Enacting maasai and palaeoanthropological versions of drought in Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania

Abstract

While palaeoanthropologists have travelled to Tanzania’s renowned human origins site of Oldupai Gorge for over a century, lasting collaboration has not been established with the Maasai pastoralists who live there. This paper uses actor-network-theory and the concept of enactment to compare palaeoanthropological and Maasai livelihoods and to explore why collaboration has been infrequent. Here we show that scientists and locals navigated large political-economic contexts and expertly acquired resources in non-scientific and non-pastoral worlds. As part of these livelihoods, both Maasai peoples and researchers created and multiplied reality and ontologies by enacting composite – yet conflicting – versions of drought. Whereas Maasai peoples faced contemporary drought, palaeoanthropologists needed to focus on producing publishable data about ancient drought during short fieldwork seasons. Such livelihood exigencies have hindered meaningful collaboration between these groups who both dug in the Gorge to address drought. While the legitimisation of scientific ontologies is well-intentioned, Maasai drought unfortunately remains unaddressed.