In East Africa, for example, an area of relatively late formal colonization
(turn of last century), the Maasai and other pastoralists were often put forward
by British 'explorers' etc. as a people frozen from an 'ancient' time, i.e.,
unaffected by the 'modern' (capitalist) world. In fact, however, global colonial
capitalism was affecting the Maasai before they had ever laid eyes on a European
(and vice versa). Disease from cattle imported to feed British troops fighting
colonial wars in the Sudan spread south, wiped out herds, led to human
starvation. The crisis led to a transformation in the role of the Maasai
oloibonok (ritual or 'religious' leader) not traditionally a site of central
political authority, to one of some (though still very limited) political
authority. For some (perhaps many), it is a stretch to cite this as related to
capitalism or colonialism. For me it is not. Mat
