Other People of Kenya
During the time that I spent in Kenya, I had the opportunity to meet people from many different tribes. Some of the researchers were Kenyan, and were brought in by the field school and the National Museums of Kenya. I developed long-lasting, and hopefully lifetime friendships with many of them. Among them, my best friend Cruz, is from the Kikuyu tribe, as is my friend Mwangi (John). Jomo Kenyatta, perhaps one of the most famous Kenyans, and who helped shaped Kenya's independence from Britain after the Mau Mau war, was Kikuyu. An interesting note for those of us who study anthropology, is that Kenyatta obtained a degree in the field under Bronislaw Malinowski. He has also written an acclaimed ethnographic work about the Kikuyu people, entitled Facing Mt. Kenya.
Another friend, Stella, who I consider a sister, belongs to the Kamba tribe. And Abdi, I consider my brother, and is a man with dimples and a smile bright enough to light the Kenyan nighttime sky, belonged to the Rendille tribe, but also has Somali roots. Emmanuel - my holocene crew leader and the safest and coolest Land Rover driver EVER - well, he belongs to the Rutgers/NMK tribes.
During the long drive from Nairobi to Koobi Fora, we passed many Gabbra people in their brightly colored traditional clothing, at Loilangalani, we encountered the Rendile. Once we reached Koobi Fora, we camped just outside of a few Dassanech villages, where we had the most interaction.
Not far out of Nairobi, our caravan stopped at a watering hole, where many herders and their goats had gathered to water their animals. We got out so that we could see the way that water was obtained by the people in such an arid environment. The hole was deep, and somewhat large. The people had cut small steps into the walls of hole, where they stood at different levels so that they could assist one another in passing buckets up and down. What I found the most remarkable, was the teamwork that they employed, and the traditional song that they sung as they worked. I have no idea, to this day, what tribe this was, or what the words to the song were, I'm thinking the Gabbra or the Samburu. The tune, and the behavior of singing while working in unison, reminded me of something that I might have watched in any American film that portrayed slaves in the fields, the only difference being the language it was being sung in. The division of labor was apparent, as there were no women doing the work of getting water, nor any women attending the herds. Below are some photos of this experience.
The above photos are used courtesy of Kelly M, a KFFS survivor!
On the way back from Koobi Fora to Nairobi, we stopped, once again, for the night at Loilangalani. Since this was our first stop on our long safari back to the city, we were anxious to get out and enjoy the evening at a bar. Before that, however, Abdi invited Cruz and me to visit his home and to meet his mother and sister. Abdi's mother is Somalian, and is a Muslim, so we were careful not to bring beer into her home, politely apologizing before hand. At first, we were taken into the living room of their more modern home, which was decorated with the most brilliant reddish colored wall-covering and that I have ever seen. The sofa and other furniture were equally as stunning. Because it was so hot, it was suggested that we go and sit outside, and his mother spread some cloths for us on the ground.
I was not surprised that Abdi's mother was so physically beautiful. I had seen pictures of his sisters, who are also very gorgeous women. While at his home, I met his younger sister, who engaged in playful talk about school with Cruz, in Swahili.
His mother then brought Cruz and me some chai tea, and I fell in love with it. It alone would be worth the journey half way around the world to have another cup of this tea with Abdi's family. Next, she brought us a plate of meat. Being that meat was so scarce at camp, and because I didn't want to be impolite, I ate what was offered without asking what it was at first. To my delight - it was delicious. It wasn't really a 'jerky', but was a dried meat. Abdi said that it is made and then could be stored for a length of time, so is a good staple food to have around. Then I asked what it was. It was camel. It was a bit shocking to learn what I had been feasting on, but I could not deny how good it was. I've never been someone to venture into foods that are unfamiliar to me, but this night - I was happy that I did. On a later night at camp, they served us camel. I tried it, but it cooked like a stew (everything we ate was cooked like a stew) and was totally yuck compared to the camel that was served by Abdi's mom.
After we left there, we went to a local bar, which was an open air place. The music was loud, but it was a nice change of pace from the field school. We stumbled back to our campsite in the dark Kenyan night, and I made my way to my tent, which that night - I was sharing with Stella. Stella can hang longer than I can, and hadn't come in yet for the night from the bar.
I hope that one day, I'll get a chance to visit Abdi's home again, as I would hate to leave this earth without ever to meet his mom again.
Below are some photos of the Rendille village at Loilangalani. I did not have a chance to take photos of my trip to Abdi's home, maybe I can convince him to take some pics and send them to me one day. You can click on the photos to view a larger version.
Click to learn more about the following tribes. Please note that clicking these tribe names will bring you to external links.