Ewaso Village: Poems and Stories from Laikipia County, Kenya

Summary

The Maasai people of East Africa comprise one of the most intriguing and resourceful cultures on earth. For more than a thousand years, they’ve survived and thrived on the landscape surrounding Mt. Kenya and the Maasai Mara borderlands of Kenya and Tanzania. “Despite colonialism and land development, the Maasai have protected their nomadic lifestyle and traditional values with a rare combination of pride, humility, and perseverance,” says poet/filmmaker Chip Duncan. “They live in harmony with some of the world’s most impressive wildlife—lions, elephants, leopards, and rhinos—while herding cows, goats, and camels as a way of life.”

In Ewaso Village, Duncan tells the story of a small community of Maasai and Samburu people in Laikipia County, Kenya. Using a combination of poetry and prose, Ewaso Village touches on universal themes including rites of passage, creation myths, death rituals, and childbirth while posing significant questions about climate change, conservation, women’s rights, and the survival of indigenous cultures.