INDIGENOUS FOOD PRODUCTION AMONG THE ABAGUSII IN THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

Author

Oruko Felix Ogora


Abstract

 This paper examines indigenous food production in pre-colonial Gusiiland, focusing on how crop cultivation, livestock keeping and wild food sustained household and community life. Food production shaped social organisation by influencing land use, labour relations, settlement patterns and barter trade with neighbouring communities. Guided by the Mode of Production Theory, the study situates food production within the social and economic arrangements that governed access to land, labour allocation and food storage. A historical research design was adopted, drawing on oral interviews with 38 informants selected through purposive and snowball sampling in Kisii and Nyamira counties, alongside secondary sources such as books, journal articles and theses. Through descriptive data analysis, thematic patterns emerged, demonstrating how indigenous food production developed and was systematically organised in the pre-colonial period. The study traces the development of indigenous food production from their migration from the Mythical Misri and settlement in Gusiiland around 1850 where they establishment mixed farming which included finger millet, sorghum, livestock and wild foods. Findings demonstrate that agricultural activities were guided by knowledge of the environment including seasonal cycles, rainfall patterns and ritual practices that informed decisions on planting, harvesting and storage. Labour was organised along gender and age lines, with women playing a central role in crop cultivation, processing and preservation, while men were responsible for land preparation, livestock management and security. Indigenous land tenure arrangements, maintained through inheritance rules, boundary markers and elder mediation, provided stability and continuity in indigenous food production. Barter trade with neighbouring communities supplemented local resources and strengthened regional ties. The study demonstrates that indigenous food production in the pre-colonial period was a well-organised and adaptive system rooted in practical knowledge and social regulation. By highlighting these historical practices, the paper contributes to a clearer understanding of indigenous agrarian systems and their relevance to present discussions on food production and food security within changing social and policy contexts



Keywords

Pre-colonial, Indigenous food production, Land tenure, Labour organization and Seasonal calendar



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References


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