Ewaso Village

Overview

The Maasai people of East Africa comprise one of the most intriguing and resourceful cultures on Earth. For more than a thousand years, the Maasai and their Samburu neighbors have survived and thrived as pastoralists on the savannah near Mt. Kenya and the Maasai Mara borderlands of Kenya and Tanzania. Photojournalist Chip Duncan exuberantly combines prose, poetry, and beautiful photographs to celebrate the stories, songs, rituals, and dreams of people who live in Ewaso Village, one of his favorite places to visit.

Reviews

"Few writers are gifted with Duncan's ability to weave heartfelt memoir, history, culture, and poetry into such a seamless whole, beautifully balancing his roles of narrator, observer, and participant. Ewaso Village is a must-read for anyone dedicated to eye-opening, transformational stories and insightful verse." —John Sibley Williams, author of As One Fire Consumes Another  

"Ewaso Village shows Duncan's versatility as one of the great international storytellers of our time. The Maasai people of Laikipia County have trusted Duncan with their stories, songs, and mythology while providing access few have been granted. Ewaso Village is essential reading for any traveler making the journey to East Africa." —Trupti Shah, Documentary Filmmaker, Journalist - Nairobi, Kenya  

"As a child in Ewaso Village, I witnessed and was inspired by the work of Chip Duncan. I love his stamina and his kindness, and I've been privileged to have him as my mentor in photography. My small village is now known and admired globally because of Duncan's great work." —Letoluai Komiki Ambrose, Conservationist & Photographer – Ewaso Village, Kenya  

"Ewaso Village is luxurious storytelling for all of the literary senses: stunning photography, vulnerable prose and vivid poems. The collection is eloquent and frank, braiding culture and commentary, justice and joy, imagery and intimate impact. The collection of these pieces traveled me, not as a vapid tourist, but as a human." —Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Wisconsin Poet Laureate | Rubinger Fellow

"Enriched with hauntingly beautiful photographs and poetic stories, Ewaso Village provides a richly detailed portrait of a nomadic society known for their centuries-old rituals and dazzling ornamentation - but a culture mostly hidden from outsiders. But in this thoroughly engaging book, Duncan captures the heart and soul of the Maasai – an African tribal people grappling with the challenges of political strife and climate change."  —Kevin McCarey, National Geographic filmmaker and author

Author Biography

A lifelong Midwesterner and native of western Iowa, Chip Duncan has produced more than fifty non-fiction films for international broadcast and distribution. His work as a photographer and filmmaker has taken him to ice fields, war zones, slums, shipyards, museums, palaces, vineyards, beaches, deserts, rainforests, savannahs, and farmlands. He counts Peru, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and rural Kenya among his favorite places. Duncan's previous books include the short story collection Half A Reason To Die (Select Books, NYC, 2017), photographic collections Inspiring Change (Thunder House Press, Milwaukee, 2019) and Enough To Go Around (Select Books, NYC, 2009). Duncan also speaks publicly on the impact of climate change as part of The Three Tenors of Climate Change. Ewaso Village is Duncan's first book of poetry, and the first in a trilogy featuring indigenous cultures from around the world.