Explore Samburu Rock Art
The most iconic of the paintings in Samburu Rock Art. It is made on the Soit nauno (Samburu meaning stand alone rock) rock face in Ngurunit, Northern Kenya. According to the painter, they visited the cave with a group of morans and ate a bull. He made a painting of a lion (top right) that he had seen at the water point and was ‘disturbing” them.
He also painted an elephant that he also saw at the water point. Later in the same day, he drew the morans below. The painter says he made them stand in a line abput 3 metres from the rock facing him and then painted them. It took about 30 minutes to make the paintings. He further goes on to mention the names of the morans.
The message of the painting was to tell the women and girls back in the village that the morans are brave and are not afraid of elephants and lions while in Loikar.
Picture: Ebbe Westegren, March 2020.
Loikar, the birthplace of Samburu Rock Art.
Initiation into moranhood comes with extra responsibilities top amongst them the protection of the community against external threats. This requires strength and agility.
To achieve this, the morans embark on a feasting escapade locally known as Loikar, where they go to mountin hiodeouts away from the prying eyes of women to feast. The morans mostly in groups slaughter goats, cows and sometime buffaloes, girraffes and roast/ cook the meat, sometimes mixing it with wild herbs to make it tastier and more healthier.
As they pass time/ between shifts of feasting on the meat, some of the morans engage of the tradition of rock art as shown in the video below.
Video copyright: ENF, 2023.
The Panels Tell a Story…
Noolkineji Cave, Ndoto Mountain.
This painting tells a story of a slaughtered buffalo, a he goat, and a sick moran. The painter says that they had a sick moran on that day (painting at bottom of the panel) who they slaughtred a he goat (left) and divided the meat into 6 portions (centre). The painter is seen on top left with one elongated arm (holding meat) saying, “this is the meat for the sick moran (Photo credit: Muchemi Njeru, 2022.)
Siante Cave, Nyiro Mountain.
This painting is part of a larger painting on the face of Siaante cave. The painting tells a story of a morans journey to the cave, and his desire to go back to the village and dance with the beautiful girls.
The painter had made this visit together with morans from his family where they feasted on a bull. (Photo credit: Muchemi Njeru, 2023)
Lng’aboli cave, Ndoto Mountains.
This painting of a camel was made in 90’s after the initiation of the lmeoli age-set. The painter was a leader of small group of morans who visited the cave to feast and fatten. They saw paintings from a previous group and decided to make a painting to commemorate the occasion. Being the leader of the group, he could make the decision himself. They used red ochre they had got from Lorian Lolkaria in Mt. Kulal. (Photo: Ebbe Westergren, 2022)
Noongosowani Cave, Ndoto Mountains.
There are four circles with lines inside in a geometrical pattern. The circle to the right is hardly visible and fading. To the left of these four circles, there are three circles without any lines inside. The paintersays that these seven circles are huge portions of meat on a table made of wooden sticks over the fire. The circles with the geometrical pattern are the meat cut and divided on the table, portions of meat cut into pieces. The red paint means that the meat is not roasted, the black paint means it is roasted. The circles without anything inside are uncut meat.
Lomirmiriana Cave, Ndoto Mountains.
A group of 3 morans went to the cave in 2019 just after initiation in the rainy season in April. They were of the Lkiseku age-set. They stayed in the cave for three days. During that time, the painter made the painting far left in the cave: two morans holding hands dancing with two women in the village. He made the morans larger than the women. The red dots below are the footsteps of the morans. the painter says that one of his friends in the group asked him to draw these morans dancing together with ladies back in the village.