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Mpunyati Lesepen: The Great Astrologer (Samburu community)

Shujaa Stories2020

National Museums of Kenya

National Museums of Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya

Many years ago, legend has it that Sof Omar migrated from Borana people into Samburu land and adopted the name Lesepen. They are a mystical family. It is said that they possess the ability to foresee events by reading the stars. The stars are therefore very symbolic to the Samburu. To date, the Lesepen family is held in high regard by all Samburu.

Among the Samburu, each male appoints his (male) successor who communes with the stars and conveys astral messages to the community. This brings us to the story of Mpunyati Lesepen.
Mpunyati Lesepen, was born in the 1800s. He belonged to Lmarikon, an age-set initiated around 1879.

Being a Lesepen, Mpunyati was very close to Nkai meaning ‘God’. He was able to communicate to Nkai and would pass Nkai’s messages to the Samburu people. While he was dreaming in his sleep, he could see visions of the past, present and future. Other times, these visions were brought by using divination objects or intoxication. The visions could tell the coming of droughts, enemies, diseases or any other natural calamity. He would then warn the people about them.

Mpunyati also possessed divination gourds (or cattle horns) called nkidong from which he could cast divination stones. This was not the only skill he had, as a Lesepen, had the secret knowledge to prepare mystically powerful medicines (ntasim in Samburu) which are used to treat supernaturally caused disorders such as infertility, blindness, insanity, and livestock deaths.

It is known that Samburu loibonok do not officially participate in the age-set rituals of the warriors, and they have no particular political inclination. A Lesepen, was, therefore, called upon severally to protect warriors with ntasim before they went to battle.

The Lepesen dynasty continues to date. Mpunyati Lesepen had a son, Lokulume Lesepen, another great Samburu astrologer who lived in Ng’iro. Ldumeme is the current astrologer. He predicted the 2007 post-election violence and Uhuru Kenyatta becoming a Kenyan president.

Bonus information
Samburu are nomadic pastoralists. They follow patterns of rainfall, seeking out lush pastures and water for their cattle, camels, goats and sheep. Clad in a striking red cloth wrapped like a skirt and a white sash, the traditional dress of the Samburu tribe is embellished with vibrant beaded earrings, bracelets, anklets and necklaces. The colourful, decorative jewelry reveals and represents the status of an individual. A significant and essential part of the Samburu culture is the art of dancing. Men dance in a circle and jump high from a standing position. They merely use their voices to complement their singing and dancing, no other accompaniments. They reside in a stunning, sparsely populated part of Kenya prolific with wildlife.

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  • Title: Mpunyati Lesepen: The Great Astrologer (Samburu community)
  • 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: Samburu
  • 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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