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Old June 3, 2002, 09:21   #1
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Kenyan Tribe Learns Of Severity of 9-11
This was in this morning's newspaper.
I thought it was pretty cool, so in case you hadn't seen...


From Africa, a 9-11 tribute
06/03/2002

New York Times News Service

ENOOSAEN, Kenya – Skyscrapers are a foreign concept to the Masai people who live in this corner of Kenya, where the tallest things on the vast horizon are the acacia trees and the giraffes that feed on them.

So when Kimeli Naiyomah returned to the tiny village from his studies in the United States recently, he found only the vaguest understanding among his fellow Masai of what had happened in that faraway place called New York on Sept. 11.

Some in the nomadic community of cattle raisers had missed the story entirely. "I never knew about Sept. 9," said William Oltetia, chief of the young warriors known here as morans, who was still confused about the date. "I just never heard about it."

Most Masai, however, learned of the attacks from the radio soon after they occurred. But the horrible television images passed by many Masai, who got electricity in their village only shortly before the attacks.

In the oral tradition they rely on, Mr. Naiyomah sat them down and told them stories that left them stunned.

Through his tales, Sept. 11 became real. The Masai felt sadness. They felt relief that Mr. Naiyomah was unscathed. They wanted to do something.

On Sunday, in a solemn ceremony in a grassy clearing, they did, blessing 14 cows being given by the tribe to the people of the United States.

Sacred offering


Elders chanted in Maa, the local language, as they walked in a circle around the group of cows, animals that the Masai hold sacred.
After the blessing, the cows were handed over to William Brancick, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

To reach Enoosaen, Mr. Brancick had flown to the Masai Mara Game Preserve, one of Kenya's top tourist destinations, and then driven two hours along the most rugged of roads.

At the ceremony, Mr. Brancick seemed tentative as he held a rope – given to him by a Masai elder – that was attached to the horns of one particularly rambunctious bull. He thanked the locals who had selected cows from their herds, but said transporting the livestock would be difficult, so he would probably sell the animals at a market and buy Masai jewelry to give to the United States instead.

Mr. Naiyomah, a student at Stanford University, stage-managed the event. He organized the cattle roundup and contacted embassy officials. His journey from Masai land to Palo Alto, Calif., has enabled him to rub shoulders with everyone from President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya to Chelsea Clinton, who met Mr. Naiyomah with her parents at last year's graduation.

A premed student, Mr. Naiyomah expects to graduate from Stanford next spring. Then he intends to go to medical school and return to the village as a doctor. He had been visiting New York on Sept. 11 and came home last month with firsthand accounts of the horror of that faraway event.

Collective disbelief


Now a young elder in the community, Mr. Naiyomah, 25, told the others of huge fires in buildings that stretched high into the clouds. And of men with special gear who entered the structures to save lives.

"They couldn't believe that people could jump from a building so high that they would die when they reached the ground," he said.

"We're out with our cattle every day, so we're not always up to date on the news," said Vincent Konchellah, 22, who had donated one of his 12 cows. "We had heard about a disaster in America, but we didn't know much about it.

"Now we feel the same way we would feel if we lost one of our own."

There are three cherished things that a Masai can offer as a gift – a child, a plot of land and a cow, which is far more than a source of meat and milk to a Masai.

The Masai, who wear bright red tunics and elaborate multicolored jewelry, stand out among Kenya's more than 40 tribes for the high leaps of their traditional dances. In ceremonies, they drink the blood of the cow, mixing it with honey beer, and they use every inch of the animal for clothing and decorations. A man pays the father of the girl he wants to marry in cows, and even the dung of the cow is put to use as a lacquer to protect the outside of their huts.

'More than property'


"The cow is almost the center of life for us," Mr. Naiyomah said. "It's sacred. It's more than property. You give it a name. You talk to it. You perform rituals with it. I don't know if you have any sacred food in America, something that has a supernatural feel as you eat it. That's the cow for us."
The Masai have a reputation as warriors, which developed in the colonial days when they fought those who trod on their range land. The tribe still teaches young men to fight, but it is torn between its traditional ways and life in a modern world.

It is now illegal for Masai to hunt lions, which had been a rite of passage for young men. Increasingly, youngsters are staying in school, dreaming of lives away from the range land. Television sets are appearing in their huts, with images from a different world.

Most Masai still do not know about the intricacies of the al-Qaeda terrorist network. But they understand what it means for almost 3,000 people to die at once. In Enoosaen, such a disaster would wipe out all of them.

"That guy – surely we would have to kill him," Mr. Oltetia, the village's chief warrior, said of Osama bin Laden. "We as the Masai have ways to kill, just using a spear and bows and arrows."

When pressed about his tactics, Mr. Oltetia said: "He's a strong man, so we couldn't do it directly. We would surround him in the bush."
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Old June 3, 2002, 09:46   #2
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Get some ****ing perspective. You think the USA is the center of the world - you interpret these people's compassion as "realizing the severity" of 9/11, when you don't even seem to acknowledge that the people of Africa often face problems a hundred times worse everyday.
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Old June 3, 2002, 09:48   #3
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Your ignorance is showing again, Osweld.
Did you read the friggin' article?
Did I say Africa had no problems?
Go grow up some.
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Old June 3, 2002, 09:54   #4
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Yeah, I think Slowwhand's point is that it was really nice for them to show some sympathy towards the US, it's just normal people being compassionate about other normal people. Which is always nice to see.
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Old June 3, 2002, 09:58   #5
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Exactly, Mike. In the midst of all the things this Tribe deals with daily, they still make time for compassion, unlike Little Lord Fauntleroy aka Osweld.
Think of what the total cost to the individual of 1 cow. That's a sacrifice.
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:03   #6
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Stuff like this is good because it brings people together a bit. Especially as the US gets a hard time internationally a lot of the time.
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:03   #7
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It is nice to see these acts of compassion and friendship. It gives a nice balance to the daily acts of violence that we usually see.
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:06   #8
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@ the Masai - and SlowwHand.
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:16   #9
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The Masai are cool. And thanks Winston.

Here's a pic of the people. This simple shot tells how big a contribution it was.

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Old June 3, 2002, 10:18   #10
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Great ass!
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:25   #11
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Old June 3, 2002, 10:55   #12
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A deeply touching contribution.

For primitive people such as these to contribute something so important to them without hesitation shows a level of compassion that we in modern society should aspire to.

Great post Slowwhand!
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Old June 3, 2002, 11:47   #13
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Very nice story!
For the perspective, just imagine the impact if the western world (EU, US etc) would do the same for these people!

Too bad it wouldn't be good for the stock market
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Old June 3, 2002, 12:05   #14
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The gift is humbling and touching.

I would be willing to contribute to a scholarship fund for this tribe, if one has been set up.
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Old June 3, 2002, 12:08   #15
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Maybe there's a place at this link to get more involved.

http://www.usaid.gov/



I know that www.hungersite.com is a small painless way to help do something world-wide.
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Old June 3, 2002, 13:32   #16
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SlowwHand:

Unlike one certain poster on this thread who shall remain nameless, I *did* read the article and found it fascinating. Indeed, for a people whose way of life generates wealth in a fashion most of us would not be familiar with, what they did was deeply touching.

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Old June 3, 2002, 13:49   #17
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The massai are indeed interesting fellows.

I'm sure those 14 cows will help the US out of any economic misery
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Old June 3, 2002, 14:42   #18
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Quote:
Originally posted by Osweld
when you don't even seem to acknowledge that the people of Africa often face problems a hundred times worse everyday.

Why do liberals try and make everyone feel guilty for the problems in africa?
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Old June 3, 2002, 14:44   #19
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Why do liberals try and make everyone feel guilty for the problems africa?
Ignore him, he is a complete and utter moron.
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Old June 3, 2002, 15:47   #20
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For anybody who is interested in returning the favor, btw, there are a number of *fantastic* organizations that are making HUGE strides in helping Africans help themselves. My personal favorite is LifeInAfrica....they provide microloans ($500 or less, US Dollars) to African entrepreneurs to help them start businesses. The folks who run the organization are always on the lookout for people to help them guarantee the loans (I've done two so far, and both of "my" entrepreneurs did well! WhoooHoooo!).

It's small scale stuff, but it makes a HUGE impact.

Some of the loans are used to do stuff like:
* Buying a cooler, a generator, and a supply of cold drinks
* Buying a pair of cows and selling milk
* One guy was having a tough time keeping his barber shop open cos of the erratic electricity supply. His competitor had a honda generator to compensate for the "downtimes" and this guy was losing business to his competitor....he'd get half done with a haircut and the power would go out....his customer would leave without paying and go down the block.

Now that he's got his own generator, he's jamming.

* Another lady bought a cotton candy machine. Nothing like that had ever been seen before, and she's doing a bang up business with it.

Additionally, the organization runs a website where local artists can sell jewelry and other craft items made locally.

Again, it's small stuff to us, but it's making big impacts there. Good way to return the favor, IMO.

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Old June 3, 2002, 16:08   #21
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Osweld, see what I was talking about when I accused you of always trying to present a "more moral" position?
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:32   #22
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I agree with Osweld. No-one seems to have beneffited from these attacks more than the traders of NY anyway.

Thousands die in conflicts, famines and plagues accross the world, like Africa. Do American citizens donate goods in honour of them?

The US is not the centre of the world. The deaths of 3 or 4 thousand people is tragic, but no more so than those who died in Afghanistan in the war following it, or those currently dying of starvation.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:41   #23
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*puts old WW2 helmet back on and braces himself*
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:45   #24
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You are a credit to that entity that passes for education in GB in every way imaginable, RJ.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:46   #25
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Quote:
Originally posted by red_jon
I agree with Osweld. No-one seems to have beneffited from these attacks more than the traders of NY anyway.
You are so ignorant its not funny.
Quote:
Thousands die in conflicts, famines and plagues accross the world, like Africa. Do American citizens donate goods in honour of them?
Actually, yes they do.
Quote:
The US is not the centre of the world. The deaths of 3 or 4 thousand people is tragic, but no more so than those who died in Afghanistan in the war following it, or those currently dying of starvation.
The US is the center of the world on planet earth, what planet are you from? Try and think before you post next time.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:50   #26
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Quote:
Originally posted by Caligastia


You are so ignorant its not funny.
Yes, that's a good way of refuting an argument. So there aren't millions of Sept 11 t-shirts, models, caps, etc?

Quote:
Actually, yes they do.
On the scale that those African people did? Those cattle are worth a lot to them, I hardly think many Americans will donate such a large proportion of their goods.

Quote:
The US is the center of the world on planet earth, what planet are you from? Try and think before you post next time.

So American lives are worth more than others? No nation can claim to be the centre of the world. The arrogance astounds me.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:54   #27
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ecthelion
The massai are indeed interesting fellows.

I'm sure those 14 cows will help the US out of any economic misery
Another thing I always say is, "It's all relative".
It's the thought that counts, and I have enough faith in you to know that YOU know that, Andy.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:56   #28
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The fact that these impoverished people gave away their cattle to the most affluent nation on Earth makes me feel sick.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:57   #29
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Quote:
Originally posted by red_jon
I agree with Osweld. No-one seems to have beneffited from these attacks more than the traders of NY anyway.

Thousands die in conflicts, famines and plagues accross the world, like Africa. Do American citizens donate goods in honour of them?

The US is not the centre of the world. The deaths of 3 or 4 thousand people is tragic, but no more so than those who died in Afghanistan in the war following it, or those currently dying of starvation.

Ok, Jon. I hate to do this, but I have to say that if it had been a Tribe of Gays, maybe you would have some empathy.
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Old June 3, 2002, 18:58   #30
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Ok, Jon. I hate to do this, but I have to say that if it had been a Tribe of Gays, maybe you would have some empathy.
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