Also, "giving" (really just assigned, but then that's all that English barons had, too) the Humaktis their own lands make them spend time running their plots and distracts them from wandering off during a brief spell of peace. Besides, many were originally culturally Orlanthi and still have landholding as a goal in the back of their minds.
My original idea was just to avoid having to pay them with specie, when it isn't all that plentiful (at least compared to the total Humakti salary requirements). If you pay them in actual cattle they must have some place to put the animals until merchants can monetarize the assets, etc.
Obviously, this is done when a clan or tribe or kingdom has more land than they absolutely need, whether due to incredible fertility or local population crashes. Especially, if the land is disputed, since having Humakti there is better than having your enemies wander in and squat.
PS: Why would a humakti be content with life serving some BlowHard chief, anyway? The God Himself turned his back when he decided that the Storm Tribe were too dishonorable (in the Humakti myths, at least, which is all that the Humakti will care about). High pay might tend to make them less likely to pay attention to that wandering Sword talking about the war in the next valley when you expect one a year out.
PPS: Humakti aren't useless at farming, they just aren't as effective at it, even if they try to approach it efficiently, as the average Orlanth Adventurous or Hedkoranth warrior, let alone Barntars. Thus, this practice doesn't threaten to overturn Orlanthi society on a short-term basis.
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