The best potential ambassadors for elephants are those who live amongst them, sharing their land and their future. STE works to develop a conservation ethic by building on local knowledge of wildlife. We involve local people in research and monitoring to stimulate learning and foster positive attitudes.

Many community conservation projects in Africa focus on linking wildlife to direct cash benefits. While this is helpful in some cases, we feel that using economic compensation as the primary and often only encouragement for community conservation is a little shortsighted. These programs rarely recognize that humans may have tolerated elephants and other wildlife for hundreds of years quite happily, and could continue to do so without compensation.

Rather than advance community projects with singular focus on cash benefits, STE seeks to promote man's delight in elephants and the diversity of their world. We use education and involvement in research and conservation to engage and stimulate intellectual interest. The project aims to reinforce indigenous knowledge of wildlife and encourage traditional practices that follow a conservation ethic. In this way we believe that the Maa-speaking peoples (Samburu and Maasai) who share their land with elephants will become some of the finest elephant conservationists in Africa.

STE's work with communities has included initiating and re-activating conservation education in local schools; gathering local knowledge of wildlife and reinforcing indigenous knowledge about wildlife to encourage cultural pride; a mobile video unit which shows wildlife films to remote communities and schools; training community rangers in elephant behaviour, ecology and identification; and providing scholarships to secondary and tertiary students from local communities.

We explore mythologies and day to day perceptions of elephants and invite local people to examine new information on animal behaviour and the larger environment. Developing "elephant awareness" and encouraging both adults and children to be intellectually curious about elephants and the ecosystem has stimulated learning and enforced positive attitudes.

Myths and Legends

Myths encapsulate a culture's attitudes towards a subject in a symbolic story.

Here we present some of the elephant-related legends of the Samburu people that live around the STE research camp in the Samburu reserve, and one from the Turkana from further north. If you know of elephant legends from other parts of Africa or Asia, let us know and we will include them here! 


The Elephant Bride
Once elephants were humans, until one day a nervous young bride disobeyed her father… In Samburu legend, elephants were once humans. Once upon a time a young bride was newly wed. As she prepared to leave home her father gave her strict instructions that when she left the boma (thorn enclosure) she was not to look back. But she felt so sad as she followed her husband away that she couldn't resist turning around and taking one last wistful glance at her childhood home. That night in her new hut strange things began to happen.

N'gai (God) was very angry that the girl had disobeyed her father and decided to punish her. The young bride began to swell and grow and burst out of the roof of the hut at last turning into a great, grey elephant under the bright night sky. All elephants descended from this first elephant girl, and as such the Samburu and elephants are related by blood. It is believed that when elephants find dead humans they too place grass upon the graves. Even after the Samburu have left an area for good they have seen elephants take branches or leaves and place them upon their graves. Accordingly, when the Samburu pass an elephant skull they pick some green grass, spit on it and place it inside holes in the skull. Green grass is a symbol of peace and spit a symbol of rain, and the two together are a blessing bestowed.

Though the Samburu still practice the ritual of placing grass upon a skull many have forgotten the legend from which it came. However the legend of the bride is still well known amongst the Maasai people, who also bless elephant skulls in this way. N.B. Old hunters have tales of having seen elephants bury dead or sleeping people under a pile of branches. On occasion, the hunters themselves were buried whilst taking a cat-nap. Elephants have a fascination with the bones of their own dead, smelling them, tasting them and sometimes scattering the bones over long distances. There is no explanation yet for this behaviour nor for the reported reaction to human dead. 

The Elephant and the Firewood
Elephants and people shared their homes in harmony until an argument over firewood changed everything According to legend, when the world was first created, the Samburu people and elephants lived happily together in a manyatta (circle of huts). Elephants worked closely with the women helping with the daily chores of fetching water and firewood. One day, one of the elephants set off early in the morning and wanting to please the women, returned with enormous logs the size of his trunk and these he dropped proudly at the woman's feet.

The woman looked down at the large log and became extremely angry. "What do you expect me to do with firewood of this size?" she shouted. "It is too large and useless for humans to cook with. Do you expect me to cook you, you fool?" The elephant was quite embarrassed and shuffled away to make another attempt and placate the woman. Carefully he plucked off tiny bits of bark and teeny twigs of wood, and carried them pinched in the tip of his trunk. He dropped these pieces in front of the woman and again she looked at him with disgust. "Stupid elephant!" she yelled, "What can I cook with such tiny pieces of wood? Termites? We can not cook anything with this!" Insulted by the woman's unappreciative rudeness, the elephant suddenly lost his temper. He stormed into the woman's boma, kicking over all he could reach, and grabbed two cowhides off her bed throwing them up onto his head.

The cow hides turned into huge, great flapping ears and the elephant stormed off into the bush in a towering rage. From that day forward, elephants and the Samburu people lived separately, but great respect was always shown towards elephants to make sure they never got so angry again. "....the elephant stormed off into the bush" Just as elephants helped women in their homes in ancient times, they continue help them today.

The Samburu say that elephants create paths which will lead them to water and maintain waterholes by digging them out as they drink, which makes it much easier for women to collect water. Women also collect the branches elephants break for firewood. The relationship continues, albeit at a respectful distance. The animals and birds which were rarely seen were revered. Some were believed to be a good omen, some bad. For instance, each of the different calls made by the woodpecker known as Wryneck - Jyngidai (a species name) have a different significance. Some mean 'watch out' and others mean good luck. Meanings changed according to the time of day and the location that the animal was seen in. Amongst the animals, most respect went to the elephant. Due to its unique combination of large ears with sharp sense of smell, the elephant was highly honoured. The animal's great size led the Turkana to believe it as the only animal that was next to God. So as to protect and honour it, most traditional songs sang during wedding ceremonies are in praise of the elephant. When an elephant was seen near the homestead, all people were made to know. A message was sent in the quickest way possible to alert everyone the area. It was believed to be a message from God that rain was approaching in a few days. The details again depended on what time the elephant was seen and which direction it was facing. If seen facing east in the evening, a heavy downpour accompanied by floods was expected. In response, those living in lower grounds would shift to the hills or higher grounds to avoid the coming water. The elephants were protected because it was believed that if they disappeared there would be no rain for many years, causing starvation to animals as well as people. In the Turkana community, any individual person or family that was found to have killed or caused injuries to an elephant was seriously punished by each family elder through the clan elder. The punishment was in the form of a fine. A number of the family's animals and some of its millet had to be delivered to the court of elders (NATUK). If the family failed to do so they were chased away from their home to go and live very far away; a distance not less than 300km.

There were some exceptions, however. Before young men of about 20 to 30 years were initiated to manhood(Asapan), they were sent in groups of five to ten to hunt an elephant with only spears and arrows, bringing back with them tusks and tail for proof of their success. If they failed, the village elders had a right to refuse them the right to undergo the ceremony. Tusks were worn by the eldest and aged village elder under the pierced lower lip, indicating the age which others had a long way to reach. Many myths surround the presence of the elephant. Here is one which explains why the elephant is the biggest mammal on land and why it trumpets whenever it senses danger: Naturally, thunder and lightening go hand in hand whenever it rains. The Turkana believe that it is Satan and God quarrelling. One day that there was a competition between the two. It was raining so heavily that no one dared come out of their huts. As usual, thunder accompanied lightening while the rain poured. When the rain cooled down the thunder remained, and lightening flashed here and there. Because God could not appear physically, He inspired the elephant to compete with Satan's thunder by trumpeting. The elephant then trumpeted several times repeatedly, the sound as loud as thunder raising a tail of dust to Heaven. Eventually, Satan's thunder ceased. This is why Satan had to go and live in space. The devil could not go to Heaven because God was angry with him nor could it come down where the elephant has been placed by God to rule. It is very surprising to find that none of the present generation is as sympathetic and caring as our past generation. Everyone has turned to be greedy; greedy because of money.

Taboos
The shared characteristics that make elephants friends not foe The Samburu will not eat or kill elephants. Though myths of their common origins are still powerful, the many characteristics that elephants share with humans help keep the animals safe from Samburu hunters.

Elephants have breasts, an arm-like trunk and skin that is not fully covered with hair, unlike most of the other animals.

Significantly, elephant meat also carries a similar odour to that of humans. Together these similarities make hunting or eating elephants a taboo for the tribe.

The Herbal Benefits of Elephant Dung
Using the elephant as a long-range gatherer of plants for ceremonies and healing The Samburu people use elephant dung in ceremonies such as weddings. Before a newly wed couple can enter their first boma (thorn enclosure) together, elephant dung is burned in the middle of the manyatta (circle of huts) and the smoke produced from this dung acts as a blessing for the couple.

Since the contents of elephant dung is so diverse with its mixture of herbs, leaves, and grasses - this saves the Samburu the time and energy needed to find each of the components of elephant dung separately. Elephant dung is also used for medicinal purposes as a treatment for pneumonia and flu. Since many Samburu live in places which are quite a distance from water sources, it is difficult for them to gather parts of a special riparian tree needed for specific medicine. They search through elephant dung in order to find the seeds of this tree. Finally, they replant the seeds in order to prepare the leaves for the medicines.

A Placenta for Prosperity
The significance of elephant placentas The Samburu people say that placentas are very difficult to find because elephants carefully hide them. When an elephant placenta is found in the bush it is therefore a sign of great luck.

The fortunate family who find it take the placenta to their boma and burn it, the smoke from which fills the house bringing wealth and prosperity to all who live there.

The Turkana Love For Elephants
A ranger for the Kenya Wildlife Service explains what elephants mean to his people and asks searching questions of the future

Contributed by Patrick Ikaale

To kill wild animals used to be a taboo in the Turkana ethnic group. Their existence within an environment was highly respected and was said to be good luck to the people in that particular area. But if wildlife protection was not a new thing to the Turkana, there remains a deep, heartfelt question. How did the animals disappear?

The animals and birds which were rarely seen were revered. Some were believed to be a good omen, some bad. For instance, each of the different calls made by the woodpecker known as Wryneck - Jyngidai (a species name) have a different significance. Some mean 'watch out' and others mean good luck. Meanings changed according to the time of day and the location that the animal was seen in. Amongst the animals, most respect went to the elephant. Due to its unique combination of large ears with sharp sense of smell, the elephant was highly honoured. The animal's great size led the Turkana to believe it as the only animal that was next to God.

So as to protect and honour it, most traditional songs sang during wedding ceremonies are in praise of the elephant. When an elephant was seen near the homestead, all people were made to know. A message was sent in the quickest way possible to alert everyone the area. It was believed to be a message from God that rain was approaching in a few days. The details again depended on what time the elephant was seen and which direction it was facing. If seen facing east in the evening, a heavy downpour accompanied by floods was expected. In response, those living in lower grounds would shift to the hills or higher grounds to avoid the coming water.

The elephants were protected because it was believed that if they disappeared there would be no rain for many years, causing starvation to animals as well as people. In the Turkana community, any individual person or family that was found to have killed or caused injuries to an elephant was seriously punished by each family elder through the clan elder. The punishment was in the form of a fine. A number of the family's animals and some of its millet had to be delivered to the court of elders (NATUK). If the family failed to do so they were chased away from their home to go and live very far away; a distance not less than 300km.

There were some exceptions, however. Before young men of about 20 to 30 years were initiated to manhood (Asapan), they were sent in groups of five to ten to hunt an elephant with only spears and arrows, bringing back with them tusks and tail for proof of their success. If they failed, the village elders had a right to refuse them the right to undergo the ceremony. Tusks were worn by the eldest and aged village elder under the pierced lower lip, indicating the age which others had a long way to reach. Many myths surround the presence of the elephant. Here is one which explains why the elephant is the biggest mammal on land and why it trumpets whenever it senses danger: Naturally, thunder and lightening go hand in hand whenever it rains.

The Turkana believe that it is Satan and God quarrelling. One day that there was a competition between the two. It was raining so heavily that no one dared come out of their huts. As usual, thunder accompanied lightening while the rain poured. When the rain cooled down the thunder remained, and lightening flashed here and there. Because God could not appear physically, He inspired the elephant to compete with Satan's thunder by trumpeting. The elephant then trumpeted several times repeatedly, the sound as loud as thunder raising a tail of dust to Heaven. Eventually, Satan's thunder ceased.

This is why Satan had to go and live in space. The devil could not go to Heaven because God was angry with him nor could it come down where the elephant has been placed by God to rule. It is very surprising to find that none of the present generation is as sympathetic and caring as our past generation. Everyone has turned to be greedy; greedy because of money.

The Clan of the Elephants
The Samburu are divided into clans named after animals, such as elephants, snakes, mosquitoes and scorpions, and each creature has a special significance and link to the clan. People of the elephant clan have certain rituals they must perform when they see elephants in the bush because they believe that their clan is descended from the elephant. When they encounter elephants the clan must throw soil in the elephants direction to acknowledge that they are relatives. The elephant will then also throw soil back towards the person. If a member of the elephant clan does not acknowledge his fellow relatives - the elephant will hold all power over him during that encounter - and could potentially kill him. Members of the clan must respect elephants as brothers or sisters.