Where we came from and the stories of people

Where we came from and where we are going are some of the most fundamental questions that have been driving our culture, religions and societies forward for many many years. The field of Anthropology addresses some of these questions and others that are related to the human species. Traditionally, anthropology has the following four sub-fields. Biological anthropology focuses on the biology and physiology of living primates, and the shapes and forms of fossil primates, including humans. Archaeology focuses on the material culture of past societies that tells us about their social structure, history, and connections with others. Cultural Anthropology focuses on living communities and societies that tell us about how societies differ and how they evolved. Linguistics focuses on the similarities and and differences between living and extinct languages and how they are related to one another.

My area of expertise is evolutionary Anthropology, which mostly tries to address the question of "where we came from", using the evolutionary perspective. There are many things that we study, including the bones and teeth of humans and their ancestors, their shapes, how they changed over time and how they are related to one another.

Many people may have known that Africa is the cradle of humankind from the fact that the earliest human ancestors were found in Africa. For example, the well-known skeleton nicknamed "Lucy" came from Ethiopia, and she is about 3 million years old. That is way older than all other fossil humans outside of Africa, which are not older than 2 million years. Perhaps what most people don't know is why our species came from Africa.

To answer this question, we have to turn to Charles Darwin and when he developed the theory of Evolution by natural selection. After studying the physical characters of modern primates, Darwin predicted that the closest living relative to us were chimpanzees. But people at the time really hated this idea that associates the "supremacy" of us to "lower-class" animals such as apes. The cartoon above clearly demonstrates their point.

But where are chimpanzees found? Only in Africa! So Darwin also successfully predicted that the earliest humans must have come from Africa! However, for a very long time, especially in the late 1800's and early 1900's, people's efforts in answering the question "where we came from" had been focused on looking for the oldest human fossils in Europe and Asia! Guess what? They completely missed the target! Going back to our good old friend Lucy, she was an individual of the species Australopithecus afarensis, "the southern ape-man from Afar". It represents one of the definitive evidence for the "missing links" between us and chimpanzees, proving Darwin's point.

Now we have the "missing links" represented by bones and teeth. The next question is how about our behavior, social structure and other features that define us as humans? They don't get preserved at all in the fossil record! That's why a lot of biological anthropologists study these features in living primates, to see how they compare between species and where the roots are for our unique behaviors. Perhaps the most well-known and most influential person who studies chimpanzees is Jane Goodall. It was 1960 when she first arrived in the forests of Tanzania where the chimpanzees have been living. Here I'm sharing a video from the TED talks featuring Jane Goodall.

Knowing where we came from, how is it related to the stories of people and what we see today? Because the first humans evolved in Africa, people have been living with wildlife for much longer than on other continents. Africa still preserves some of the pristine habitats that human ancestors lived in, with an immense amount of resources in wildlife. This is also why we go to Africa for safaris!

Apart from that, being on the continent for a long time allowed the development of extremely diverse ethnic groups and cultures, with many different languages that are fascinating. There are still hunter-gatherer communities that are living in a very similar way as our earliest ancestors. They are completely removed from agriculture or pastoralism that are associated with most people around the world. Because of Africa's geographic complexity, crossing many climate zones from north to south, local communities often have diverse lifestyles with rich traditions. That's why some tourists are specifically looking into culture tours. Definitely something worth checking out!

Traditional Ethiopian wedding and dance

To a lot of people, Africa is one large "country", but in reality, each country has its unique history and socioeconomic dynamics. The political boundaries are more often drawn by the colonial history than by geographic barriers or natural divisions of different communities. The level of complexity in a local society is often much higher than what people think, hence the civil wars, tribal conflicts and political turmoils in recent history.

What do these imply? There's so much more than just the wildlife on your checklist! I have only traveled a few countries in Africa and I can't say much about other countries than Kenya, where I lived for three years. But something I can say for sure is that apart from the animals, the forests and the savannas, the people of Africa are some of the greatest legacies we have on this planet. And the stories of people are up to you to explore and experience!

The Daasanach people living at the Kenyan-ethiopian border. The man on the left is carving a headrest out of hardwood.

Safety in Kenya

Kenya used to be a colony of the British Empire. Nowadays, it is among the fastest developing countries in Africa. The English language is one of the official languages of the country. This played a vital role in its souring development, as it eases up communication for businesses and tourists alike.

Many people who are traveling to Kenya may be concerned about their safety. I did a quick search online and saw quite a few posts that are related to safety "tips". While they certainly have their points, I would like to go a little bit deeper into what is actually happening.

Waiyaki Way near Kangemi, Nairobi

The general image of Kenya is mostly represented by things happening around Nairobi, Kenya's capital city. As a political and economic hub, Nairobi certainly gets quite a bit of attention. Some of the more notable incidences include the 1998 attack on the US embassy, the post-election violence in 2007, and the Westgate attack in 2013. Apart from these, Nairobi is also infamous for crimes, such as carjacking, robbery and theft, hence the nickname "Nairobbery". There's even a movie called "Nairobi Half Life", which is about how a Nairobi youth dramatically survived the crimes. And it received some favorable reviews among my Kenyan friends. Then the question is, does it really get this bad?

A Nairobi youth on Waiyaki way near Kangemi, Nairobi

My answer is "it depends". First, there is generally nothing that we as civilians can do to terrorist attacks. Think about the more recent ones that happened in Europe. They tend to target places where there are many people. Statistically, the more people there are, the higher the risks. So do we simply don't go to shopping malls or airports where there are many people? How about the people who work and live there? They are in much higher risks than you and me who are just visiting! The chances that we would ever be involved with any attack are extremely low.

Second, we need to understand the numbers about crimes better. "Nairobi" is often referred to as the general metropolitan area, which includes many distinct districts. It is easy to say that crimes happened in "Nairobi" than in a specific district for an outsider. The truth is, a lot of the crimes are location specific. For example, districts where most of the visitors stay are much safer compared to the outskirts of Nairobi. If you are getting out of the city for a tour in the coast or going for safari, it is generally very safe.

Lastly, we need to adjust our expectations: understand the risks and learn how to manage them. The first thing we can do is to avoid going to areas that are not safe. You can get the information from your taxi driver or people at the hotel. If you do plan to visit areas where crime rates are high, it would be a good idea not to walk around with a camera on your neck or wear flashy jewelries. If you want to enjoy the night life of Nairobi, you can always take a taxi. In fact, these tips are not so different from what you get for other cities in the world.

And there is always the bright side: most Kenyans are extremely friendly and helpful! Strike a conversation with the taxi driver or your safari guide. Get to know a bit of their lives, what they think about Nairobi and happenings around. Have a conversation with someone at the bar and make a new friend! Uber also works really well in Nairobi and is very affordable, which make it easy to get around safely.

Flamingos near Lake Oloiden public beach, Naivasha

With all that, on behalf of my Kenyan friends, I would encourage you to visit Kenya and see it for yourselves. There's more than just the beautiful coast of the Indian Ocean, the rift valley lakes and the savannas! I will get into more about the people of Kenya, their culture and history in the next blogs. Stay tuned!