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The main economic activity of the Cushites during the pre-colonial era was pastoralism/livestock keeping /herding livestock.
Economic importance of plant excretory products include;Tannis - Used in the treatment of leather; combines with animal protein to form a complex compound that is not easily broken down by animal proteases deposited on dead tissue of wood and barks of trees e.g Acacia, mangroove and wattle trees.Caffeine - Taken as a mild stimulant that increases mental activity and reduces fatigue found in coffee berries and tea leaves.Quinine - Used in the treatment of malaria. It is also found in the back of the cinchona tree and aloe vera leaves.Cocaine - Used as a local anaesthetic if taken in large quantities causes great physical and mental defect, addiction and heart disease. Found in leaves of cocoa plant.Cannabis - Extracted and used in the manufacture of drugs; stored in fruits, flowers and leaves of cannabis sativa.Nicotine - Used in the manufacture of insecticides and narcortic drugs; found in the leaves of tobacco plant.Rubber - Used in the shoe, tyre industry; obtained form latex of rubber plant.Gum Arabica - Used in food processing and printing industry; is an exudate from a variety of acacia trees.Colchicine - Used to induce polyploidism in plants and cancer therapy; it os an alkaloid derived from the plant used in genetics in plants and animal breeding researchPapain - Contains proteolytic substance used in the food industry as a meat tenderizer; It is an alkaloid obtained from raw pawpaw fruit skin.Khat - Is a mild stimulant used from medical purposes; obtained from catha edulis (miraa)Morphine - Used as a pain killer and anaesthesia to make patients sense dull and relax; obtained from poppy plant.Heroin - Induces drug dependence hence addictive; it is a drug obtained from morphine and uses as a narcotic.
Characteristics of economic resources include;Scarce in supply Have money valueUnevenly distributedHave utilityHave alternative usesCan change ownershipCan be combinedCan be complimentary
Economic organization of the Akamba during the pre-colonial period include;Crop cultivation e.g sorghum, millet, yams, beans in the fertile area of Mbooni.Livestock keeping in drier areas of KituiHunted wild game and gathered fruits and roots.Practiced iron workingPracticed wood carving making tools and shieldsEngaged in potteryBee keepingActed as middlemen in the long distance trade.Basketry
Cultural and Economic practices of the early man during the Middle Stone Age Period are;His occupation was hunting, gathering and fishing.He improved his tools.Lived settled life in rocks and caves.wore animal skins as clothes.made shells and necklaces and painted his body with red ochre and oil.Developed simple language for communication and religious beliefs.