Saturday 26 May 2012

Kisamburu Lessons



Note for the folks at home: Kisamburu, which we've already discussed, is the "mother tongue" of the local inhabitants of Maralal, the Samburu people. The language is very unlike the more widespread Kiswahili, simply because Kisamburu and Kiswahili are from completely different linguistic roots --- they were literally brought into the country by two completely different groups. Kiswahili, as it is based partially in Bantu language roots, came to Kenya with the Bantu ethnic group through their great migration from West Africa several thousand years ago. Kisamburu, however, has Nilotic roots. The Nilotes came into Kenya from the North, through Sedan. Another Kenyan tribe of the Nilotic ethnic group is the Maasai. The Maasai people are often considered "cousins" to the Samburu people, as both groups share a great deal of cultural traditions. (They are even often confused in photographs, because the dress of the two peoples can appear so similar. Note: a Samburu man and a Maasai man.)

Saturday 19 May 2012

Vumbi!


Note for the folks at home: The Samburu district, with its semi-arid environment, generally lives up to its "desert" reputation... except during the (sudden, unexpected) rainy seasons. I suppose "unexpected" isn't fair, as it happens every year, but the rainy seasons (a long one from April-August, another short one from October-November) will undoubtedly surprise the newcomer who's accustomed himself to the hot, dry, dusty days of the dry season. Otherwise clear, glaring skies become battlegrounds for armies of raging thunderheads; the scorched, grey sand gives way to treacherous mud swamps; the normally painful direct sunshine is replaced by an equally painful barrage of ice-cold raindrops the size of grapes. Oh, and plants grow and stuff.

Saturday 12 May 2012

Translating


Note for the folks at home: Pastoralism is a common practice (and profession) across rural Kenya. Cattle ("ng'ombe"), sheep ("kondoo"), and goats ("mbuzi") are common throughout the country, with camels ("ngamia") being an additional choice of livestock in the more arid regions. Herded animals are raised for their milk and meat, but it should be noted that they are also an indicator of a person's social standing. "A truly rich man," I've been told, "drives a train of goats one hundred metres long." This norm, however, has its drawbacks: herders are often loath to slaughter any of their precious beasts, considering the food source not worth the loss in socioeconomic appearance.
Note for the folks who have seen me draw a camel before: I'm gettin' better, eh? At least this one doesn't look like a llama.

Saturday 5 May 2012

It's Tea Time!



(Long-time readers may remember this is not the first time my actions have been deemed rude.)
Note for the folks at home: There may not be a national beverage of Kenya, but if there is, it is, beyond any doubt, tea. Tea in Kenya, universally called "chai", has an importance that is hard to put into words. Daily tea breaks are standard: absence of a cup of hot chai around 11 AM (and another at 4 PM, in most cases) would be a breach of basic human rights. Furthermore, Kenyan chai is a specific beverage (that might not be an American's first thought of "tea"): tea leaves steeped in hot milk (or milk that has been BARELY diluted with water,) and then combined with at least three tablespoons of sugar. The result would be called, by Starbucks standards, a "chai tea latte with extra sugar", or by David Burns standards, an "instant headache".
Note for my Kenyan readers: Just kidding. Chai is delicious and perfect in every way.