FILMAKERS LIBRARY

AFRICA

Chronicle of A Savanna Marriage
 
A film by Stig Holmqvist, SVT

 

 

 

For fifteen years, the filmmaker has monitored Nayiani's life, a Masai on the savanna of southern Kenya. The story begins in 1979 when Nayiani is fourteen, and has been promised in marriage to the son of her father's good friend. Nayiani undergoes circumcision, a procedure that both boys and girls go through to be considered adults.

The years immediately after he wedding prove difficult ones for Nayiami. She continuously longs to return to her family. But gradually, as time passes, she grows accustomed to her new home. Eventually, her husband Lekumok brings home additional wives, since his herd of cattle is now so large that he needs and can afford additional women in his household. Nayiami welcomes the companionship and help. Even on the savanna, time does not stand still. The family feels the encroachment of the Nairobi government on different aspects of their lives. Here is a unique view of the life and culture of the Masai.

56 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $75.

American Anthropological Association, 1998
African Studies Association, 1997

 

 

 

 

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