Demise of the Sepaade Tradition: Cultural and Biological Explanations

Abstract

In an attempt to find common theoretical and methodological ground between anthropological demography and human evolutionary ecology, this article analyzes and interprets one recent event, the termination of the sepaade tradition among Rendille pastoralists of northern Kenya. Long described in the anthropological literature as an example of cultural population regulation, the sepaade tradition ended in 1998. Previously collected qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed to assess the various rationales for the demise of the tradition. Qualitative data link its termination to changing group morals, while quantitative data point to the loss of individual-level benefits as the underlying rationale. Combining such seemingly disparate interpretations highlights common research interests for anthropological demography and human evolutionary ecology. [anthropological demography, human evolutionary ecology, culture change]