Page 87 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 11

ROAD TRIP AFRIKA

owards the end of prominent Maasai: Mbatian was an Mackinder in 1899 on the recom-
January 2021, news of Oloibon (Laibon: Spiritual Leader, mendation of Sidney Langford
a planned trip to Lake Prophet. This was not a political Hinde who was the resident officer
TEllis in Mount Kenya role.) of the Maasai community. 'in charge' of Maasai land at the
area reached my husband and I. An He is referred to as their greatest time of Mackinder’s expedition.
adventure beckoned! Who were we spiritual leader, his tenure marked Those who wrote these things down
to resist? Especially since – for vari- by peace, prosperity, increase and claimed Mackinder was the first per-
ous reasons – that famous mountain harmony among the Maa people. son to ascend to the top of Mount
had been on our minds in the days Mbatian prophesied about the Kenya.
immediately preceding that news. coming of the white men and the
Excitedly, we confirmed our partic- railway line and cautioned his people Mount Kenya is also home to the
ipation and began to make the nec- not to move out of their ancestral elusive black panther, that beautiful
essary arrangements: warm clothing, lands, lest they die of smallpox and dark-skinned leopard made famous
things to cook with, things to cook their cattle perish. Nelieng was his by the movie... and since 1997
and so on; after all, this was going brother and Olonana, Mbatian’s has been on the list of UNESCO
to be an off-road camping trip and second son who also became an World Heritage sites. The mysteries
we had to be prepared. We stretched Oloibon. Much like Jacob, Olonana of Mount Kenya we will leave for
our coins, borrowed what couldn’t successfully tricked his father into another day, except to say that this is
be bought and made ready as much giving him power instead of his where the country of Kenya even-
as one can for the unknown. older step brother Senteu, sparking tually drew its name... an anglicized
One thing that niggled at us was the division and conflict between the mispronounced form of the original
name of this place... after all, the brothers and the Maasai people, name of the mountain known as
name Ellis wasn’t one found in the which weakened them over time. Kirinyaga/Kii nyaa/Kirenyaa/Ol
annals of Afrikan nomenclature. Olonana went on to befriend the Doinyo Keri/Ol Doinyo Eibor/Ol
What on earth could have brought British and became their unwitting Doinyo Egere, in the various local
this about? Located 3455meters or pawn in eliminating pastoralism languages of the people who inter-
11335.3 feet above sea level, at the from the lands that they wanted to acted with the mountain. The name
foot of Mugi Hill in the undulating use for farming... effectively limiting itself meaning the striped mountain
landscapes that immediately sur- the mighty Maasai to reserves and and also a reference to the feathers
round Mount Kenya, is Lake Ellis. later into reducing the sizes of the of a male ostrich in comparison to
The lake was named after Thomas reserves. Olonana was welcoming the black and white coloration of
Evelyn Scott-Ellis who was said to the American missionaries, who the mountain and its peaks. And
to have been the first European to he expected would introduce useful that it retains spiritual significance to
reach the lake in 1927. The name skills to his people, but they too, the people of the mountain to this
Ellis is derived from the name Elias uneasy with the idea of nomadic day. Of the name and purpose of
which is the anglicized form of the pastoralist life, began to teach his the country, you can read more in
name Elijah. More on that later. people farming. His was a tragic our story on Kenya in Issue One of
decline in glory and favor with his Msingi Afrika Magazine.
About Mount Kenya people. These three peaks’ names
Mount Kenya is the second highest were suggested by Sir Halford John Our journey took us northwards
mountain in Afrika and is home to a
diversity of flora and fauna, a collec-
tion of 31 lakes and tarns (tarns are Driving through rough terrain
glacial lakes), a wonderful collection Photo: Samuel Phillips
of hills, valleys and multiple peaks
which are pyramidal in nature. The
three highest being (in ascending
order) Lenana (4985m/16,355ft),
Nelion (5188 m/17,022ft) and Ba-
tian (5199m/17,058ft). Nelion and
Batian are misspellings of Nelieng
and Mbatian and Lenana is an angli-
cization of Olonana. The three were

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