[Treaty/Agreement of 4 and 13 April 1911]
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Recovering the Histories of Land Treaties
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We, the undersigned, being the Paramount Chief of all the Masai and his regents and the representatives of that portion of the Masai tribe living in the Northern Masai Reserve, as defined in the agreement entered into with the late Sir Donald William Stewart, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, his Majesty's Commissioner for the East Africa Protectorate, on the ninth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and four, and more particularly set out in the proclamation of May thirtieth, one thousand nine hundred and six and published in the Official Gazette of June first, one thousand nine hundred and six, do hereby on our own behalf and on behalf of our people, whose representatives we are, being satisfied that it is to the best interest of their tribe that the Masai people should inhabit one area and should not be divided into two sections as must arise under the agreement aforesaid whereby there were reserved to the Masai tribe two separate and distinct areas of land, enter of our own free will into the following agreement with Sir Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Member of Distinguished Service Order, Governor and Commander in Chief of the East Africa Protectorate, hereinafter referred to as the Governor.
We agree to vacate at such time as the Governor may direct the Northern Masai Reserve which we have hitherto inhabited and occupied and to remove by such routes as the Governor may notify to us, our people, herds, and flocks to such area on the south side of the Uganda Railway as the Governor may locate to us, the said area being bounded approximately as follows and as shown on the attached map. . . .
Provided that nothing in this agreement contained shall be deemed to deprive the Masai tribe of the rights reserved to it under the agreement of August ninth, one thousand nine hundred and four, aforesaid, to the land on the slopes of Kinopop whereon the circumcision rights and ceremonies may be held.
In witness whereof and in confirmation of this agreement which has been fully explained to us we hereby set our marks against our names as under:
Mark of Segi, son of Ol-onana (Lenana), Paramount Chief of all the Masai.
Mark of Ol-le-Gelesho (Legalishu), Regent during the minority of Segi, head of the Molelyan Clan, and chief spokesman (Ol-aigwenani) of the Il-Kitoip (Il-Merisho) age-grade of the Purko Masai.
Mark of Ngaroya, Regent during the minority of Segi, of the Aiser Clan.
Mark of Ol-le-Yeli, head of the Mokesen Clan of the Purko Masai, and one of the spokesmen (Ol-aigwenani) of the Il-Kitoip (Il-Merisho) age-grade of the Purko Masai.
Mark of Ol-le-Turere, head of the Mokesen Clan of the Purko Masai.
Mark of Ol-le-Malit, one of Masikondi's representatives, of the Lughumae branch of the Aiser Clan of the Purke Masai.
Mark of Ol-le-Nakola, head of the Tarosero Clan of the Purko Masai Mark of Ol-le-Naigisa, head of the Aiser Clan of the Purko Masai.
Mark of Marmaroi, uncle and personal attendant of Segi.
Mark of Saburi, the Prime Minister of the Late-Chief Ol-onana (Lenana) and principal elder of the Southern Masai Reserve.
Mark of Agali, uncle of Segi, representing the Loita Masai.
Mark of Ol-le-Tanyai of the Tarosero Clan, chief spokesman (Ol-aigwenani) of the Lemek (Meitaroni) age-grade of the Purko Masai.
The above set their marks to this agreement at Nairobi on the fourth day of April, nineteen hundred and eleven.
A.C. Hollis,
Secretary, Native Affairs.
Ol-le-Masikondi, head of the Lughumas section of the Aiser Clan; chief elder of the Purko Masai, called in the former treaty Ol Oiboni of the Purko Masai.
Ol-le-Batiet, head of Aiser Clan of the Purko Masai on Laikipia, OI-Aigwenani of the age [? age-gradel known as II Merisho.
The above set their marks to this agreement at Rumuruti on the 13th day of April. nineteen hundred and eleven.
E. D. Browne,
Assistant District Commissioner, Laikipia.
In consideration of the above, I, Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and Saint George, Member of the Distinguished Service Order, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the East Africa Protectorate, agree on behalf of His Majesty's Government, but subject to the approval of His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, to reserve for the exclusive use of the Masai tribe the area on the south side of the Uganda Railway as defined above, . . . and to undertake on behalf of His Majesty's Government to endeavour to remove all European settlers from the said areas and not to lease or grant any land within the said areas (except such land as may be required for mining purposes or for any public purpose) without the sanction of the Paramount Chief and the representatives of the Masai tribe.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and official seal this twenty-sixth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and eleven.
Signed, sealed and delivered by the within-named Sir Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard in the presence of A. C. Hollis.
(L. S.)
E. P. C. GIROUARD.
Digital Publication Details
Title: [Treaty/Agreement of 4 and 13 April 1911]
Creator(s): Segi; Ol-le-Gelesho (Legalishu); Ngaroya; Ol-le-Yeli; Ol-le-Turere; Ol-le-Malit; Ol-le-Nakola; Marmaroi; Saburi; Agali; Ol-le-Tanyai; A.C. Hollis; Ol-le-Masikondi; Ol-le-Batiet; E.D. Browne; Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard
Publication date: (1914) 2023
Digital publishers: One More Voice, The Ardhi Initiative
Critical encoding: Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri, Adrian S. Wisnicki
One More Voice identifier: liv_022002
Cite (Chicago Author-Date): Segi, Ol-le-Gelesho (Legalishu), Ngaroya, Ol-le-Yeli, Ol-le-Turere, Ol-le-Malit, Ol-le-Nakola, Marmaroi, Saburi, Agali, Ol-le-Tanyai, A.C. Hollis, Ol-le-Masikondi, Ol-le-Batiet, E.D. Browne, and Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard. (1914) 2023. “[Treaty/Agreement of 4 and 13 April 1911].” Edited by Ng’ang’a Wahu-Mũchiri and Adrian S. Wisnicki. In One More Voice, solidarity edition; The Ardhi Initiative. https://onemorevoice.org/html/recovering-histories/kenya/liv_022002_HTML.html.
Rights: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
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