...................................................................................................... 250
The Pursuit of Piety ................................................................................................ 253
Comparing Islam......................................................................................................... 256
Peri-Urban Pastoralists of Wuro Badaberniwol...................................................... 259
Agro-pastoralists of Wuro Hoore Ladde................................................................. 262
Nomadic Pastoralists of Wuro EggoBe .................................................................. 264
Summary..................................................................................................................... 269
vi
CHAPTER 7: THE HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY ...................................... 270
Introduction................................................................................................................. 270
Studying Households .............................................................................................. 272
FulBe Households....................................................................................................... 274
Structure .................................................................................................................. 275
Activities ................................................................................................................. 279
‘Traditional’ Household Organization........................................................................ 286
Reorganization of the Peri-Urban Household Economy ............................................ 291
Seclusion ................................................................................................................. 292
Polygyny ................................................................................................................. 296
Provisioning Responsibilities.................................................................................. 303
Reallocation of Milk ............................................................................................... 310
Financial Burden ..................................................................................................... 312
Summary..................................................................................................................... 316
CHAPTER 8: THE FAMILY HERD......................................................... 318
Introduction................................................................................................................. 318
Family Herds........................................................................................................... 320
Multiple and Overlapping Property Rights............................................................. 323
‘Traditional’ FulBe Family Herds .............................................................................. 325
Distribution of Production Costs ................................................................................ 331
Collective and Individual Costs .............................................................................. 332
Property Rights over Purchased Cattle ................................................................... 339
Islamic Institutions and Property Rights..................................................................... 343
Inheritance Rules .................................................................................................... 343
Zakka....................................................................................................................... 348
Disappearance of Livestock Exchanges ..................................................................... 352
Inter-Household Exchanges .................................................................................... 358
Intra-Household Exchanges .................................................................................... 363
Monetarization of Indirect Dowry .......................................................................... 367
Reevaluating Livestock Ownership ............................................................................ 372
Summary..................................................................................................................... 385
CHAPTER 9: MAKING ENDS MEET ..................................................... 386
Introduction................................................................................................................. 386
The Transformation of a Pastoral System................................................................... 387
Two Lines of Indirect Evidence.............................................................................. 392
vii
Evaluating Economic Performance ............................................................................ 397
Implications of the Study............................................................................................ 413
Summary..................................................................................................................... 422
APPENDICES ............................................................................................ 424
Abbreviations.............................................................................................................. 424
List with Fulfulde Words............................................................................................ 425
BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................... 434

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3.1: Cattle Prices and Caloric Terms of Trade, 1973-2001................................. 132
Figure 4.1: Sorghum Prices at Bogo Market (per 100 kilogram in FCFA), 1999-2001. 156
Figure 5.1: Rainfall in Maroua-Salak, 1951-2001 .......................................................... 182
Figure 5.2: Evolution Cattle Population, 1930-1990...................................................... 190
Figure 5.3: Cottonseed Cake Sales 1983-2000 ............................................................... 199
Figure 5.4: Price of Cottonseed Cakes, 2000-2001 ........................................................ 210
Figure 7.1: Venn diagram Nomadic Household ............................................................. 283
Figure 7.2: Venn diagram Agro-Pastoral Household ..................................................... 284
Figure 7.3: Venn diagram Peri-Urban Household .......................................................... 285
Figure 7.4: Traditional FulBe Household Organization ................................................. 290
Figure 7.5: Polygyny Rates and Polygynous Marriages in Three Villages .................... 302
Figure 7.6: Household Organization in the Peri-Urban Village ..................................... 309
Figure 8.2: Continuum of Collective and Individual Production Costs.......................... 342

LIST OF MAPS

th
Map 2.1: Empires in the Greater Chad Basin, 19 Century ............................................. 56
th
Map 2.2: Fulbe lesDe and Neighboring Ethnic Groups, 19 Century.............................. 57
Map 2.3: Research Villages in the Far North Province, Cameroon.................................. 65
Map 3.1: Infrastructure in Northern Cameroon .............................................................. 115
Map 3.2: Livestock Markets and Trade Cattle Transit in the Far North Province ......... 120
Map 5.1: Transhumance Zones in the Far North Province............................................. 183

viii