#mumo | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tuhifadhimchanga · 1 month ago

Text

🌍 **Celebrating World Soil Day with Our Community!**

TMI organized an event on World Soil Day (WSD) to engage with smallholder farmers in Marurui, the community, youth, and children to honor our silent hero, soil. We were deeply honored by the presence of Joseph Kihiu , the landowner, the chief of the area Mr. Orina, representatives from the National County, and the Roysambu Subcounty environmental department, Mr. Felix S. and Daniel W. We also welcomed leaders from various organizations who generously shared their knowledge on soil conservation: Cynthia Mumo (TMI Founder), Tabitha Gathoni from Mazingira Urban Networking, Joseph from Roysambu Green Foundation, Benson from Wetlands Conservation Organisation , and Nancy from Reclaim Your Soil Vetiver Association Additionally, we were privileged to have Mr. Kamau, the chair of Starehe Kienyeji Farmers, representatives of Youth Power Farmers, Women in Ecological Justice (Agnes Mwangi), and members from Young Lions.

The event began with an insightful presentation by Martin Kahanya from TMI's research department. He showcased an exhibit that vividly demonstrated the difference in soil structure and integrity between tilled and untilled soil. His explanation emphasized the importance of minimal or no tillage to conserve soil and prevent erosion, and the practice of agroecology to avoid harmful chemicals that disrupt the delicate ecosystem beneath our feet. He stressed that conserving soil is crucial as it is the cornerstone of life on Earth; losing this precious resource means facing food insecurity and malnutrition.

In the second session, we conducted a citizen science led by Mogaka Benson activity on Gumba Wetland, where we assessed the levels of phosphates and nitrates in the dam, turbidity, and the overall ecological status of the wetland.Nancy then led the third session, showcasing soil samples enriched with vetiver mulch compared to those using traditional amendments like cow manure. Her visual presentations highlighted the numerous benefits of vetiver grass, including its ability to filter soil and water, control erosion, and maintain soil structure. She also shared other remarkable advantages of this grass with the participants.

The final session was led by Tabitha from Mazingira Urban Networking, who enlightened us on the benefits of red worm rearing using vegetable waste. She emphasized the importance of reusing vegetative waste to reduce methane emissions from decomposition, thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions. She also explained that these worms are a valuable food source for chickens and beneficial to soil health as they help aerate the soil and play a crucial role in maintaining its structure.

The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session, where participants eagerly asked questions and shared their thoughts on soil conservation, highlighting the community's commitment to achieving healthy soils. #SoilLifeMatters #OurLandOurFuture #Youth4Land #UNited4Land #sustainableagriculture #youthaction Vetiver in Kenya Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) UN Environment Programme

0 notes

craftercat · 3 months ago

Text

The Custom of Killing the Mother of the Crown Prince in Northern Wei (1/2)

This is going to be a two part series. The first part will be looking at the custom of killing the mother of the crown prince, and the second part will look at the influence of Nurse Empress Dowagers.

So when did the custom start? What were its origins? There are two different statements in the records themselves:

Weishu volume 13: 魏故事，後宮產子將為儲貳，其母皆賜死。

"In Northern Wei there was a tradition, that when a son borne by the back palace's concubines was about to become crown prince, his mother would always be forced to commit suicide".

Nanqishu volume 57: 初，佛狸母是漢人，爲木末所殺，佛狸以乳母爲太后，自此以來，太子立，輙誅其母。

"Earlier, Buri (Tuoba Tao)'s mother was a Han woman, and she was killed by Mumo (Tuoba Si). Tuoba Tao used his wet nurse as Empress Dowager, and from then on, when a crown prince was established, his mother would always be executed."

So which is correct? Normally, the Weishu would take precedence, because it was written by the north, while the Nanqishu was written by southerners with limited information who had to rely on intelligence, and were the political enemies of Northern Wei. However, in this case, I don't think that either the Weishu or the Nanqishu is correct. I don't think that Tuoba Si killed Tuoba Tao's mother in the first place, let alone starting the tradition, which I will explain later on.

In terms of why I don't think the Weishu is correct, it's simply because Dai lacked the idea of clear father-son succession and a crown prince. While there were cases of father-son succession, this was not always the case. For example, Tuoba Yihuai essentially designated Tuoba Shiyijian as his successor, and the throne passed between several sons of Tuoba Liwei. And even when they did pass the throne to a son, the son was not always the eldest, such as when Tuoba Fu became emperor before Tuoba Yituo and Tuoba Yilu, and they were the emperor's nephews rather than sons.

With a system of succession where the heir was essentially chosen at will with no clear system as to who took precedent over who, how could there have been a system that revolved around having a clear heir and deciding him early? Especially when the throne often went to brothers or cousins, and not even the son in the first place. Furthermore, there is no record of any of the empresses of Dai having died due to this tradition. Princess Qi and Princess Wang were even able to have political influence as dowagers, especially Princess Qi.

Furthermore, why would Tuoba Gui need to explain to Tuoba Si the purpose behind the tradition if it existed since Dai:

Weishu volume 3: 初，帝母劉貴人賜死，太祖告帝曰：「昔漢武帝將立其子而殺其母，不令婦人後與國政，使外家為亂��汝當繼統，故吾遠同漢武，為長久之計。」

"Earlier, Tuoba Si's mother Honoured Lady Liu was forced to commit suicide, and Tuoba Gui told Tuoba Si: "In the past, Emperor Wu of Han was about to establish his son and killed his mother, in order to not let women later participate in state affairs, causing the consort kin to be chaotic. You will succeed me, thus I am far reaching like Wu of Han, making long term plans.""

There has been speculation that Tuoba Si invented this story to make himself look like the legitimate successor, but if this really was an old Dai tradition, then why couldn't Tuoba Si have claimed that Consort Liu died from the tradition? Why would he need to invent a whole conversation explaining why his mother was forced to commit suicide to make him the heir if it was already a tradition that this happened?

Then if both the Weishu and the Nanqishu are wrong, then when did the custom start? I think the most likely point would be Tuoba Gui killing Consort Liu to make Tuoba Si crown prince. I personally trust the records here: Tuoba Shao had killed his father, which already made him illegitimate. Tuoba Si, then, would be pacifying a rebellion rather than usurping the rightful heir in the minds of the nobility. As well, Tuoba Si never decided to restart the national history project of Tuoba Gui, which would seem like a logical thing to do if he wanted to twist the narrative to ensure his legitimacy.

Furthermore, of the two women before 456 who I think died from the tradition, both were of ethnic groups rival to the Xianbei. Consort Liu was the cousin of the Tiefu warlord Liu Xian. The Tiefu Xiongnu and the Tuoba Xianbei had long been rivals, and it's likely that Tuoba Gui wouldn't have wanted Tiefu Xiongnu influence on his heir. Consort Yujiulu, who I'll get to later, was Rouran. It's likely that the powerful ministers of Tuoba Jun's early reign didn't want a Rouran faction competing for power and used the death of Consort Liu as a pretext to force Consort Yujiulu to commit suicide.

I'm going to explain whether or not I think that Consort Du, Consort Helan and Consort Yujiulu died due to the tradition:

I don't think that Consort Du did actually die due to the tradition, despite what the Nanqishu says. First of all, Consort Du died in 420, and Tuoba Tao didn't become the crown prince until 422, which seems too big of a gap between events. Secondly, when Consort Liu was executed, Tuoba Si was extremely upset and even went into self-exile because he angered his father through his mourning, so it doesn't make sense for him to enforce the same trauma onto his son. Thirdly, Tuoba Si made Consort Du's brother Du Chao a major official in his home province, and he would receive and implement orders from the capital. The tradition was supposed to guard against consort kin becoming powerful, so why would Tuoba Si make Du Chao an official less than 4 years before Consort Du's death? Neither the Weishu or Songshu accuses Tuoba Si of killing her, which makes the Nanqishu claim seem suspect.

As for Consort Helan (or Helai), given that Consort Lin was killed according to the tradition the same year that Yuan Xun was born, it seems more plausible that she was killed. However, I don't think that this was a custom at this point in Northern Wei's history, and Consort Helan didn't have any close relatives who could become too powerful. She only had a distant uncle, Helan Mi, who was granted a title by Tuoba Tao, although he had no real power. Furthermore, Tuoba Tao employed his mother Consort Du's brother in an important position, so he didn't really seem to care about suppressing consort-kin. So I think it's more likely that Consort Helan died from some kind of childbirth issue or childbed infection.

I do find it plausible that Consort Yujiulu was killed due to the tradition by her political enemies. She died in 452, in a very strange sequence of important deaths. On 28 November 452, Baba Kehou and Tuoba Shoule engaged in political infighting and were forced to commit suicide. On 5 December, two of Tuoba Jun's uncles, Tuoba Jian and Tuoba Tan, both died on the same day. On 6 December, only a day after the deaths of her brothers-in-law and barely a week after the political struggle between Baba Kehou and Tuoba Shoule, Consort Yujiulu also died.

Like Consort Liu, Consort Yujiulu was also a part of a rival ethnic group, this time the Rouran. The Rouran had long been enemies of Northern Wei, and Tuoba Tao hated to the point that he changed their official name to a word meaning "wriggling", because he saw them as being closer to insects than people. So Rouran-Northern Wei tensions were high. Add to that she died barely a month after her son became emperor, and only a day after Tuoba Jun's uncles, and I find political execution the most likely scenario. One of the key factions at the time probably decided that they didn't want a Rouran faction in court, and they used Tuoba Gui's precedent to kill Consort Yujiulu, but it's unclear which one.

While Consort Yujiulu's death turned the killing of the crown prince's mother from a one-off into a tradition, it was mostly based around eliminating the influence of rival ethnic factions in court. It was in 456 when the custom found a new meaning:

Weishu volume 13: 太安二年，太后令依故事，令后具條記在南兄弟及引所結宗兄洪之，悉以付託。

"In the second year of Tai'an [456], Empress Dowager Chang ordered to follow the tradition, and ordered Consort Li to list her brothers in the south and her bonded brother Li Hongzhi to entrust to them."

Here, rather than Tuoba Jun carrying out the execution of his crown prince's mother, it is his wet-nurse, Empress Dowager Chang, who does so instead. This was the moment where the tradition became about female rivalries rather than suppressing factions of rival ethnic consort-kin. This instance, and the two afterwards, would be carried out by other women.

Weishu volume 13: 皇興三年薨，上下莫不悼惜。

"[Consort Li] died in the third year of Huangxing [469], and above and below there was nobody who did not mourn her."

This Consort Li was the mother of Yuan Hong and concubine of Tuoba Hong, but her cause of death is not stated. But I do think that she died due to the tradition. She died in 469, the same year that Yuan Hong became crown prince, and she was still young at the time, probably in her early twenties. Given that she was widely mourned, and she was noted for her virtuous character, she was probably not executed for a crime.

As well, although she had given up power, Empress Dowager Feng was still ambitious, and this Consort Li had a powerful family. In fact, even with Consort Li dead, Empress Dowager Feng feared her family to the point that she had their followers executed. She personally raised Yuan Hong and ensured that he never found out who his birth mother was, which showed how much she feared the power of Consort Li's family. So I think it's likely that Empress Dowager Feng followed the precedent of Empress Dowager Chang and forced Consort Li to commit suicide.

Weishu volume 13: 以恂將為儲貳，太和七年后依舊制薨。高祖仁恕，不欲襲前事，而禀文明太后意，故不果行。

"Because Yuan Xun would one day be crown prince, in the seventh year of Taihe [483], Consort Lin died according to the old tradition. Yuan Hong was benevolent and did not want to follow the old tradition, yet he followed Empress Dowager Feng's wishes, and thus he did not implement [his desire to get rid of the tradition]."

This shows that it was the empress dowagers, rather than the emperors, who were deciding the fate of these consorts. Empress Dowager Feng wanted to eliminate a potential rival, Consort Lin, and personally raise Yuan Xun in order to better control him. Even though Yuan Hong didn't want to follow through, he followed the will of Empress Dowager Feng, who had a lot of power at the time.

Ultimately, the tradition was abolished by Yuan Ke, which had several reasons behind it:

Weishu volume 13: 而椒掖之中，以國舊制，相與祈祝，皆願生諸王、公主，不願生太子。

"Of the concubines, because of the tradition, they would all pray together, wanting to give birth to princes who were not the crown prince, or princesses, and did not want to give birth to the crown prince."

After four generations of the mother of the crown prince (or emperor, because Tuoba Jun never got to be crown prince) being forced to commit suicide, by the time of Yuan Ke, none of the concubines wanted to have the crown prince. In fact, some would even have abortions to avoid having the crown prince:

及肅宗在孕，同列猶以故事相恐，勸為諸計。

"When Consort Hu was pregnant with Yuan Xu, the concubines were all afraid because of the tradition, and they advised her with various plans."

Yuan Xu became crown prince at a young age, but Consort Hu was not executed, which essentially ended the tradition. By this point, Yuan Ke probably blamed his lack of an heir in his late 20s to be on the concubines' fear of having a crown prince, and at this point, Gao Zhao was powerful, which showed he didn't really care about the issue of consort-kin.

先是，世宗頻喪皇子，自以春秋長矣，深加慎護。為擇乳保，皆取良家宜子者。養於別宮，皇后及充華嬪皆莫得而撫視焉。

"Earlier, Yuan Ke often lost sons, and because he was now older, he was very cautious and protective. He entrusted Yuan Ke to a wet-nurse and nanny, both taken from good families and appropriate for raising children. Yuan Xu was raised in a separate palace, and Empress Gao and Consort Hu were both not allowed to see him."

The system of raising a child with another woman was common in the Northern Wei dynasty, but it seems to have come from different origins. Tuoba Si separated Tuoba Tao from his mother likely because she was under house arrest, Tuoba Tao likely had Empress Dowager Chang raise Tuoba Jun because he thought that Rouran were not suitable for raising children, Empress Dowager Feng raised Yuan Hong to ensure that he was influenced by her and not Consort Li, and now Yuan Ke was appointing a wet-nurse and nanny to raise Yuan Xu because he thought Yuan Ke would be more likely to survive.

Part of the reason was because Empress Gao and Gao Zhao were suspected to be behind the death of Yuan Ke's first son with Empress Yu, and he therefore wanted to restrict their access to the baby. Yuan Ke could have also spared Consort Hu because he thought that she could act as a counterbalance to the extreme power that the Gao clan and Gao Zhao held.

Thus ended the system of the crown prince's mother being forced to commit suicide. In Part 2, I will be discussing the Nurse Empress Dowagers.

1 note · View note