JAMBO! From Africa!We drove again back into the country to deliver some money to a Branch President for his volunteers working on the measles program. We met him at the little Nzyo chapel, which looked like a little, abandoned plaster industrial building in the middle of the desert. But, on the outside
was the words, “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” which they were so very proud of and made me feel pretty strange when thinking about our comparatively luxurious chapels back home. But, when I thought about how much of our tithing and fast offering monies are going exactly for things like this, it gave me a much deeper understanding of the good of the Church.
His sweet wife and mother had a little “shop” a little ways
away selling a few bananas and oranges. By “shop”, I mean a few tree branches holding up an old cardboard-like roof. We gave them some candy for their little baby and them, too, and their faces lighted up like light-bulbs.
Nearby was a “bore hole” (well) where a woman was buying water for 5 shillings
and told us the village people were so blessed to have it because it was a huge step up compared to walking for miles for water and carrying it back home in heavy yellow jugs...or, finding some dirty, diseased stream somehow, somewhere. The finding and drilling for wells here is a huge need. Church service couples help with this effort, along with other non-profit organizations. Clean water is a giant step towards combating diseases.
We visit little Red Cross places as we travel and have great admiration for them. Some even have glass windows and one even had electricity! Of course, they have that in the large cities, but, even there you would not call them very modern. That's also true of the hospitals, where few babies go to be born. Mid-wives are the way in the country and bush...and, medicine men are usually trusted there much more than doctors.
Meeting African natives from the various villages and tribes has been a fascinating experience for us. There are many countries besides Kenya in Africa, of course, and 15 different tribes in Kenya alone.
Many of them are in the back bush country, some high in the isolated mountains or out in the bush where there are few roads. In many places, we can only get there by our 4 wheel drive over rough, rocky roads that a passenger car could not even begin to climb. And, in those places we seldom, if ever, saw another car. I wondered sometimes if we would ever find our way back! And, alive?! But, usually we were
greeted along the way by friendly, smiling faces and various curious looks. Children would be especially that way and willingly wave and sometimes run after us on their little legs as far as they could in the thick red dirt of the roads. As we became more familiar with the land and people, we gradually felt safer, partly, I think, because Kenya is a safer country than many African countries, especially safer than those where war, genocide, and terrorism is happening. Still, we worry
about our safety, especially at night or in crowded, out of the way places in the bush or the cities.
Each tribe is quite different from the others in many ways...like, different in their dress, their food, their culture, marriage customs, their way of surviving, their homes, etc.
Except for those people in the cities, most tribes have lived their ways since time began and with little changes. And, for those living way back in the wild back country, it's likely they may live that way forever! But, to us, the amazing and wonderful thing about them all is that they all seem quite friendly, loving, and happy, even those living in poor, destitute conditions. I'm sure, though, that even though we are getting
to know them much more than the average person just visiting as a tourist here, that we probably don't know for sure exactly how they feel about life. One thing we have not been surprised to learn for sure is that those who have joined the Church are quick to strongly express how much happier and fulfilled they feel and how much better their life has become, especially spiritually. That makes us feel very good, of course. And, further, we feel so good when they express their sincere thanks for the good that our measles work is doing for their children and the country.
Some of the tribes are fishermen, some farmers, some run cattle and goats, and some are gatherers, carvers, or a combination of ways to survive in this sometimes harsh land. Regardless, they are all
very ingenious in how they utilize the land, forest, jungle, ocean, rivers, and lakes to survive. Nothing is wasted and they sometimes use things and materials we would never dream of using in America. Additionally, they have learned to survive on very little, compared to so-called "civilized" peoples, like us. Our necessities many times would be their luxuries, most
absolutely unattainable or even known or dreamed about for them, as their standard of living is so low compared to ours. Yet, life goes on for them just like us. Sometimes I wonder, "Who is the happiest...them or us?"
We visited people who mostly live in huts, with
each tribe being a different design. Round, square, two "floors," mostly just one room, etc. Yet, all very, very small, of course (about the size of a small bedroom for the entire family), Dirt floor, a fire pit either inside or outside, walls made of branches, earth, or dried cow dung; roofs of branches or straw. Do I need to even tell you that, of course, there is no running water, electricity, glass windows, etc? Or, that many
would not even know what a microwave, TV, refrigerator, or a computer, is? Many sleep on the dirt floor on nothing but straw or palm leaves. Goats and chicken sometimes live inside with them and are a prime source of food for those who are fortunate to have them. When we return home where it is now Fall and begin to rake leaves again, I will never again complain about such tasks. Why, because I have learned there are no leaves here in the areas where rain has not fallen for
three years now and people and animals are starving. Here, they would call our green falling leaves a blessing from heaven and would use them as stuffing for some kind of makeshift pillow or mattress...or, in fact, eat the leaves as a precious food from God. Sometimes I wish Africa could mix up the weather and terrain to make good living conditions for all. Water is the great equalizer here, but it is not spread equally around this vast country. Where it has not fallen for 3 years, there is dryness, little greenery, and starvation. Where it falls, like on the coast and in the mountains and jungles, it is lush and green and provides food to survive.
Their resourcefulness and skills are amazing. Where we would not last long in the bush or
jungle, they have learned to survive and be happy there. The hunting tribes are highly skilled with spears, snares, traps of all kinds, and bow and arrow. One tribe hunts crocodiles and another the hippo, both very dangerous to humans. A two ton hippo will feed a tribe for a week, but they have to have the courage and ingenuity to kill it. The hunting and fishing tribes smoke and dry their meat and fish, then boil it to soften for eating later. They told us it would last for 10 years that way...amazing!
A farming tribe showed us how they traded for metals from the Arabs and molded it in fire with bellows made from animal skins, like a blacksmith, to make their digging tools....and, also make spear and arrow points to trade to a hunting tribe for meat. The farming tribes showed us the stone bowls and crushers they used to crush and grind corn to make maize porridge, a staple food for much of Africa. We met a member of the Loi Tribe, who
are farmers and fishermen in the Lake Victoria area by Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is the tribe where President Obama's ancestry is from and they are very proud of that!
The marriage customs are fascinating. In one tribe, the woman chooses her husband! But in most, the man does the choosing. Several tribes are polygamists, like the Maasai, who have up to ten wives! To get a wife, the man must provide 18 cows and 26 goats to the girl's parents. Sounded like a pretty good deal for the girl's parents, especially if they had lots of daughters! But, a man from another tribe said to us, "I only want one wife because that's headaches enough for me," In most tribes, the husband sleeps in the very crowded hut with his wife and children. In another, he sleeps in the "attic" upstairs and in another must sleep outside. In one polygamous tribe, there are separate small huts for each wife. So, when he wants some "lovin," he just visits the hut of his choice for the night!
We continue fascinated by one of the most famous tribes, the Massai. Besides the Zulus, they are known as the warriors. and have maintained their culture and customs more than any other tribe in Africa. They are a tall, straight, beautiful, noble-looking and very proud people who are very easy to recognize anywhere in Africa because of their bright, colorful dress and tall, noble and proud posture and bearing. You can tell other Africans admire and respect them for fervently maintaining their culture and customs and their bravery in the bush. But, they are also pretty savvy marketers, as we saw them in many places capitalizing on their reputation and culture by selling carvings, beautiful bead work, and bright blankets in their famous Maasai colors. They are cattlemen who prize their herds greatly and even think all the cattle in the world inherently belong to them. Their food is mostly meat, milk, and blood. They bleed the blood from a spear wound to the cow's throat and then mix it with milk to drink. As we drove many places, especially the plains and savannas, we saw their round huts and villages and them herding and guarding their herds everywhere. They surround their village with a tall "fence" made of tree branches to try to keep out the lions, especially at those villages close to the game preserves and wild bush country. In fact, some Massai even live in the game preserves, where the most wild animals are! The bright colors of their dress stood out like a beacon against the tans and browns of the land. They are nomadic
and move their herds every 3-4 months to find new grazing ground. They leave their huts and villages, then, for other Maasai or for their return when the grasses grow again there.
They are also polygamists and the more cattle a man has, the more wives he can get! They are brave, skilled, and fearless hunters. In the not too distant past, a young man had to kill a lion to prove his manhood. That has since been outlawed by the government, but some Maasai still practice the custom in secret, especially in the bush. At one of their dances, we met a young
man who had a big healed dent and wound on his forehead where he had been injured by a water buffalo while stalking a lion. Their particular dance is a strange high-jumping dance while they are jumping in a line chanting together and with drums pounding in the background.
We met a fascinating young Maasai warrior at the dance and bought two of his beautiful oil paintings, which we treasure. One shows the classic scene of Massai warriors on the march in a long line. The other was of a Maasai wedding.
We were surprised to hear from him that he was a Christian and even had a desire to go to a Christian seminary and become a Pentecostal minister! This was highly unusual, so we asked him how his tribe and parents felt about that. He said there were some who were opposed, but are tolerating it. We were impressed by his intelligence and sincerity and later saw during the evening that he was respected among the other Massai people there. He proudly told us his Christian name was "Peter." He also said, "No, I will not be a polygamist, because it is against God's law". It was an unusual and amazing experience to talk to him about his unique mix of old Maasai culture and traditions now being blended with more modern day Christianity.
I greatly admired these proud people. But, I also felt sorrow for them as later I saw them huddled together in the rain outside the resort gates where we had seen them dance and sell their wares on the old grass tennis court of the resort. It looked like they were just trying to stay out of the rain before walking to their homes somewhere. It saddened me to see these proud, strong warriors like that, having to earn money selling their goods to the curious white man, like us. I wish I had not seen that. I would have rather remembered them as warriors out in the wild bush.
Another never to be forgotten experience was meeting a tribal medicine man and learning about his life and work. He came from a long line of medicine men in his ancestry. And, as a 50 year old, he was now teaching and training his 12 year old grandson to take over his highly respected position of medicine man after he dies. It is passed down from grandfather to first born grandson, thereby skipping the father's generation in between. And, when he dies, his skull will be buried under the dirt floor in his hut along with the skulls of his predecessors from long ago. His hut will be given to his grandson who will become the next medicine man for the tribe. Can you visualize how many old skulls are buried under there?
He was quite short (about 5' 5", very black-skinned, and quite fierce-looking. But, as we talked, he somehow seemed to become more gentle and wise. His face was painted with strange designs and he had a strange, proud mannerism about him. He was very sombre and serious as the interpreter helped us ask questions and talk with him. I wondered what experiences he must have had and how he handled the big responsibility of taking care of his people in the wild bush. Medicine Men also act as spiritual leaders.
We so-called civilized people would perhaps label them "Witch Doctors," but I learned long ago to believe that kind of criticism to be a misnomer, because I really believe that God helps all those who turn to Him, in faith, regardless of their beliefs or particular religion. Most of the tribes deep in the bush do not speak English. But, toward the end of our meeting him, he warmed up and even occasionally smiled as he seemed to tell we were sincere and genuinely interested in him and his work. He told of utilizing all kinds of herbs and plants to brew his medicines to heal the wounds and fight the sicknesses and diseases of his people. He seemed to have a treatment for everything...from stomach aches to colds to malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid fever. Most natives in the bush refuse to go to the white man's doctor or hospital, but only trust their medicine man.
We told him about our having two son-in-laws who are doctors in the US. This seemed to perk his interest and, as his confidence in our sincerity seemed to grow, he asked us questions about our family and our dreams in life. When we told him we had 15 grandchildren and would like to have more, he smiled as if he knew how we felt. Then, to our delight and amazement, he began a vision-like ritual where he closed his eyes and, while humming a low song and prayer, maneuvered two small wooden necklace pieces he had carved while we were there, Up and down along a string they magically moved in the smoke of the fire in front of him. As the pieces moved up and down, he sang and gave a blessing to them. Then, they amazingly stayed in place after he asked if we would like to have another grandchild. He said the answer was, "yes," which made us happy, of course! (But, we'll leave that up to our kids!) He then put the wooden necklace pieces on strings and gave them to us to give to our two doctor son-in-laws, Jared and Kevin! (Later, we talked about how much fun it will be telling them this story and giving them the necklaces!) What an amazing experience this was!
Better close for now...on we go on bumpy, dusty red roads...oh, my poor old back!
We love you all,
Dick & Lawana, somewhere in Africa
NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.
It's been so great to work so closely with them and we are not surprised their results are so much better, because of their great dedication. Their mission here is a special 3 months mission and we've been privileged to have been part of around half of that.
That's because when the people see our red shirts or hats, many of them have had their children given the “jabs” or heard about the measles shots. You can see the nice feelings for us in their eyes even when they don't speak...it's a wonderful feeling for us and really makes it all worth it. Big articles have run in the newspapers and the radio jingles have been running regularly, so the people seem to know a lot about it and are quite appreciative. Health is such a huge issue here, because of the poverty and the high cost of trying to prevent the spread of disease.
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