Whatshot

2026
All
September
2025
All
November
All
2024
All
June
All
April
All
2023
All
March
All
2022
All
2021
All
2020
All
March
All
February
All
2019
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
2018
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
2017
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2016
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2015
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
DHS
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2014
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
KZN
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2013
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All
June
All
May
All
April
All
March
All
February
All
January
All
2012
All
December
All
November
All
October
All
September
All
August
All
July
All

Samburuland Living Traditions

Samburuland Living Traditions

Date: 2016-10-07
The Kingsley Holgate Foundation team as recently returned from A Journey to Chew Bahir Expedition - it's a story best told from the scribbles in Kingsley's expedition journal

Samburuland - Living Traditions

It's with great excitement and anticipation that the expedition team all arrive in Samburuland in Kenya's Northern Frontier District, marking the true beginning of our Living Traditions Expedition.

We've reached the sacred mountain of Sepache, with old friend warrior captain Dipa - it's a feast of colour, Morane age-set warriors, red ochred bodies and beadwork with all the colours of the rainbow. A friend of Dipa's is getting married and we're invited to the traditional ceremony: there's the slaughter of animals, drinking of fresh blood from a goat's neck and at sunset the singing and dancing reach a crescendo with the Morane leaping into the sky and women ulilating. As we leave the bride gets ushered off to be circumcised on her wedding night. Life on expedition is never dull.

All our expeditions carry a scroll of peace and goodwill. These have been endorsed by Nobel peace prize laureates Nelson Mandela and archbishop Desmond Tutu, ambassadors, presidents, health workers, community leaders, elders and fellow travelers. Next morning Samburu mamas endorse the Living Traditions scroll with red ochered handprints as a sign of appreciation for the Rite to Sight and malaria work we've done in the village. Hope does indeed cross any terrain.

The Samburu elders give us a blessing, Dipa grabs his AK and with his gang of Morane jump into his old green Defender to escort us North through the Badlands towards to Omo Delta. These age-set warriors have a thorough knowledge of the area and have even been known to hunt down Al Shaabab operatives and hand them over to the military.