In the Land of the Njemps

Another highlight of our weekend getaway was a trip to an island in the middle of the beautiful volcanic Lake Bogoria inhabited by the Njemps. The Njemps are little-known cousins of the Maasai who are also said to be polygamous, dress up in funky bead necklaces and kill people just for the heck of it--with the difference being that the Maasai are cow-herders while the Njemps, who live on a hot, arid, tiny strip of land, are fishermen (see the picture of the smoked fish they prepare in the absence of refrigerators).

Once we heard of the Njemps, we started inquiring whether any traditional ones are left (there are over 50 tribes in Kenya but they are almost completely modern and the Maasai we've met seem to only dress up for special occasions). We were told that there are indeed such Njemps, somewhere, in the middle of the island, and if we spend an extra hour and $50, we can ask them "What they eat, how they live." So we decided that since we're already there, it's worth trying to get a look at the vanishing culture of the Njemps.

However, upon getting to the island, there were no loincloths, no tribal wear and only wretched--though traditional--huts and one woman with greatly distended ears to put in the huge earrings favored by various ethnicities here. Misha chased her incessantly, trying to get his shot, but this is all that came out. Also, disappointingly, no polygamy was in sight, although on the neighboring, smaller island, there was apparently one man with five wives and twenty-six children, but the locals told us that in today's difficult economy, such luxury was just unsustainable.

What was truly authentic, and sad, was the poverty and a great desire to get as much out of the gullible Western tourist as possible. At every step, we were handed out identical little booklets listing donations made to a local school for flood repairs and asked to fill out a fresh page and also encouraged to give tips to every person who spoke to us.

In general, the competition for the tourist's buck is stiff in Kenya--there are so many tourists in high season, and the managers of tour companies tend to look sly and rapacious while the sales pitch down the food chain gets quite desperate. On the way here, we stopped over at a scenic viewpoint where four souvenir stops stood in a row. When we bought something from one of them and came out, the other three salespeople ran up to us, almost dragging us in different directions with the words, "Yes, yes, now here. No buying this time, just looking."

Misha should use that line in his business dealings.