25 Nov Not Too Far From Home

Posted at 06:00h in Culturally Engaged, Ezer by

For the Samburu women in northern Kenya, the term “homemaker” takes on a whole new meaning. The Samburu tribe is a nomadic people group that earns their living raising cattle and other livestock. As a society that is still functioning in a hunting and gathering economy, the roles of both men and women are strictly and inflexibly defined. 

Once arriving at puberty, young men go through the traditional rites of becoming a warrior, or “Muran”. Their main responsibilities are limited to protection of the tribe (through any means necessary) and caring for their most valued asset: the cow. These responsibilities often take the men far away from the tribal settlement for extended periods of time. Their large herds of cattle need pasture, so the Murans move them cross-country to find it.

This system leaves the women at home with their children in their tribe’s current settlement. Their list of duties is long: childbearing, cooking, washing, caring for the goats and sheep, gathering produce, and bartering at the market. Not to mention, the women are also responsible for building the mud and grass huts (called manyattas) where they live.

“Just like these Samburu women, we, too, have cultural blindspots.”

Because of their society’s structure, male leadership and direction is distinctly absent from the lives of these women and children. Instead, women are left alone to bear the weight of the day-to-day. They raise the children, set the spiritual standards of their family, and make far too many decisions alone. 

Aside from these realities, there are yet other, even more heartbreaking customs for them. In order to pass from childhood to womanhood, the girls are required to undergo female circumcision- a practice that is outlawed and undeniably inhumane, but is far from extinct in tribes like this one.

After the completion of this rite of passage, girls become wives around the ages of twelve to fifteen. At this tender age, their lives of childbearing and family responsibility begin.

These cultural practices are not just different from our own. They are out of line with the truths of Scripture, and they create some serious repercussions for this people group. Just to name a few:

  1. Less than 10% of the Samburu tribe attend high school and even fewer continue their education by earning a university degree. This means there is little exposure to the outside world, and the returning home of those Samburus who are professionals is rare.
  2. Infant fatality is high due in part to a lack of proper hygiene and nutrition and also to the low number of mothers who give birth in a health facility.
  3. Overall health care is characterized by herbal remedies and superstitious practices. Many deaths and disabilities are caused by preventable diseases.
What do all of these statistics mean? Because of the lack of both gospel truth and general education, this tribe continues to endure a poor quality of life, and their society remains rooted in the witchcraft practices of their ancestors. There is little opportunity for growth and movement in this tribe without an influx of gospel truth and redemption. For thousands of years, they have held tightly to their worldview, and, in so many ways, they have been left far behind because of it.

“The more aware we become of our cultures’ unspoken expectations, the more capable we are when it comes to avoiding their pitfalls and deceptions.”

When we consider tribes and cultures like these, it’s easy to begin to feel superior. When, in reality, our Western culture has simply benefitted from an extended exposure to the gospel and the influence of the church. Everything from government to education to family life has flourished under the direction and guidance of the church. 

However, even with the impact Christianity has had on the West, ours is not a perfect culture. We do not “get it all right”. We, too, need a regular and powerful influx of the gospel in our lives and in our society. We should take a step back from our own culture and recognize some of our weaknesses. 

 

Where should we challenge our society’s values? Where are we missing the mark? We may not be rooted in witchcraft…but how have we given the devil a foothold in our own lives?  Just like these Samburu women, we, too, have cultural blindspots. And we also face destructive consequences because of them. Until the light of the gospel reveals those places which are kept in the dark, they remain unknown both in ourselves and in our Samburu sisters. We are influenced by our culture in more ways than we can imagine. The more aware we become of our cultures’ unspoken expectations, the more capable we are when it comes to avoiding their pitfalls and deceptions.
Let’s devote ourselves to prayer for change in both of our cultures. We all need a fresh take on the gospel. We each stray from our God-created roles as women. May we have new eyes for our own culture and soft hearts towards the brokenness of others.

-Megan Gaminde, spending three months in Kenya with one of Grace’s partner churches.