.THE FINEST ELEPHANT HUNTERS IN AFRICA

Coastweek - - Over the weekend I was reading a large illustrated book called "Classic African Animals" written by Anthony Dyer and published in 1973 by Winchester Press, New York, U.S.

In the index there was the following entry concerning the Liangula people of Kenya:

"Liangulu - A tiny tribe, less than five hundred strong, of the finest elephant hunters in Africa.

"In 1946 their headquarters were in a patch of thick forest in the Voi River in southeastern Kenya.

"They migrated eastward when their home became part of the Tsavo National Park.

"The ethnic origins of these little tribes are difficult to establish because they adopt the language and customs of the nearest large tribe.

"It is possible that they are related to the Kalahari bushmen, from whom they have been separated by over a thousand miles for over a thousand years.

"They are still similar in appearance and mannerisms and are a people worthy of proper study."

There was also one reference on the internet search engines (www.yahoo.com) as follows, from:

          http://www.eagle-bluff.org/pages/archery.html

Draw Weights: Hardy found that the Liangulu people of Africa shot some immense weapons.

"The drawing weight was on average over 100 lb (59.4 kg).

If we assume that the medieval war bows weighed from about 80 lb to 120 lb ... and over, we shall not be exaggerating ...

The Liangulu always used poison from the Acokanthera tree, smeared on the foreshaft, both it and the head being bound with protective ribbons of hide until needed for use.

The poison ensured a kill, almost wherever the animal was hit, but the big bows could drive an arrow easily through the 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) of an elephant's hide."

Since then I have tried to find out further information about this tribe, but without any luck.

What immediately comes to mind are the following questions:

• Do the Liangula people still exist ?

• Has any research been done/ published about them ?

• Is it really possible that Kenya was home to a genuine Bush people ?

• Is their language still spoken today in Voi ?

• Did they/ do they look different (features/ colouring) to neighbouring tribes in the Voi/ Taveta District ?

'Fascinated Would-Be Anthropologist', Bamburi.

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      FORMER GAME WARDEN RECALLS
      A FAMOUS LIANGULU TRIBESMAN

         ABAKUNA GUMUNDI WAS THE GREATEST ...

Coastweek - - With ref: The LianguluTribe:

James Willson, who is a good friend and who now runs Southern Palms hotel was a professional hunter at one time with Bateleur Safaris.

I had the notoriety as game warden of nailing an associate for poaching a lesser kudu in Masongaleni - 32 years ago !

The lesser kudu was then protected in that location.

Later, both James and I worked for Abercrombie and Kent and James was the first camp manager of Kichwa Tembo Camp in the Masai Mara in 1976.

The definitive work on the Waliangulu is by (the late) Dr. Carlos de Amelia da Cruz who was resident in Lorca, Spain.

Denis Houlman's book, "The Elephant People" on the Waliangulu who are also known as the Watha, is good, but sketchy.

As for the Wasanya, they can now only be found in the Boni and Dodori forests north of Lamu.

One has to drive along the Kiunga Road to reach them.

The Boni people, equally, are hunters and gatherers, but again a dying breed like the Ndorobo.

Dr. Da Cruz's work is about 1500 pages long, I believe it is still in manuscript form, but I may be wrong as it was due to be published anytime.

Many years ago, he and I ran a safari company out of Nairobi known as "African Bushtrails".

In 1978 we set up a lodge on the Uaso Nyiro River, which is today, the Samburu Serena Lodge.

I know that Dr. Da Cruz has written and researched a lot on the Waliangulu.

The greatest of the Waliangulu hunters was Abakuna Gumundi.

In Ian Parker's book, "The Ivory Crisis" there is a good photograph of Abakuna.

I followed his tracks for several days in an area East of Tsavo East National Park, between Sala Gate and Vitengeni.

He was always ahead of us even when I had equally wily trackers from his clan and working with me in the dead of night.

Guyo Barissa was one dependable and courageous Mliangulu on my staff in those days but despite our combined efforts to arrest this great ivory poacher, we never did succeeed, albeit at one time we were less than half an hour from where he was!

Years later I dramatised his life in "The Lost Wilderness" and the chapter I wrote is simply entitled, "Abakuna".

In his last years, he was killed by a hippo at Shirango, along the Voi River, just out of Tsavo National Park.

I think a brief mention of his death was reported in the newspapers.

Those of us still alive today and who have lived through those exciting times, may aptly be called "The Lost Generation", as Gertrude Stein was wont to say of Hemingway and his pals.

It is indeed a lost and a forgotten era.

          Mohamed Ismail, N/A, U.S.A.

        afriventures@usa.net