The irrigation system of the Pokot, northwest Kenya

Abstract

Archaeological survey in the Wei wei Valley, West Pokot District, Kenya was undertaken between January 2006 and April 2007 with the aim of assessing the history and development of the indigenous, precolonial, irrigation system of the agricultural Pokot and its associated settlement pattern. Fifty-nine contemporary and thirteen abandoned irrigation furrows were mapped with GPS and oral data collected concerning their construction, management and history. Alongside this, thirteen transect surveys recording both contemporary and abandoned settlements were conducted to assess the history of the settlement pattern associated with the irrigation system. This was followed by a series of text excavations aimed at placing the settlement chronology on a more absolute footing. This paper presents the outline results of research into the irrigation system, including an assessment of its chronology of construction based on oral histories and absolute dates. Such research is imperative for better understanding the long-term nature of indigenous agronomies and developing more sustainable approaches to East African systems of production.