The Ol'daiga flower - a explosion of colour in July. A short history of Lolldaiga Hills
July is a funny month in Kenya - the rains should have stopped by now, and the cooler months have set in. Nairobi is grey all day, but up north at the camp the days are sunny, with a nice breeze. It’s a great month for walking safaris as it’s not too hot!
The whole of Lolldaiga Hills are covered in a unique flowering plant called the Ol’daiga plant. They flower just once a year, after the rains, and have a distinct yellow flower that makes the whole conservancy look like it is wrapped up in a yellow coat to keep warm in the cold months!
The name of the plant, Ol’daiga, gave name to the conservancy when it was created as a ranch in 1928 and became ‘Lolldaiga Hills’. When the farm was created, it began as a sheep farm. At the time, there was no water sources on the land at the time, and it had to be carried in on an ox cart from the Timau River, 10 miles away. Originally a sheep farm (mainly Merino, then crossed with Masai sheep), the ranch has been farming cattle and camels too since the 40s/50s. Now, the cattle herd is mostly made up of Boran and Red Poll, but over the years the owners had also experimented with Ayreshires, Jerseys, Shorthorns, Herefords and Red Devons.
Photo credit: www.lolldaigahills.com
Photo credit: Maasai.co.ke
The name, Ol’daiga, is from the Maasai language, Ki’maa. Maasai are the tribespeople who live on the northern border of Lolldaiga Hills and live a nomadic, pastoralist lifestyle. In Ki’maa, the word Ol’daiga refers to the hairstyle that is traditionally worn by the morans - the warrior age group of the men. Maasai, along with their Samburu cousins, are extremely well dressed and have a distinctive fashion. The young warriors allow their hair to grow, and spend a great deal of time styling the hair. It is dressed with animal fat and ocher, and parted across the top of the head at ear level. Hair is then plaited: parted into small sections which are divided into two and twisted, first separately then together. Cotton or wool threads may be used to lengthen hair. The plaited hair may hang loose or be gathered together and bound with leather. When warriors go through to the next part of their lives, and become Elders, their long plaited hair is shaven off and they spend the rest of their lives as Elders with shaved heads, as a sign of their respected position.
Since the shape of Lolldaiga’s hilly terrain look similar to the shape of a Maasai moran’s head, with the hair all plaited, the name was given to the area by the community in homage to the similarities. The plant, which is in the same family as a fennel, has small, thin offshoots that turn into proper leaves at the botton. These offshoots all split into a three-pointed end, that also curves in a convex way. This three-pointed end is said to look similar to the Lolldaiga Hills, that then split into the valleys. Another brilliant and beautiful way nature influences our daily lives.
Photo credit: Nomadic Family Unit