The beauty of the Kenyan ethnic diversity

I come originally from Brazil, a country where people celebrate their ethnic diversity. We Brazilian are born of a mixture of many races coming from different corners of the planet: the primordial inhabitants of that ground, the indigenous, the Europeans, mainly the Portuguese colonizers, and the Africans, brought to the American continent as slaves. Centuries later, another immigration waves coming from countries like Italy, Germany, Japan, Poland, even from Lebanon and Armenia gave the country the face it has today. It sounds really like a big "soup of races", as we use to call ourselves, but nothing compared to what one can experience in some African countries. Living in Kenya has given me the chance to grow into these diversity and to learn about its people.

Bukusu  lady in the Chwele market. PICTURE: PRIVATE

So, what did I get to learn about the Kenyan people so far?

The population of Kenya is composed by three main groups or folks, the Bantu people, speakers of the Bantu languages and originally from the central western part of the continent, the Nilot, or Nilotic people, mainly inhabitants of Central and East Africa, and the valleys of the Nile river, and the Cushitis, originals from the "horn of Africa", region composed today by countries like Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. This a group of minor significance in number of inhabitants in the country.

A Masaai grandma. PICTURE: PRIVATE

These three folks are divided in a number of smaller ethnic groups or tribes, sub-tribes and smaller groups, the clans, dispersed all over the country. According to recent statistics the population of Kenyan is formed by 42 tribes. Till now I got to know people from a few of them, like the Luhya, Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo and Masaai.

My friend Nicole Achieng, a Luhya girl with a Luo name. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

In Chwele, Western region of Kenya, where I'm living the predominant tribe is the Luhya. The Luhya belong to the Bantu people and can be subdivided in another 18 sub-tribes, each of them speaking a different dialect or variation of the Luhya language. 

The Bukusu, the people I have the pleasure to live with, is one of these sub-tribes and they speak the language with the same name, kiBukusu. Now it gets more interesting! These sub-tribes are composed by even smaller groups, the clans, which also have specific internal rules and traditions. Omutukhwika, omulako, omukimweyi, omurefu, etc. are examples of clans of the Bukusu tribe. Now consider such a hierarchy in each one of the 42 tribes. That's what I mean with fascinating!

Mrs. Matimbai, my host and friend. From the
Luhya tribe, Bukusu sub-tribe. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

There are a few tribes among those 42 I'm sure you must have heard about, e. g. the Masaai, the Kalenjin and the Kikuyu. The Masaai are those slender tall guys wrapped in red, frequently also blue, "blankets" (in Kiswahili shuka) one can see in movies and advertisements "jumping" in the savannah. They typically wear colorful beaded earrings and necklaces and are known to be a tribe of warriors. These guys belong to the Nilot people.

A Sabaot boy. The Sabaot is a sub-tribe from the Kalenjin. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

The Kalenjin, on the other hand, got a lot of reputation through sports. Some of the best marathon runners in the world are Kenyans, and almost all of them come from this tribe. Like the Masaai, the Kalenjin are also Nilotic people.

Recently I went on a excursion to the Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano on the surroundings of Chwele and up on the mountain I got to know some of the locals, the Sabaots, a sub tribe of the Kalenjin. These guys are used to the life in high and hilly areas and to lower temperatures. This one of the few tribes that used to practice female circumcision.

Ms. Cheptarus Sang, my Kalenjin friend. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

What to say about the Kikuyu tribe? 
This tribe is original from the central part of the country, which includes the capital, Nairobi, and is the largest tribe in population. Approximately 20% of the Kenya population is Kikuyu. These guys are known for being merchants and business people. It's maybe also important to mention that the actual Kenyan president is a Kikuyu.

Yvone Wanjala also a Luhya and Bukusu. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

The complexity resulting of the many tribes, sub-tribes and clans in Kenya is just enormous. As a reflex of that, you can imagine how culturally rich is this country.

All the different traditions, typical meals, the seasonal names and number of  languages. A child growing up in a three languages environment is a very common thing around here. Contrary to what one may think the Kenyans live in peace with each other regardless of all their ethnic particularities.

Rose's fruits stand. Rose is also a Bukusu. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

To learn about  the Kenyan people and get entangled in their traditions has been an amazing and incredibly rewarding experience.

Cheers everyone,

Mácio Simiyu (my Bukusu name :)).

"Safi!" is what they say on the Mount Elgon

"Safi! Safi!" was what I surprisingly got to hear as I used my basic Swahili knowledge to greet the locals on the southern area of the Mount Elgon. "Safi" is Swahili, means "clean!" and is exceptionally used by the inhabitants of those areas, the Sabaots.

A Sabaot boy. PICUTRE: PRIVATE.

The Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano located half in Ugandan half in Kenyan territory and its highest point reaches approximately 4300 m. It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering a area of arounf 3.500 km² (Wiki.).

The Mount Elgon is located exactly on the border between Kenya and Uganda.

My friends Job Matimbai, from Chwele in Kenya, Travis Elenitsky, from USA, and I took the pikipikes, the motorcycle taxis, in Chwele and headed to the Mount Elgon early in the morning for a one day excursion. We ride up and down through the muddy roads on the mountain for 7 hours covering around 65 km and reaching heights up to 2500 m.

The green meadows on the inhabited areas of the Mount Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE. 

From Chwele, where I live, we reached the didn't needed much time to reach the green hilly landscape inhabited by the Saboats and be able to visit a few caves and walk along the cliffs to get to waterfalls of an extraordinary beauty. 

Exploring caves with the locals, theSabaots, on the Mount Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

Panorama in the caves at the border Kenya / Uganda. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

One of the many waterfalls on the Mount Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

The Sabaots, a sub-tribe of the Kalenjin, are the main inhabitants of the Mount Elgon. Their population stretches over the border to Eastern part of Uganda. For those, who don't know yet, most of the greatest Kenyan marathon runners are actually Kalenjins and they developed their skills running on the hilly areas. I could even see one local in his sport wear jogging at 2000 m height.

Sabaots children. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

A Sabaot women transporting water. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

These guys live adapted to the relatively cold and rainy winter, what is too cold for the inhabitants of the low lands. They dwell the so called "grass houses" built with bamboo and mud and covered with dried grass. The material for the construction is just on their backyard, including the bamboo trees.
Standing in the middle of the green hilly landscape, the grass houses compose one of the most extraordinary scenarios I've seen in Africa so far.

A local, the muddy road and the grass houses, the typical
landscape on the Mount Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

The typical "grass houses". PICTURE: PRIVATE.

The "grass houses" and bamboo fences typical for the Mount Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

I didn't count on seeing similar green and fertile meadows somewhere in Kenya as I saw up on the Mount Elgon. The locals basically live from what grows in the ground, and it's a lot. The cabbages, potatoes and grains cultivated here are distributed almost all over Kenya. The roads to the mountain and between the villages up there are very bad though, and during the rain season, when the mud takes over, it gets practically inaccessible. 

Transport of the local products on the muddy road. PICTURE: PRIVATE. 

View of a village on the Mount  Elgon. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

During the "only" 7 hours motorbike ride I definitely didn't get enough of the extinct volcano. So, soon I will be coming back and next time I'll have a bath on those waterfalls. Besides, I have heard that one can climb up some cliffs on those neighborhoods. Time to go back climbing as well.

With the feet on the road. PICTURE: PRIVATE.

Next post about some African beauties.

Cheers peeps!