The 'cake' was roasted as ndafu at my house.
Our friends helped cook. Here, they are washing rice, cucumbers, and cooking bananas.
Firewood was used to cook the food at our aunti's house next door.
Kellen's students helped too. These form 6 students were our butchers.
Kellen's students helping to cut the meat for pilau
Deborah and Blessing cleaning the rice (removing the stones).
Checkbob, the cook at Enaboishu Sec., was our cook. He's prepping the meal in the morning.
Chicken on the local stove.
Kellen after she came back from the salon.
Our Maasai friends in our yard. They are the Pastoralist Students Association choir from Kellen's school.
Our house was full of people, who take their shoes off at the door.
Kellen and our choir friends.
Kellen and the girls.
Kellen and the boys.
Daudi, Kellen, and our choir friends.
Daudi, Kellen, our choir friends, and Ndong'o, our ndugu.
Kellen in her Maasai wear.
Kellen and her kibuyu (calabash, or milk jug).
Kellen and her cousin Moses.
Daudi, Kellen, & Moses, who came from Kampala.
Kellen and her baby sis, Shalom, who came from Uganda.
Kellen and her mother, Akiiki, who came from Uganda.
My brother Hashim and our friend Haneyst.
Moses (Kellen's cousin) and my bro Hashim.
Moses, Ndong'o, and Hashim. Ndong'o is the cousin of my late half-brother. He came from Loitokitok, Kenya.
Moses, Kellen, and Hashim share my eng'udi.
My uncle Samweli and his wife Anita.
Moses, dressed in my Maasai gear.
Kellen's maid, Loveness (right) was pregnant and didn't want to let it be known in her light dress, so her twin sister Lightness stood in for her.
Kellen's mama with her daughter Shalom and our friend Faith, who is Mama Mlay's granddaughter.
Kellen and her maid Lightness.
Casfeta choir, some of whom are Kellen's students, entered the ukumbi in song with Kellen and the Ugandan contingent.
Edna, my brother's daughter.
My brother's widow, Anne, and their daughter, Edna, who came from Nairobi.
Daudi, baba wadogo Jimi and Mesi, and Hashim.
Kellen and Loveness hid in the crowd so that I'd have to look for them when it's time to introduce them.
Kellen's mom and Moses, who represented her dad, at the Ugandan side's high table.
Stephen, Emmanuel, and others in the Maasai choir lead my procession into the ukumbi.
Hapa tunaingia ukumbini.
The Tanzanian side's high table: Wenceslausi (from Narumu), Mama Mgeni, and Baba Mgeni (my grandparents).
My grandparents (great uncle) Menang Silig and his wife.
Hidden in the crowd.
Christina and Stephen, leading our procession into the party.
Some of our Engaruka people in the audience: Sing'isa, her sister, and Mama Onesmo.
Mama Njii, and Ernest Sirikwa can be seen in the audience.
Procession.
Maasai singing and dancing in our procession.
Mch. Kimirei leads a prayer, on behalf of Bishop Laizer. He talked about his relationship with my father and how pleased he would be that so many of our people are gathered to celebrate something like this.
Kipara shot.
The Maasai choir performed a praise song.
Olarivan spoke on behalf of our family, welcoming people and talking about my late father.
Moses, DJ Kombe, and Olairiv. Moses spoke on behalf of the Ugandans and explained that he wanted to wear kimaasai because the culture is so beautiful. My grandfather, Olairiv, translated.
We're looking for my fiance, wherever she might be.
We found her! She sat on a kigoda in front of the hall...
... to present me with a kibuyu (calabash for milk).
I've found her and I'm leading her to the front so that I can introduce her to my people.
Kellen is presenting me with a kibuyu (calabash). It represents her commitment as an African wife to milk the cows and take care of things at home.
I'm introducing Kellen, saying that she's indeed the reason that we all came together to celebrate.
Ashe Enkai means Thank God in Kimaasai.
Everyone in the hall comes up to give us hugs and congrats.
Maasai dance party time!
Blessing, Jackie, and Prisca.
After the Maasai style portion, we wore European style during the meal.
This is the 'cake'. We took pieces of meat from its back and fed them to people we love.
Nabuluu, wearing the chefs hat, was in charge of roasting the goat. She brought it out on the little wheeled table and drove it around like a car to a Tanzanian song that says, “Beep beep, get out the way,” and a student posed as traffic officer telling the goat car to stop.
Meal time at our high table. There were three: One on the left for my elders, one on the right for Kellen's side, and one in the middle for us.
Kellen's mom was dressed in khangas and vitenges, presented to her as gifts from my aunties and grandmothers.
Mama Kellen and baby sis, Shalom.
People lined up to give us gifts and hug us again. In shades is Haneyst, and carrying a big boxed gift is Joab who happens to be Kellen's tribesmate.
Here, the Engaruka people are giving Kellen a gift of Maasai clothes. The lady in glasses is Mama Nkia, who has a little pharmacy with her husband at Engaruka Juu.
More gifts from the Engaruka people.
More Engaruka people: Mama Nkya, Onesmo, Sing'isa, and Mama Mgeni.
The Casfeta choir, also Kellen's students, came to hug us and sing.
Hashim
One of Kellen's students is a member of this a capella choir, Natural Voice, which performed for us.
The committee that put this sherehe together. Faces from left: Mama Ola, Uncle Samweli, Babu Daniel (Moiparo), Anita (Sam's wife), Kaii, Baba Tindi, Mama Mlay, Baba Mdogo Mesi, and Lydia. Hidden from view are Baba Mlay, Baba Mdogo Jimi, Olais (mtoto wa Menang Silig), and Venance.
Daudi, Shalom, Kellen, Faith, Mama Mlay, and Mama Kellen.
Shalom, Kellen, and Solomon Lekui.
My nieces. One is Nori (Nabuluu's daughter), I'm not sure about the one in blue, and the one on right I think is Agnes.
Moses, Kashu, and the rest do the twist to Daudi Kabaka. After everything was over, the DJ played African dance music for an hour so the young people could enjoy.
