Imee Ooi — I like New Age music. It gets a bad reputation when people feel like it’s taking something sacred and making it palatable to people who don’t appreciate its raw form — transforming something important into something that makes lovely white noise. But it doesn’t have to be thin. When it’s done well, New Age music can be sacred in its own rite — a merging of ancient chants or hymns with the modern science of enhancing music’s emotional impact. It can be a joining of two powers, a holy intention and a relaxing experience, rather than the watering down of just one power. But only when it’s done well! Here’s a Malaysian New Age composer, Imee Ooi, who I think does it very well: Click here.
Mariem Hassan
Mariem Hassan — Here’s an interesting lady. She was born and raised in the western Sahara desert — one of ten children in a nomadic family. And boy, can she sing! I love it when she does that classic Saharan call-out, with her tongue fluttering like a wing. She’s Sahawari, and has survived annexation and refugee camps, both of which she’s been very outspoken about. Women have played a strong role in her culture, and you can see that confidence and competence when she performs. The language of her songs is Hassaniyya, an Arabic dialect. And she does write them. I’ve really never seen anything quite like her before: Click here.
The Kirkyard Stone, Aberlemno, Scotland
Capercaille — Speaking of annexations, this is a very popular Scottish folk band, singing a song about England’s treatment of Scotland. This band has been around since the 1980s, which is quite remarkable, because the popularity of Celtic sounds wouldn’t take off until a bit after that. I only have one of their albums, and this is my favorite song on it. What I like about them is not only their instrumental expertise, the singer’s likeable voice, and the fact that they are early pioneers in the genre, but also their liveliness. The fact that they’re singing about something terrible, and yet, instead of feeling weighed down by sluggish intensity, the song feels … very, very alive. It’s interesting! Click here.
Top photo: author:Florenus / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / Composer Imee Ooi
Second photo: Author:Carlos Fernandez San Milan / Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license / Mariem Hassan
Third photo: Original uploader was Xenarachne at en.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported / The Kirkyard Stone, Aberlemno, Angus, Scotland, UK
Nneka — Nigeria has made some of the most popular music in all of Africa. They have some really excellent recording studios there, and a long history of putting out worldwide hits. Here’s a modern rising Nigerian star that I like. Her full name is Nneka Egbuna, and she was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and European mother. Perhaps slightly influenced by famous Nigerian musicians like Fela Kuti, who helped establish Afrobeat, she also writes and sings songs that seem to be very much just her own thoughts, feelings and inventions. I like the honesty with which she sings. And what a sweet voice! She’s my pick for the next international Nigerian sensation: Click here.
D’Gary — You don’t have to be a guitar aficionado to appreciate how talented this guy is! He hails from Madagascar, where music is as diverse as the people who live there, and he absolutely plays the guitar his very own way. He even has an idiosyncratic way of tuning it. He’s a descendent of the nomadic Bara tribe of Madagascar, and according to rumor, took his guitar playing to professional levels in part in order to help support his widowed mother. I think he’s pretty spectacular. Here he is:
Mak Minah – Mak Minah Anggong was a traditional Malaysian singer from Kampung Peretak. She was Temuan, and traditionally, many Temuans believe that their people were put on this earth to guard the rainforests. Mak Minah was herself an environmental activist who was very vocal against a damming project that forced many Temuans to leave their forests and ancestral lands. Devoted to the culture and traditions of her ancestors, she was also a heartfelt singer who was just stepping into the spotlight late in life, when sadly, she passed away rather suddenly. We do have some recordings of her singing, though. Here she is, singing as part of the group, Akar Umbi: Click here.
Top photo: Andreas Lederer / “Copyleft: This work of art is free; you can redistribute it and/or modify it according to terms of the Free Art License.” Nneka in 23 July 2009
Second photo: Tom Turner / “Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License Wikimedia Commons.” A busy market street in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where D’Gary was born.
Third photo: 10014derek / “The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.” / A picture of the view from Mt. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Isis – Long ago in Egypt, the mother of all nature and magic was Isis. Her religion spread all the way to Greece and beyond. Compassionate and devoted to her family, she was frequently depicted with her son on her knee. Her most famous story involves putting her husband back together after he’s been torn to pieces by an enemy. There was sometimes both a sensual side to her worship (because of her role as a wife and partner) and an entreating side to her worship (because of her gentleness and compassion as a mother.) She had by far the strongest magical powers of all of the Egyptian deities, and was summoned the most often in people’s magic spells. Her temples from Egypt to Italy to Iraq continued to be places of worship well into the first several centuries AD. But in the end, decrees were put out to destroy them all, and a huge number of them met that fate. Here’s a portion of “The Song of Isis” by the incomparable David Heath. Click here.
Celtic mirror
Brigid – She’s been both a Celtic goddess and an Irish Catholic saint. The goddess named Brigid was a goddess of poetry, and a keeper of all things “high” (from high thoughts to high flames to high mountains.) When Celtic lands were converted to Catholicism, a Saint Brigid emerged who is thought by many to be a new version of the Goddess, Brigid. High priestesses tending sacred flames was a long-standing Celtic tradition. And today, Saint Brigid is often honored by the keeping of never-extinguished flames. In one spot in Ireland, nuns tend the flames of St. Brigid full-time. Here is a song to Brigid (pronounced “Breed” in Gaelic) by Beverly Frederick: Click here.
Kwan Yin
Kwan Yin – She’s either a Chinese goddess or a Buddhist boddhisatva or a Taoist Immortal, depending on your religious beliefs. No matter which she is, Kwan Yin (or Guanyin) represents compassion. She’s the one who “hears the cries of the world.” She feels for us all and has mercy. Her legend began in China, but today, she is also popular throughout East Asia. Because of her deep kindness, she is often associated with vegetarianism, and some think that she particularly looks after women and children. Here’s a nice song about her by the silky-voiced Lisa Thiel. Click here.
Top photo: Arrivée en bateau au temple de Philaé, Assouan, Égypte; arriving by boat at the Philae Temple, Aswan, Egypt. / Image taken by Gilles RENAULT /Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 France license. / Wikimedia Commons
Second photo: Fuzzypeg / Early Celtic La Tène style in Britain. Date: 50 BC – AD 50. 36 cm diameter. British Museum highlights /Wikimedia Commons / British Museum / Public Domain
Third photo: Statue of Kuan Yin, Ming Dynasty, by Chaozhong He, photographed by Mountain at the Shanghai Museum. / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. / Wikimedia Commons
Esma Redzopova – The Roma people (sometimes called gypsies) have been some of the most persecuted people in the world. I’m sure I’ll get my history a little bit wrong here. But more or less, it’s thought that they may originally have come from India during the Middle Ages (No one’s sure why.) Then they landed in Eastern Europe (which is where the majority still live.) And to a large extent, they became a slave population there. Only in the 1800s was all slavery of Roma abolished. Many fled to other parts of Europe over the centuries, but they weren’t usually welcomed. Back then, the Roma preferred a nomadic lifestyle, and didn’t want to settle down and farm as some well-meaning neighbors tried to get them to do. Plus, they dressed a little differently, they sometimes married younger than what was considered acceptable, they had some customs and beliefs that Europeans found “superstitious”, and of course, they were poor, all of which made them a little unpopular. The poverty in particular caused a small number of them to do what many of us might do when we’re extremely poor. And it wasn’t long before the Roma gained a broad, generalized and therefore unfair reputation as thieves and beggars and particularly tricksters. So they continued to be persecuted. The Nazis tried to wipe them out completely in concentration camps, Czechoslovakia tried to sterilize their women, Spain took many of their children away. But through it all, somehow, their colorful culture and strong extended-family values survived. And Roma music kept on playing, influencing sounds throughout the continent, and eventually, all over the world. Possibly the most famous Roma singer of all time is Esma Redzopova, who lives in Macedonia, a place she declares treats its Roma population wonderfully, and she is currently a member of her local government! She’s been singing since she was a child, and has been a foster mother literally to dozens of orphaned children. Click here.
Sigriya Rock, Sri Lanka
Pandith Amaradeva – There’s a very strong music scene in Sri Lanka. It’s been heavily influenced by a lot of things over the centuries – Buddhism was one of the earliest and most major musical influences. The arrival of westerners brought some particular instruments, and of course, India and its films played a role. But all in all, Sri Lanka has a sound that’s all its own, and it has many fans. One name you have to know in Sri Lankan music is Pandith Amaradeva. Once people started making records, he’s one of the people who shaped the distinctive Sri Lankan sound that would be heard by the world. And he has the most velvety voice. Some Sri Lankans living abroad say they can’t hear him without feeling transported home: Click here.
Zebra, Nairobi National Park
Kalamashaka – I’m one of the only music fanatics I know who likes rap. Rap is music with the melody stripped out of it. It’s just voice and rhythm. It’s spoken word infused with rhyme, exaggerated emotion and a beat. People use it to communicate with power. To put force behind their words and to be heard. It gets a bad reputation sometimes because it speaks from and to the fire core of the personality. The words are wrenched from a visceral place. And so sometimes, other things that were locked in that Pandora’s Box come out – fantasies of violence, rage, misogyny, and destruction. None of that is a necessary part of rap. But it happens sometimes because rap explores the dark side of music – the side that isn’t pretty, but powerful. Rap really is proof of the raw force of music – the undeniable energy that all music taps into – even if you prefer something a little more comforting! Kalamashaka was one of the first really high quality rap groups to come out of Kenya. (In the world of rap, you’re considered high quality if you speak about rage, politics or social problems. You’re taken less seriously if your music is easy to dance to because that means your music is too “pretty” and not visceral enough.) Kalamashaka is a very well-respected socially conscious rap group from Nairobi, and is credited with helping make Swahili-rap a worldwide phenomenon. Kenya is now becoming a leader in the world of rap, and this is one of the songs that started it all: Click here.
Dikakapa – There really are few countries in the world more musical than Botswana. It’s said that every school there features musical education and the learning of old songs as a critical component in its children’s curriculum. Traditionally, music there relies solely on voice and clapping. Of course, instruments have gradually been added to the folk music. But voice and complex clapping is still the staple. It’s natural that rap became very popular there very quickly, because that’s a natural extension of a lyrics-first musical ascetic. South Africa and Europe have both brought musical ideas that Botswana has integrated into its music. But Botswana has, in turn, founded musical styles like Kwaito Kwasa that have gone out and re-influenced the influencers. I like the rap, and the rock, and the Kwaito Kwasa that comes out of Botswana, but my favorite is still the folk music, like Dikakapa’s, addressing family issues, love, and sometimes just the rain: Click here.
handwoven Afghan rugs
Ahmad Wali – Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, he was a very popular singer in his country from a very young age. He sang beautiful love songs and poems, and in the days when he was performing internationally, like at the famous Shiraz Arts Festival in Iran, all must have seemed to be going so well. And then 1978 came. He was placed under house arrest for having performed for the Afghan King. (I imagine it would have been hard to say no!) And it wasn’t long before he was simply forced to flee, using a fake passport. In retrospect, one could say he actually made it out just in time! That military coup turned out to be just the first of a very long line of tragic events in Afghanistan. Ahmad Wali lived in Germany after his exile, and gave concerts to raise money for other Afghan refugees. His soothing voice and lovely music serves as a reminder of an older, happier Afghanistan. This is apparently typical of what you would have heard on the radio back then. Here he is at that concert in Iran – so long ago! Click here.
Maori wood carving
Maisey Rika — New Zealand is one of those countries, I’m embarrassed to say, if I don’t think about it, I sort of think of as having been empty before the Europeans arrived. I have the feeling I’m not the only one. But of course, that’s not the case at all. The Maori have lived there for at least 500 years longer than the Europeans, and they still do. Their legends tell of how they all arrived on boats from a mythical Polynesian island called Hawaiki. (Of course, how do we know for sure that it’s mythical? Maybe they really did.) Centuries of island isolation gave the Maori a distinctive warrior culture, and traditions that are absolutely unique to them. Historically, they were known to be pretty fierce (and even fearsome) hunters and warriors, but performance art and music has always been an important part of their community, too. In modern times, they’ve had an astounding number of international musical sensations from the famous operatic soprano Marie Te Hapuku to the 1950s and 60s crooner, Prince Tui Teka. It’s really unprecedented for such a small group of people to have had so much musical stardom. And if you happen to be my age, you’re going to appreciate this next one most of all: You know Flight of the Conchords? In real life, Jemaine is half Maori. For real! But this is my favorite singer of Maori descent. She isn’t very famous yet, but I don’t know why. Here she is singing in both Maori and English: Click here.
Jami Sieber – I just bought this album. It’s called “Hidden Sky” and it’s inspired by elephants. Yes, elephants! Apparently, according to the album notes, a visit with the elephants in Thailand just about changed this musician’s life. Changed how she sees herself, and all those around her. And changed how she plays music. This is definitely the most haunting music she’s ever made. If I didn’t know it was about elephants, I would never have guessed. But now that I know, I think I can feel their ancient gentleness in every note. A portion of the proceeds of the album go to help elephants, so I can feel good about that. And there is something absolutely mystical about what those giants have done to this music ….. I do believe that their presence is behind it. Click here.
A Dogon granery, Mali
Salif Keita – This guy’s really interesting. He’s literally descended from kings in Mali. But he was born albino (lack of pigment in the skin), and for that reason, was cast out by his family. If it hadn’t been for that, being in the caste he was in, he might never have become a singer, but as it was …. he went on to become a musical star! One theme in his music, naturally enough, is trying to teach that “different” does not mean “bad.” (Apparently, albinos can face some terrible persecutions in some parts of Africa – including human sacrifice.) In addition, in interviews he’s spoken about some religious pressure from some mosques back in Mali that don’t like music. But he seems to have no trouble uniting his love of his spiritual faith with his love of sound, and seems to be doing a lot of good in the process: Click here.
Ergyron— I’ve always admired people who used to live in the Arctic … before we had indoor switches that turn on the heat. I can’t imagine falling asleep in subzero temperatures every night and awakening every morning to …. More subzero temperatures. I feel like I’d have a permanent case of the flu. But of course, snow is
A Chukchi woman
also magical, mystical and romantic… when you don’t feel its bite. And I think you can see both sides of Arctic life in traditional Arctic song and dance. I feel like you can see the harshness of life – and also the wonder of snow glistening pink in the morning sunrise. Ergyron comes from the Arctic of Russia (the Chukchi people). The group calls themselves Chukchi-Eskimo: Click here.
Top photo: Sharon St Joan / elephants in Kenya
Second photo: Michelealfieri / Dreamstime.com / A granery in a Dogon village, Mali
Third photo: Konstantin Shevtsov / Dreamstime.com / a Chukchi woman
Paul, our guide at Samburu National Park in Kenya, knows everything about wildlife. He is a wealth of information, especially about birds. He knows the name of every bird, which I especially appreciate, being a bird person. Also, Paul is exceptionally patient, being asked endlessly to stop and start so we can take photos.
There are Helmeted Guineafowl that resemble the Vulturine Guineafowl—easy to spot by the roadside. Distant relatives of the jungle fowl that one can see in the forests of India—who are the original chickens, since transported all over the world. They are also related to peafowl, turkeys, pheasants, grouse, and quail. All these birds are ground dwellers, running about on the ground, hiding, and nesting undercover. When startled they spring into the air and fly just a short distance. These Helmeted Guineafowl we actually saw at Nakuru, before visiting Samburu. You can see the little helmets on their heads. The males and females are alike; the ones without helmets are the young ones.
Helmeted Guineafowl at Nakuru
Amazingly, although the bird species of every continent are different, the families are pretty much the same, and one can easily identify the general family of bird: dove, eagle, heron, raven, and the hundreds of other families, but not the specific species, which are nearly all different. The Birds of Africa book that I bought was so heavy that I left it at home and didn’t bring it, which I very much regretted—though I guess if I had, I might have spent most of my time with my nose buried in the bird book. The birds in Africa have such startlingly beautiful colors.
Two or three Common Scimitar Bills flying among the trees reminded me of the Phainopeplas in Utah. They’re not related, of course, and the Scimitar Bills have long curved beaks which they use for digging through leaves. The similarity is the white patches on the wings of the black bird, which in flight, give an illusion of transparency.
In several places, including in the treetops of the lodge where we are staying (the Serena Sopa Lodge), we see Red Billed Hornbills. They are big and easy to spot. They have white heads, with black backs, and black and white spotted wings, with brilliant red bills. Apparently, when the female is nesting, she is encased in a hole in a tree and the male brings food for her and the babies, until they are ready to fledge. Doesn’t sound very pleasant to be stuck in a hole in a tree, but maybe it is for protection, and it may feel like a place of security to her and the babies.
Many of the trees are filled with weaver nests, which are lovely. They look like special decoration for the trees, hanging from the branches, swinging gently in the wind.
There are over 50 different species of weavers, many of them gold colored, or gold and black. Standing near one of the trees (not too near), it’s easy to see them dart in and out of the hole in their nest or pause perched on the outside. They’re very lively and chatter constantly. They also land occasionally, as do some of the other birds, on the tables in the dining room. Thankfully, they are not chased away, since people here don’t seem to feel that anything that moves is likely to be life-threatening.
Near the lodge, just in front of the open dining area, there is a water hole, maybe fifty feet away. Clearly it’s been placed there so that we can watch the animals, and there are a steady stream of birds and animals that come there to drink. One is a Tawny Eagle. He is there quite a while.
Imperial Eagle
At another time, on a game drive, we see another bird that was thought to be a Tawny Eagle, but looking at the photos (very far away and fuzzy) I felt that this must be a vulture, because his or her head seemed to be bald, and an eagle can’t have a bald head. Looking again though, it’s possible to see two white patches on the back—and that the head is not bald, but golden-colored, and this is an Imperial Eagle. I am remembering now that Paul did identify this bird as an Imperial Eagle, but since I’d never heard of an Imperial Eagle, I’d simply forgotten until this moment.
The Eagle was very hard to see at first, gigantic, but on the ground and blending into the dry grass, perhaps protecting her food. She turned around, but didn’t move otherwise—an enormous presence, as old as the world probably.
There are two species of Imperial Eagles, the Spanish and the Eastern Imperial Eagle, which is the one that migrates to a central strip in Kenya, where we are (as well as to other parts of Africa and Asia) and who comes from Hungary and Slovakia, from the Carpathian Basin (as I am finding in Wikipedia), which is the only place where these eagles are increasing in number, though they are rare and endangered. As well as Hungary and Slovakia, the Carpathian Basin comprises parts of Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Austria and the Ukraine. In Hungary, there are 105 breeding pairs of Imperial Eagles left.
Imperial Eagle at Samburu
And there was this amazing enormous bird, in the wild lands of Kenya, with a wingspan of 33”, who had come here from so far away, who looked like she had always been here, like the great, winged mother of the earth.
Images:
Top image: Sharon St Joan / weaver nests in an acacia tree
Second image: Sharon St Joan / Helmeted Guineafowl at Nakuru
Second image: Wikipedia / Public domain / Eastern Imperial Eagle
Third image: Sharon St Joan / Imperial Eagle
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Two male elephants playing/fighting, with a third following
Vakratunda
Mahakaya
Surakoti samabrabah
Nirvighnamkurume deva
Sarvakaryeshu sarvada
Lord Ganesha, big-bodied, with a curved trunk, and the brilliance of a million suns, remove all obstacles from all my endeavors, always.
Dr. Nanditha Krishna has written the Sanskrit words, at my request, and explained them, on the occasion of Ganesha’s birthday.
Ganesha, the elephant God, is a being much loved in India. He is the bestower of knowledge, wealth, good fortune, and as mentioned in the prayer above, he removes all obstacles.
Ganesha removes all obstacles just as the elephant himself does in the forest. He clears the way for other animals. He even digs water holes, into which the rain can collect so that all the animals can have water to drink. He is kind and beneficent, and, as we all know, a highly intelligent and sensitive being too.
Normally, all Hindu prayers and rituals, begin with a prayer to Ganesha.
Ganesha Chaturthi is a ten-day festival that falls between August 20 and September 22, culminating on the fourteenth day of the waxing moon. Chaturthi means fourteen.
In the Samburu National Park, in Kenya, where several of us were traveling after attending the Africa Animal Welfare Action Conference in Nairobi, I had no knowledge of this festival, until I first heard of it on Saturday, September 11.
Elephants in the river, Vulturine Guineafowl on the bank
On a drive through the park — they are called “game drives” (though that seems an unfortunate name since it reminds one of hunting and doesn’t seem like a respectful way to refer to animals) – we came again, as we had the day before—to the beautiful river that runs along Samburu –the Ewaso Ng’iro. The name of the river can be spelled in a number of different ways; it means muddy water, and is a good-sized river for this arid area, providing all the birds and animals with water.
There are many bushes and acacia trees here, some with weaver birds’ nests dangling from them, some covered in vines, some with just the skeletons of tall branches or trunks reaching up to the sky. The foot-high grass in between the trees is yellow, and it seems to rain rarely, so the river is essential, originating on the heights of Mt. Kenya which, at 17,000 feet high, is the second tallest mountain in Africa (after Mt. Kilimanjaro).
Kenya takes its name from Mt. Kenya. Located in the center of Kenya, it is covered in glaciers and provides water for the entire area. From the road to Samburu, it can be seen in the distance, encircled in clouds.
The Ewaso Ng’iro river is perhaps 100 feet wide, with a swift current. It appears shallow, but really there is no way to tell. There are crocodiles, and the first day, we watched two Marabou Storks chasing one of the crocodiles from the bank into the water. Obviously, they didn’t like him much.
The Ewaso Ng’iro River
The first day also, we watched a whole parade of elephants making their way down to the river, including some young males that seemed to spend most of their time fighting or playing (or both at the same time) with each other. There were baby elephants too, who were adorable.
They paused before going down to the water’s edge, and it seemed that the matriarch elephant had sensed some sort of danger, because there was a bit of a delay. Then the coast was clear, and they all trooped down to the water.
The next day, on the morning of Ganesha Chaturthi, as we drove down near the river, there across the water on the other side, we were greeted by a most amazing sight. 27 elephants, all ages and sizes were lined up in a row on the opposite bank, with just their toes in the water, all exactly in a row, facing pretty much straight ahead—though one little baby was facing in the opposite direction.
Twenty-seven elephants all lined up.
Clearly, this was a special, formal occasion for the elephants, and we concluded that they must have been lined up to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi!
Though these are African, not Asian elephants (there are some differences—African elephants ears are huge and tend to go out sideways from their head–also both the males and females have tusks in Africa), still an elephant is an elephant, whether African or Asian. Clearly, all have an affinity with Ganesha.
Dr. Nanditha Krishna, an authority and an author who has written many books on Indian culture and tradition, tells us that on this festival, traditionally, Indian people make a statue of wet clay of Ganesha, using two bright red seeds to make his eyes.
Ganesha is a God who is much loved. The elephants are remarkable, and in this land, in Africa, so far removed from the hustles of modern civilization, they seem to have a profound connection with the peace and innocence of the original earth.
Photos: Sharon St Joan
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One of a pair of lion cubs nudges their mother. Mom, who is resting, doesn’t want to get up to play and swats the cub. So the pair of cubs wander off to find something or someone to play with. They go through the dry, yellow grass of Samburu National Park, pausing behind a bush now and then. After a while, they find themselves on one side of some tall brush, while on the other side a very large giraffe is having his dinner of leaves. After the cubs scratch around the bush for a bit, the giraffe moves away. Though the giraffe has a powerful kick, which could easily dispense with a lion cub, he seems wary of them.
Perhaps he only smells them and doesn’t know how small they are. Anyway, he moves away across the road. They follow, but as he continues to move away, they give up the chase—just as well since they are in some danger if he were to decide to kick them. They head back together towards their sleeping mom.
One of the lion cubs
The next day two female lions are lying down, resting in the grass—they seem entirely unafraid of people—and don’t getup or move away.
Superb Starling
The Superb Starling is genuinely superb—rust-colored underneath with an iridescent blue-green back, a black head and cream-colored eyes, they hop along the ground feeding.
In a more wooded area, with a few taller trees, a young leopard circles the van—and other vans of visitors. He walks along a tree branch on the ground, pauses, crosses back across the road, walking slowly right along the side of the van, and then off into the brush. He is breathing hard and is clearly stressed, yet does not seek to run away from the people watching him, though he easily could. Perhaps the cause of his stress is not the people at all. Perhaps instead he is hungry. He is very beautiful with all his spots. Hopefully, he will find enough to eat and will lead a long and peaceful life.
The next day, another leopard appears in the grass, off to the left. Crossing the road, he moves through the yellow grass and brush up a hill, at a measured pace, not running and seemingly unafraid of people. He also is breathing rapidly. After a while he moves farther up the hill, disappearing into the grass. Perhaps he is angry and agitated, rather than frightened, at this intrusion by unwelcome human visitors into the peace of his existence. Not knowing the leopard’s behavior, I don’t know.
Giraffes nibbling on an acacia tree
The giraffes tower over the prickly acacia trees, whose flat, feathered tops of leaves are dotted across the plain. Samburu is arid, and the dry habitat seems to suit giraffes, antelopes and gazelles. It is hard to imagine that these are really giraffes, standing there, tall and graceful—and not the sort of fairybook characters that some fanciful author has invented. They look just like all their pictures—elegant and aloof.
On the horizon, a few hundred meters away, stand the rocky hills of Samburu, with dark gray rocks that meander up the hillsides and along the top. In this desolate place, that is teeming with life, but that is mercifully devoid of the turmoil of human existence, there is a profound sense of being present before the world began—of being at the origin of all things. The visitors’ vans—including our own—seem inconsequential, like a mirage that will soon vanish; they seem not to touch the underlying serenity that is here.
Samburu rocks
In the silence, broken only by the calls of birds, the rocks speak, telling tales of long ago—not thousands of years—but tens, even hundreds of thousands or millions of years. Of a time when a visitor came this way from ancient Egypt—and of a time many eons before that, when the consciousness of the rocks was a part of the eternal presence of the earth itself. Of a time before time when the awareness of the lions, the gazelles, the giraffes, of the acacia trees, and the speaking rocks were one, indefinable consciousness of innocence—the sacred life of the earth.
Ancient hill
Then, since that time when there was no separation of one consciousness from another, no distinction between the language and thought of man and that of the animals, the awareness of the cosmic dream has been remembered and spoken of by the eternal rocks, the guardians of spiritual awareness—the rocks who write, record and take note of the magical worlds that have always been—and will be again–beyond time and space—until one day when the passing smoke of an alien modern existence will have wafted far away on the wind—forever gone—leaving once more only the songs of the birds and the beauty of the gray rocks on the hills.
