312:, a creature that is thought to exist by the Kalenjin and surrounding communities. However the Chemosit is the fictitious demonic bogey creature of Kalenjin stories and is not seriously thought of as real by adult Kalenjin. The Chemosit is claimed to be a half-man, half-bird that stands on one leg and has nine buttocks. Its mouth is red and shines brightly at night like a lamp. The Chemosit propels and supports itself with a spear-like stick. There are a number of stories that feature the Chemosit, so much so that the oral literature relating to the Chemosit acquired a specific term among the Nandi, Kapchemosin. This term was also taken to mean fables, stories and legends.
138:. As the celebrations went on, a crow appeared among the revelers and gave a warning for three days which most of those at the party ignored. The warning was that they should leave the party as a big rock was about to fall from the sky. Some people, however, in certain accounts one pregnant woman, listened to the crow and left. Just in time, for it so happens that a huge rock fell from the sky and crushed all those who were still at the party. This rock, it is believed, can be seen where it fell and is today called Mount Kipteber.
82:...Long ago, there was a man who was very poor. He decided to leave his country in the north and look for a better place. This country was called Emetab Burgei because it was very hot. He traveled along a big river until he came to a very big lake. While at the lake, he prayed to the sun, Asis, for help from his poverty. Suddenly he was given very many cattle and also a wife. Soon after marrying this wife, the man got seven sons.
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Kapchemosin usually follow a similar pattern, the protagonist, often a young person would be warned against a certain action. The performance of said action would usually lead to the
Chemosit eating a person or people. However in the end, the protagonist outwits the Chemosit in some manner and cuts
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In the legend, there came a time when rain disappeared for many years leading to a severe drought such that the elders held a meeting to decide on what to do. It was decided that a young girl would be offered as, or would go and offer, a sacrifice to the owner of the sky so that he would allow rain
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Like the Kerit, people are the
Chemosit's food and it is said to prefer children's flesh above all else. However, unlike the Kerit which usually waits for its victims in a tree so as to swipe of their heads as they pass below, the Chemosit entraps its victims by singing sweet songs at night near a
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thinking she was mad, laughed at her. However the warriors on the grazing grounds hearing the bells ran to see what the cause of the commotion was. As soon as the cattle were left unprotected, the woman’s son’s dashed out of their hiding place and drove the animals into the hills where they were
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As she sang, it began to drizzle and when she sang again it began to pour. When she sang a third time, it began to rain heavily and at the same time Ilat, in the form of lightning, struck but before he could get the girl, her boyfriend jumped out of his hiding place and killed Ilat thus rescuing
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A number of accounts state that the founder's of the
Kalenjin speaking communities were known as Kingo and his wife, Tapnai. They arrived at Tulwet'ab Kony from a barren, inhospitable land known as Burgei. They settled at Kony where they had a number of sons who in turn gave rise to the various
217:
Among the Nandi, Ilet ne-mie and Ilet ne-ya respectively are good and a bad thunder-gods. The crashing of thunder near at hand is said to be Ilet ne-ya trying to come to earth to kill people while the distant rumbling of thunder is Ilet ne-mie protecting man by driving away his name-sake.
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place where children are, its open mouth glowing red in the darkness. The children, seeing the light and hearing the song would be attracted to the location thinking it was kambakta, a celebratory dance. They would head off to find the dance and would never be seen again.
154:
from
Kalenjin folklore that has become well known in other parts of the world, mainly through popular culture and fantasy genres. However, there are a number of other saints, legendary figures and mythical creatures that feature in Kalenjin folklore, some of these include;
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The narrative goes on to state that the man became proud and as a result his sons left him, and even his wife left him for someone who had more cows. The sons went off and founded their own families and those families grew into the various
Kalenjin communities today.
101:
The
Kalejin and indeed other pastoral and wider East African communities find deep significance in landscape features for it is by way of these that they relate to their ancestors and thus their history. Some popular legends based on landscape features include;
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communities. Sometimes the tale is referred to as 'what is this bird saying?'. In the narrative, it is said that a long time ago there were two communities that lived in the area and were having a ceremony. One of these is often associated with the
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Her boyfriend found out about the plan and determined to follow her surreptitiously as she went on her mission. When she arrived at the lake (in some accounts waterfall), she stood at the shore and sang her call to the rain.
386:
proverb goes, "Inge'ngora ke'ngor
Kipkeny" or "If I am divined, so is Kipkeny", it was much used by a person who boasted of having done wrong and is equivalent to "They might as well expect to catch Kipkeny as me".
350:
In the legend, she lived near the border of Nandi and Maasai lands. She one day conceived a plan to retake the traditional lands of the Nandi. She took off her clothes, tied grass round her body, and fastened
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The woman at the same time slipped off the bells and made good her escape. This was the first check the Maasai received at the hands of the Nandi, who eventually succeeded in driving them out of their lands.
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The Nandi people call it "kerit". Local legend holds that it only eats the brain of its victims. Nandi bears were regularly reported in Kenya throughout the 19th century and early 20th century.
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who commonly features in
Kalenjin folktales. He is associated with thunder and rain and is said to inhabit deep pools and waterfalls and that the rainbow are his discarded garments.
491:
Popping from approximately five kilometers off the range of
Cherangany hills...A Mountain barring an extraordinary narrative of its origin spanning lots of generations ago.
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and Pokot counties. It's about five kilometers away from the range of
Cherangany hills. The hill juts out from a plain, and on one side it has a fairly steep cliff facing
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Descriptions of the Nandi bear are of a ferocious, powerfully built carnivore with high front shoulders (over four feet tall) and a sloping back, somewhat similar to a
122:. Its form has been associated with the hump of a zebu bull. Local legend states that the hill was originally never there and that it once fell from the sky.
578:
Fish, B., & Fish, G., The Kalenjin Heritage, Traditional Religious and Social practices, Africa Gospel Church and World Gospel Mission, 1995, p.7-8
253:, in the area the Nandi bear is reported from. It is also known as Chemisit, Kerit, Koddoelo, Ngoloko, or Duba (which derives from the Arabic words
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as a result of being offered as a sacrifice (actually or symbolically) to save the Kalenjin sections from a drought that was ravaging their land.
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Hans Wehr (edited by J. Milton Cowan): A dictionary of modern written Arabic, ed. 3, Ithaca, N.Y., 1971, Spoken Language Services, Inc.
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438:
Straight, Bilinda; Lane, Paul; Hilton, Charles (2016). ""Dust people": Samburu perspectives on disaster, identity, and landscape".
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343:. Her cunning and her sons' bravery led to the first victory against the Maasai, eventually leading to the reconquest of the
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78:(1991), recorded a narrative of origin known as "the seven brothers" that speaks of the origin of the Kalenjin people.
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Kipkeny was a well known cunning wizard who always managed to escape divination by the wizard-finders. A once popular
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to fall. A young virgin girl was thus selected to go to a body of water (usually the home of Ilat) to pray for rain.
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327:, sometimes "wearing" the form of handsome young man and other times that of an old lady who lives in the forest.
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The legend of "the rock-fall at Kipteber" is often told in northern Kalenjin communities and more so within the
272:. Some have speculated that Nandi bears are in fact a misidentified hyena or a surviving Ice Age giant hyena:
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for 'bear' and 'hyena' respectively). The Samburu "Nkampit" appears also to be a version of this creature.
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Forked lightning is the sword of Ilet ne-ya while sheet lightning is said to be the sword of Ilet ne-mie.
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111:
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Kipkorir B.E, The Marakwet of Kenya: A preliminary study. East Africa Literature Bureau, 1973, pp. 8–9
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Kipteber Hill (often referred to as Mount Kipteber) is a rocky hill that sits on the border of
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folklore who grew up during a time when ancient Kalenjin grazing grounds were occupied by the
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75:
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Hollis A.C, The Nandi – Their Language and Folklore. The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1909, p. 99
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285:, extinct c. 500,000 years before present, would "explain these cases very satisfactorily."
183:
175:
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48:
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Kenya Land Commission, Evidence and memoranda, Volume 2, H.M. Stationery Office, 1934
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Chesaina, C., Oral Literature of the Kalenjin, Heinmann Kenya Limited, 1991, pp. 46–48
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to her arms and legs. She then went to the Maasai kraals and danced like a mad woman.
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Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra, and Other Elusive Creatures
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off its big toe or thumb thus releasing the people who had previously been eaten.
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provide the most extensive chronicles of Nandi bear sightings in print.
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joined by friends and the Maasai warriors dared not pursue them.
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Among the Tugen and Keiyo, the Chemosit is often portrayed as a
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Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures & Daily Life, Kalenjin
174:(also Cheptaleel) is a heroine found in the folklore of the
51:-speaking communities, often passed down the generations by
87:
Kibet arap Siele (Kericho), approx. 60 years old in 1991
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Heaven Wins: Heaven, Hell and the Hope of Every Person
673:
530:"Tourism, Sports, Culture and Social Development"
504:"Tourism, Sports, Culture and Social Development"
952:. Nairobi: Heinmann Kenya Limited. p. 100.
980:. Nairobi: Heinmann Kenya Limited. p. 96.
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241:is an unconfirmed animal, reported to live in
210:Ilat/Ilet (pronounced E-lat) is a figure from
118:while the other side slopes gradually towards
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308:The Chemosit is often conflated with the
417:. Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya. p. 29.
924:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 107.
897:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 106.
843:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 272.
816:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 300.
789:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 256.
762:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 300.
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1033:. Clarendon Press: Oxford 1909, p.124
1030:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
1006:. Clarendon Press: Oxford 1909, p.106
1003:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
921:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
894:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
870:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 41.
867:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
840:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
813:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
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759:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
735:. Oxford: Clarendon Pres. p. 41.
732:The Nandi: Their Language and Folklore
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276:states that a surviving short-faced
370:Her two sons would later found the
676:In Search of Prehistoric Survivors
440:Journal of Eastern African Studies
298:In Search of Prehistoric Survivors
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701:Soule, Gardener (December 1961).
978:Oral Literature of the Kalenjin
950:Oral Literature of the Kalenjin
415:Oral literature of the Kalenjin
294:On the Track of Unknown Animals
536:. West Pokot County Government
510:. West Pokot County Government
1:
452:10.1080/17531055.2016.1138638
245:. It takes its name from the
233:Nandi bear illustration, 1961
142:Beings and legendary figures
475:"The Beautiful Rift Valley"
413:Chesaina, Ciarunji (1991).
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396:Kalenjin speaking groups.
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629:. ABC-CLIO. p. 136.
282:Pachycrocuta brevirostris
623:Newton, Michael (2009).
481:. Travel Discover Kenya
479:traveldiscoverkenya.com
374:known as Kapchepkendi.
186:of Kenya. She became a
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120:Elgeyo Marakwet County
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335:A popular heroine in
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152:mythological creature
918:Hollis, A.C (1909).
891:Hollis, A.C (1909).
864:Hollis, A.C (1909).
837:Hollis, A.C (1909).
810:Hollis, A.C (1909).
783:Hollis, A.C (1909).
756:Hollis, A.C (1909).
729:Hollis, A.C (1909).
249:who live in western
47:communicated by the
473:Wambui, Catherine.
345:Uasin Gishu plateau
167:Cheptaleel's Prayer
97:Places & things
974:Chesaina, Ciarunji
946:Chesaina, Ciarunji
391:Tapnai & Kingo
296:and Karl Shuker's
290:Bernard Heuvelmans
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212:Kalenjin mythology
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65:Kalenjin mythology
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931:978-1-44460-515-0
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243:East Africa
202:Cheptalel.
1044:Categories
714:January 5,
708:Boys' Life
446:(1): 179.
424:9966468919
400:References
239:Nandi bear
136:Talai clan
45:traditions
21:folk tales
642:5 January
460:147620799
188:folk hero
172:Cheptalel
159:Cheptalel
59:Mythology
976:(1991).
948:(1991).
672:(1995).
372:pororiet
331:Tapkendi
304:Chemosit
176:Kipsigis
127:Marakwet
85:—
49:Kalenjin
378:Kipkeny
37:dancing
25:legends
1017:online
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568:online
556:online
458:
421:
360:kraals
341:Maasai
278:hyaena
263:d.abuʕ
74:Prof.
43:, and
456:S2CID
384:Nandi
353:bells
337:Nandi
310:Kerit
270:hyena
259:d.abʕ
251:Kenya
225:Kerit
180:Nandi
150:is a
148:Kerit
131:Pokot
33:music
29:songs
982:ISBN
954:ISBN
926:ISBN
899:ISBN
872:ISBN
845:ISBN
818:ISBN
791:ISBN
764:ISBN
737:ISBN
716:2018
682:ISBN
644:2018
631:ISBN
542:2018
516:2018
487:2018
419:ISBN
255:dubb
237:The
206:Ilat
178:and
146:The
129:and
448:doi
292:'s
257:or
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661:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
