By Brandon Evans | Published Sunday, October 11, 2009
In the reality show "Survivor," a television crew rounds up a band of Americans and drops them in an exotic environment. Last week Wise County became the exotic land when a pair of Kenyan warriors arrived in Texas to learn the ways of the American cowboy.
"It's kind of like those reality shows where Americans are put in foreign countries," said Lindsey Adams with NRS. "But this is just the opposite."
On Thursday afternoon, the pair of African cowboys worked on their roping skills at a clinic at the NRS indoor arena just south of Decatur.
The men wore standard cowboy attire: boots, jeans, checkered shirts and hats. But bright flashes of beaded bracelets and necklaces revealed their tribal heritage.
Lemarti Loyenpan, a member of the Samburu tribe, and Boni Kandari, a Maasai warrior, have worked with cattle their entire lives in the wilds of northern Kenya. But this week they learned how Texans do it.
The pair is here filming for a reality show called "Two Kenyan Guys," which will air on the National Geographic channel in spring 2010.
"These two grew up in the wild bush of Africa and are best friends," said director David Grusovin. "The purpose of the show is to track their voyage from Kenya to America as they experience first hand a different way of life. It's a cultural exchange of ideas."
He said they chose Wise County because it is famous for its rodeo stars.
On Wednesday the pair got to ride horses for the first time at Star Brand Ranch. Along with several local cowboys, they herded about 100 cattle across the rolling prairie.
"They have only ridden camels and elephants before," Grusovin said.
It's fitting though that the tribesmen traveled halfway around the globe to work with cattle. Lemarti and Boni have herded cattle almost their entire lives.
The Maasai and Samburu tribes practice a nomadic, pastoral way of life. Their culture is centered around cattle.
"In the Maasai culture, they believe that they own all the cattle in the world," Grusovin said. "It is one of the most important things in their lives."
However, in Africa, Lemarti and Boni herd cattle by foot, not by horse.
"The cattle here are almost like wild animals," Lemarti said. "At home we spend lots of time with our cattle, and they are very tame."
The Maasai and Samburu are closely related. Most have adopted Christianity blended with some of their ancient shamanistic traditions. The Maasai have always been fiercely independent and take pride in their warrior traditions.
They resisted slavery when the Europeans invaded and colonized eastern Africa. They also have a grueling coming of age ceremony where young warriors, armed only with a shield and spear, hunt and kill lions that have mangled their herds.
The men continue to show their bravery abroad. After only a couple of days of training, they entered a rodeo at the Fort Worth Stockyards Friday night.
Next week, they travel to New York to prepare for the New York City Marathon, the world's largest marathon.
