ABSTRACT

This chapter considers the concept of landesque capital in light of Ingold's temporality. It focuses on the agricultural section of the Pokot who inhabit the north-central Cherangani Hills, specifically the large, low-lying valley known as the Tamkal or Wei wei Valley, centered on the village of Tamkal. Today, the agricultural Pokot rely principally on the cultivation of maize, supplemented by finger millet and some sorghum, as well as a range of vegetables introduced in the colonial period. The Pokot use a variety of techniques such as terracing, manuring, mulching, and afforestation to maintain or improve soil fertility and depth. Hill furrows are led off the seasonal streams that descend the valley sides. Valley bottom furrows are led off the major valley bottom rivers using large stone, mud, and brush dams. If the establishment of a household by a man is the start of an agricultural life-cycle, it is only a moment in the cycle of an earlier household.