Living the Life of Leif - The honoring of Leif ole Pellos, born October 2010

Wednesday February 2 was a great day. This was the day when Big Leif was to meet Little Leif for the first time.

Little Leif ole Pellos is the son of the second wife of chief Marias ole Pello. When we were here in October with HiNation Marias told us that his second wife was just about to have a baby.

If it is a girl, the name will be Linda, and if it is a boy, the name will be Leif.

Well, a boy was born, given the name Leif ole Pellos.

So returning to Engaruka was a big day. We started early from Ol Mesera and drove to Marias village that is beautifully situated on top of a hill. We were greeted by the community, and then we were invited under the shady roof of a shed. I had brought a photo book with pictures from our last visit which was really appreciated.

Then it was time to be invited to the hut of the second wife where little Leif stayed. For the first three months in a childs life it is kept inside the hut together with its mother for her nourishment and caretaking. She is provided food and other services by other wifes and neighbors. After three months there is a special ritual done by women to bring out the baby and the mother. For the Maasai, women are the carriers of rituals. I was presented a chair in the little foreroom of the hut where I met with little Leif for the first time. You can see proof of our meeting in the slideshow above.

After a while we moved on to go to the village of Engaruka where Marias has his office and bar. I got tired and was given a mattress where I could have a rest in the shadow of the tree where community meetings take place. It was then time for a traditional lunch where a shoulder, leg and a liver from a goat was served. The meat is grilled over open fire, and is prepared without any spices which are considered to spoil good meat, and ruin the original taste. Specially for me there was also bananas, oranges and mango. A traditional Maasai meal is normally just meat as you see it consumed in the pictures.

Continuing our journey we drove to Engaruka Juu Primary school which is a long term testing place for the HiLight. On the way to the school we encountered a small tornado very close to the car.

The headmaster showed us the HiLight they were testing and were very happy about the product. Only problem was that the battery did not seem to deliver the power it was specified to do. But we discussed that being a tester was about finding out such things. We could also demonstrate how the HiLight could be dismantled to reset the power as it seems that the electronics sometimes get stuck.

Finally we went to see Marias campground which is just below the Engaruka ruins. It is a beautiful lot with access to water. Nice shading trees, flowers, meeting spaces. A space waiting to be developed further.

Returning back to Ol Mesera we were very happy for a great day, and continued sharing stories into the night. Good night!