Oxford University has given 196 cows to Maasai families in Kenya and Tanzania whose artefacts were stolen and shipped to the UK over a century ago.
According to local media, a delegation from Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum presented the Sululu and Mpaima families with 49 cows each, with another two families, the Saiyalels and Mosekas, receiving the same number as compensation.
The move follows the discovery of a large collection of Maasai artefacts at the Pitt Rivers Museum in 2017 by a Kenyan man, Samuel Sankiriaki, who petitioned the university to return them.
A men’s necklace called Enkononkoi, which is traditionally worn by elders, a women’s necklace called Emonyorit, and an Isuritia, another distinctive type of necklace, are all part of the collection.
During a ceremony at Morijo-Loita in Narok County, Kenya, Oxford’s director of museum studies, Laura Van Broekhoven, told the media that the university has 148 Maasai artefacts from the colonial era, but only five of them were wrongfully acquired.
The Maasai families expressed gratitude for the gesture but said the restitution was insufficient. A spokesperson for the families, Seka ole Sululu, told The Nation newspaper that they are still expecting more adequate compensation.
“We could have sued, but we chose the traditional route because we believe in reconciliation,” he explained.
As a form of restitution, local officials are also advocating for the university to establish a campus in the Loita area and to provide full scholarships to outstanding students.
