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Among’in: The Magical Diviner of the Iteso

Shujaa Stories2020

National Museums of Kenya

National Museums of Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya

The Iteso people live in Busia County of Kenya, South of Mt. Elgon. Behind every successful man is a woman and in this case, behind the successful Iteso community, was Among’in. Among’in was the wife of Oduk, a great Iteso field-marshal. She was a famous prophetess whose battle premonitions were behind the victory of the Iteso people over the Ababukusu, Abagishu, Sabaot and Karamajong.
Her powers were so well respected that other diviners from far and wide sought her counsel and prophesies to give guidance to their own people.
It is said that Ajeet, the greatest female warrior of Ngariam, part of Itseo but located in present day Uganda on the other side of the Mt Elgon, sought counsel from Among’in and using Among’in’s prophecies, she defended Ataker Iteso from Karamajong warriors.
Another warrior, Okuko Oguti, implemented Among’in’s war strategy to conquer the Luo-Padhola and Ababukusu in the Tororo area.

Legend has it that Among’in also foresaw the coming of the Europeans. Among’in provided spiritual guidance and military strategies critical in building the war machine that is the Iteso people, leading to the expansion of their territory across East Africa.

Bonus Information
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale. The mountain's highest point, named "Wagagai", is located entirely within Uganda. Although there is no verifiable evidence of its earliest volcanic activity, geologists estimate that Mt Elgon is at least 24 million years old, making it the oldest extinct volcano in East Africa.

The mountain is the catchment area for several rivers such as the Suam River, which becomes the Turkwel downstream and drains into Lake Turkana, and the Nzoia River and the Lwakhakha River, which flow to Lake Victoria.

The town of Kitale is in the foothills of the mountain. The area around the mountain is protected by two Mt Elgon National Parks, one in Kenya and the other in Uganda.

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  • Title: Among’in: The Magical Diviner of the Iteso
  • Creator: Shujaa Stories
  • Date Created: 2020
  • Location: Kenya
  • Rights: Shujaa Stories in collaboration with Nature Kenya and the National Museums of Kenya
  • Research statement: Research was undertaken through on ground field work in Samburu and Marsabit (for Gabbra, Samburu, Rendille, Saakuye, Dasanach, Elmolo, Waayu a.k.a Waata, and Burji superheroes/heroines), Embu and Tharaka (for Aembu, Tharaka, Ameru and Mbeere superheroes/heroines) and Taita-Taveta/Voi (for Taveta superheroes/heroines) capturing all information about the heroes from the 30 selected ethnic groups/communities by Museum’s research team.
  • Community: Iteso
  • About Shujaa Stories: This is a Kenyan superhero display of the country’s pre-independence legends who fought for their communities’ land, freedom and spiritual well-being; and are revered by their communities to date. Conceptualized in 2017, the idea was the brain-child of Masidza Sande Galavu (1993-2020) who was a Creative Director and co-founder at Shujaa Stories and Tatu Creatives in Nairobi. ‘Shujaa’ is a Swahili word that means brave or courageous. It also refers to someone who is a hero. Shujaa Stories made its public debut with an exhibition at the Nairobi National Museum in 2018. It shined light on 28 of Kenya’s greatest heroes and heroines. Each story was coupled with a bonus text on conservation related to the heritage sites surrounding where these legends once lived. In 2020, supported by National Museums of Kenya and Google Arts and Culture, Shujaa Stories Ltd completed over 30 new shujaas that cut across the major and marginalized Kenyan communities. Kenya is rich in history and culture. Some of this richness has been brought out in our books, museums and in theatre. But there is one major section of our history that has been left out, especially to the younger generation of Kenyans, which are our pre-independence legendary heroes. Some of these heroes are known well beyond their communities due to the respect they managed to garner across the region. Many of them have a well-developed and sophisticated folklore which embodies their history, traditions, morals, worldview and wisdom. The design language chosen for the entire exhibition is animated illustrations that seek to bring out the superhero character of each shujaa.
National Museums of Kenya

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