Samburu Diviners By Fratkin Summary

In Kenya, there are different communities, many different groups of people. These groups include those who are uphold different traditions, like the Ariaal, a community of northern Kenya who partook in nomadic traditions. In the 1970s, a young anthropologist began his anthropological research on the Samburu-related community, the Ariaal, nomadic pastoralists, and specifically, the Laibon, the diviner. In his ethnography, Laibon: An Anthropologist’s Journey with Samburu Diviners in Kenya, Elliot Fratkin writes about the Laibon, and through his experiences, we further understand the role the Laibon have in society, what it means to be a laibon, explore the power laibon hold.
Elliot Fratkin writes his ethnography with influences from In Cold

That is where the laibon are needed in the community, and Fratkin’s focus of study, “the laibon’s powers to combat sorcery” (3). Laibon were the diviner, the medicine man of the samburu community. They were seen to have spiritual powers. In the Samburu communities, there are beliefs that especially display that the laibons role is spiritual or medical advice and protection. People not a part of the laibon community displayed some fear towards these people with spiritual powers. The laibon were perceived as powerful, and Peter, the boy who helped Fratkin when first finding research in Kenya, was fearful of the laibon’s power, considering them to be dangerous, saying, “He makes dangerous medicines. He’s a sorcerer, do you know what that means? He kills people” (13). They were not seen as a average person, they were perceived as powerful, and in Samburu communities, they were regarded with respect, for their power, and knowledge. “Samburu communities needed [the laibon] for protection and security they provided in the dangerous world in which Samburu lived” (124). Despite all they do for the communities, they still were not seen as integrated in the Samburu society, Laibon were

Fratkin observed Lonyoki, the laibon who adopted him, and observed the way Lonyoki “[Threw] his divination gourd for clients and prepare the ntasim medicines to protect them from curses and sorcery” (47). Ntasim is the Samuru word used to describe the different medicines used, with varying effects. There were different types of medicines made, and different types of rituals performed, each for different needs. An example of a ritual performed was to figure out what was behind the lion incident, given it be done by man or not. They needed to “Throw the nkidong to see if it is [Lobata, the laibon of the Soritari clan] or not” (78). Nkidong refers to a container, and specifically the laibon’s divination gourd in this context. They were able to foresee some parts of the future through their rituals. Through the foreseeing, Lonyoki had to make a plan of action, figure out what the best way to handle the situation was. Lonyoki, as the laibon of their community, had the power, because he was seen as a protector, even if not in the ways of a warrior. The way the nkidong works is that every time it is thrown, it is believed that “Every stone comes out for a certain reason… [the way the stones fall] is like looking in a mirror; [the laibon] see what it means” (92). An important part of these rituals and traditions, is that the communities believed in the laibon’s abilities, and