Senteu: the great maasai warrior.
Note: the maasai community lifestyle is mainly pastoralism, which is compatible with wildlife conservation.
Senteu was born in the mid 1800s and is a hero whose birthright was stolen. Mbatian, the greatest laibon, spiritual leader, ever to rule in the maasai nation had two sons: Senteu and his young brother Lenana. The two were half brothers since they were from different mothers as Mbatian had two wives. The boys grew up playing, herding their father’s goats and exploring their great savannah land. Senteu being the oldest was expected to take his father’s mantle as Laibon of the maasai community.
Now Mbatian was getting old and sick and he knew his time was getting close. He therefore called the elders from Matapato sub-district and prophesied to them, “Do not move from your ancestral land for I am about to die and I will send you cattle from heaven. If you move you will die of smallpox, your cattle will perish and you’ll have to fight a powerful enemy who will defeat you. My successor will be the son to whom I shall give the medicine man’s insignia. Obey him.”
Mbatian now about to die called for Senteu’s mother who was his preferred wife and gave her a message for Senteu. Senteu was to visit his father early the next morning to inherit the medicinal insignia and ritual power to lead the maasai people. He was also to get a special iron bar or club from Mbatian to signify his leadership of his people.
Lenana’s mother had hid in the calf-shed and heard the conversation. She and Lenana devised a plan to steal the inheritance. The next morning Lenana came to his father and tricked his father into believing he was Senteu. As a result of old age Mbatian’s sight was failing therefore he could not tell the difference. Lenana said, “father I have come.”
Mbatian asks him suck his tongue as was tradition. In doing so Lenana sucked off all his father’s mysterious power and officially received the secrets of his father’s craft.
Lenana walks out and in came Senteu. Mbatian was shocked but states that Lenana was too powerful for Senteu. He blessed Senteu and directed him to lead the loita maasai clan so as to separate his two son’s territory and avoid internal disputes.
Mbatian died and Lenana was proclaimed the principal medicine man. This fueled great rivalry with his brother which leads to endless civil war and reduced the maasai population by half.
Senteu, supported by the loita clan leaves with the clan violating his father’s wishes that they should not leave their ancestral land. Mbatian’s prophecy became a dark cloud over their lives where they encountered diseases, their cattle perished and powerful German soldiers defeated them. In 1902, Senteu begged his brother to let him back into the land and peace reigned between the two.
