Cultural Pathways for Sustained Peace I
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CULTURAL PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINED PEACE I Cultural Pathways for Sustained Peace Among the Tugen of Kisanana, Baringo County, Kenya Marion Jebichii Kiprop A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Peace and Conflict Studies University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Copyright © 2021 Marion J. Kiprop CULTURAL PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINED PEACE II Abstract The study sought to explore and understand how the Tugen (a Nilotic sub-group of the Kalenjin speaking groups of Kenya who practice both farming and livestock keeping), of Kisanana, Kenya, sustain peace in day-to-day life. Specifically, the research aimed to answer the following research questions: (i) how do the integral elements of culture shape the community’s pathways towards sustained peace?; (ii) how does culture influence the community’s perceptions and experiences of conflict and the community’s response mechanisms to conflict?; and (iii) how does the fulfillment of community members’ basic needs and the needs for autonomy and bonding/belongingness lead to sustained peace? The study was conducted using ethnographic fieldwork techniques, including participant observation, individual and group interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings showed that ideological culture prevents conflicts over property and that culture influences how the group perceives and experiences conflict. Additionally, conflicts that occur in families and in the community are mitigated within the community at the level in which they occur ranging from the family level, inter-clan level, and the communal level. The findings also showed that peace among the Tugen is achieved when community members’ basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) and psychological needs (autonomy and bonding / belonging) are met within the family and the community at large. This study adds to existing literature on culture and conflict, cultures of peace, Indigenous processes of peacemaking, and human needs and cultures’ orientation towards peacefulness. CULTURAL PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINED PEACE III Dedication To Kigen, Kayla, Ashley, and Ariana CULTURAL PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINED PEACE IV Acknowledgements This work would not have been complete without the support, guidance, and counsel of my advisor, Dr. Javier Mignone, and my dissertation committee members, Drs. Stephanie Stobbe and Eliakim Sibanda. I owe them alot of gratitude. It would be impartial not to mention my previous dissertation advisor, Dr. Hamdesa Tuso, whose work inspired my choice of research focus in culture of conflict, and who remained supportive from the beginning of my PhD work to the end. I would also like to acknowledge the guidance of a previous committee member, Dr. Robert Phillips. I appreciate his constant support and encouragement. I also want to acknowledge and thank my external examiner Dr. Douglas Fry for the time he took to read and dissertation. Dr. Fry offered insightful comments regarding my research questions and the conclusions I was drawing. On the field, I was supported by Mzee Gilbert Bowen, Kogo Teriki Kap Ng’eny, the late Mzee Rengeleyo, and Mr. Billy Kipng’etich, his wife Edith, and their three children. Their support made this work possible. I appreciate their support immensely. I would also like to mention my deep gratitude to the organizations and institutions that provided me with financial support to complete my PhD work. I would like to acknowledge the Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Peace and Conflict Studies Graduate Fellowship, the Rabbi Michael Melchior Peace and Conflict Studies Graduate Fellowship, the St. Paul's College Peace & Conflict Studies Award, and the International Graduate Student Scholarship from the University of Manitoba, and the P.E.O International Peace Scholarship. I would also like to acknowledge the constant support and encouragement of my family. First, I owe deep gratitude to my father, Prof. James Tuitoek, who took the time to read my dissertation and offered insightful comments. I would also like to thank my mother, Daisy Tuitoek, for her insurmountable support and encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge by brothers Billy, Andy, and Ray, and my sister Jebas for being the ever supportive siblings. I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Karen Soiferman. Dr. Soiferman read my thesis several times and offered objective feedback on my work. I would also like to give a big thank you to my cousins Eva and Eric Birir and their two girls Renee and Chelsea, and to Kigen Birir; they have been my support system while in Winnipeg. A big thank you also goes to Dr. Martin Nyachoti, Gertrude Nyachoti, and their children Elvis, Eunice, and Emmanuel; they have also remained an important support system while here in Winnipeg. Lastly, I would like to thank my friends who have offered support in various ways throughout the duration of my PhD studies. I would not have gotten to the end were it not for the support of the late Rosa Jimenez, Kevin Found, Scott Calder, Erin O’hara, Cory Oldford, Dr. Maureen Flaherty, Dr. Masha Kardashevskaya, Dr. Chigbo A. Anyaduba, and Dr. Obasesam Okoi. This work is a testament to the importance of the support I received from my community of friends. CULTURAL PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINED PEACE V Table of Contents Title Page…………………………………………………………………………………………I Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... II Dedication .................................................................................................................................... III Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... IV List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………...….IX List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………...….X Chapter One: Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 Initial Impressions of the Tugen Community ......................................................................................................... 2 Cultural Pathways (Values) for Peace……………………………………………………………………………..6 Tiliandi (Relationships) and the principle of reciprocity ................................................................................... 6 Konyit (Respect) ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Conflict and Conflict Response Mechanisms…………………………………………………………………….14 The Assurance of Fulfilled Human Needs ............................................................................................................ 18 Conceptual Background for Goal of Study and Research Questions………………………………….…………..21 Goal of Study……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24 Research Questions………………………………………….……………………………………………………24 Relevance of Study ................................................................................................................................................. 25 Contributions of Present Study to Studies About the Tugen ................................................................................ 31 Significance of the Present Research to the Areas of Peace and Conflict Studies……………..……………….36 Organization of the Dissertation ............................................................................................................................ 39 Chapter Two: Research Context.................................................................................................. 44 Study Site ................................................................................................................................................................ 44 Geographic Landcape ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Roads and Transportation ...................................................................................................................................... 49 Kisanana Centre ..................................................................................................................................................... 50 Situating the Study in the Kenyan Ethnic Landscape .......................................................................................... 51 The People of Kisanana ......................................................................................................................................... 52 Settlement Patterns in Baringo, 1800s-1900s ....................................................................................................... 53 How the Tugen got to Kisanana ................................................................................................................................. 56 The Settling of the Tugen in Kisanana ...................................................................................................................... 58 Tugen Forms of Subsistence .................................................................................................................................. 60 Cooptation into the National Economy ...................................................................................................................... 63 The Impact of School-Based Education ...............................................................................................................