Laibon By Elliot Fratkin Summary

The book Laibon written by Elliot Fratkin, is a well written, insightful, interesting and enjoyable autobiographical book. This book outlines the lifestyle of the Samburu Culture. The author of this book, Elliot Fratkin, is an anthropologist who has done field work in Kenya with the Samburu Tribe. The Samburu people of Kenya are very traditional and have old customs in which they still put to use in today’s world. Cattle, sheep, camel, and goats play a large role in the Samburu way of life. They use livestock for ways of survival. Milk is a very big part of the Samburu peoples diet and comes straight from the cow. Much of the Samburu community is made up of dry land which can sometimes affect how their livestock thrive. The Samburu dwell in groups consisting of five to ten families and live in huts that are constructed out of natural material. Samburu men take their jobs very seriously. The men look after cattle, and also look out for everyone in the tribe. The women on the other hand do a lot more of the physical …show more content…
In the textbook, chapter three defines participant observation as “taking part in community life as we study it.” The book also explains that by participating, people may learn why others find such events meaningful, as they see how they are organized and conducted. This relates back to the book because this is exactly the work that Elliot Fratkin is doing in regard to the Samburu Culture. Fratkin asked many questions and witnessed many events throughout the community and in life with Laibon. These occurrences started a deep and meaningful friendship between Fratkin, the Laibon and his family. Although there were sometimes when the Laibon had drank too much alcohol and became outraged, Fratkin really liked the people who he was staying with and enjoyed their