The story of the great astrologer begins with a man called Sof Omar. Sof was a devout Muslim who lived in a Borana village located in present-day Ethiopia. There were caves near the village where he usually went to pray and the sound of his voice reverberated throughout the caves’ walls each time he submitted himself in prayer. Though beyond his dedication to his faith, Sof Omar also possessed unique astrological abilities.
Legend has it that one day, Sof Omar said goodbye to his homeland and migrated south to the land of the Samburu. Just like the Borana, the Samburu are nomadic pastoralists who move from one place to another in search of water and pasture for their livestock.
Keen on starting afresh, Sof Omar decided to take on a different name, thus Mpunyati Lesepen came to be.
Initiation rites are very important markers of community membership in many African communities including the Samburu. Around 1879, Mpunyati was initiated into the Lmarikon age-set.
Mpunyati Lesepen’s spirituality remained constant all through these changes. He was very close to Nkai (God) and was able to communicate with him directly by reading the stars. He passed on Nkai’s messages that were written in the night sky to the Samburu people. His dreams also carried visions of things past as well as events yet to happen.
Another way through which Mpunyati received messages from Nkai was through divination. He possessed gourds called nkidong made out of cattle horns. These were special gourds from which he could cast divination stones and tell the future. Using his abilities, Mpunyati was able to warn the Samburu of droughts, pestilence and impending disease or war.
Mpunyati also possessed knowledge of how to prepare ntasim, an extremely potent medicine which could treat a myriad of ailments including infertility, blindness, and insanity, and could further prevent the death of livestock. Whenever Samburu morans went to war and raids, ntasim was used to protect them from harm.
Mpunyati Lesepen married and had a son named Lokulume Lesepen. Lokulume lived in a place called Ng’iro and he continued the Lesepen bloodline and also followed down the astrology path. The Lesepen male heirs became well respected members of the Samburu community because of their abilities. They were tasked with the important work of reading the stars, but they were also called upon to protect warriors with ntasim before any battle, just like Mpunyati did before him.
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