A human being is a part of a whole called by us ” universe” a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest- a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
-Albert Einstein, IDEAS AND OPINIONS
Recently a small group of adventurous suburban New Yorkers, from Greenwich, CT, accompanied me into the Mau Forest to get a feel of the ongoing project by REFUGE (Restoring Forests for Future Generations). Their encounter with the largest indigenous forest in East Africa, which lasted a little more than 24 hours, was short but sweet.
Ishmael Lebo, an Ogiek Beekeeper, lights a fire to smoke out the bees, the good old fashioned way... rubbing sticks together
Ogiek healers assert that without honey and the conditions required to obtain it, Ogiek life would be entirely different. In other words, honey has a direct bearing on the personality of the Ogiek. As a liquid mixed with water, fermented or untreated, it is the principal substance for ritual, social communication and exchange. Honey serves a particularly important social function. The Ogiek believe that the manner in which a community functions has a direct bearing on the health of its individuals. As such, ceremonial rituals such as birth, naming, circumcision, marriage and death are as important to them as dispensing medicine.
This integrated relationship between honey and ritual is so strong that the numerically dominant Maasai community has adopted honey into its own rituals, used in the form of honey water or honey wine. These rituals allow for a place where the community acknowledges individuals and their personalities. This is where ones sense of belonging and connection to the community and the Forest is emphasized.
Ishmael Lebo makes his way up to Saaya's traditional log hive with his traditional honey sack strapped around his shoulders
The process of harvesting honey, known as loongseet in the Ogiek language, requires smoke to remove and pacify the bees from the log hives in order to extract the honey. Honey is a vital component in Ogiek herbal medical infusions. The combination of nectar’s from a large number of diverse indigenous trees results in a highly nutritious dark honey known as ‘Segemik‘. Darker honey has 20 times more antioxidant properties than lighter honey.
Negotiating with the bees to get some of their Honey
Harvesting honey without any protective gear would make most people squeamish, but being stung by a bee may not be as bad as you think. According to a certain holistic MD, Dr. Gurevich, bee venom contains more than 40 active pharmacological substances. He mentions that Apamin, a component of bee venom, contains 18 amino acids. Amino acids are considered the building blocks of life, essential to our very existence. It is known to stimulate the secretion of serotonin and dopamine, which decrease pain and increase ones sense of well-being respectively.
Delivering the Honey to the eager onlookers below
Bee venom also contains mellitin, which comprises 50 percent of dry bee venom, and contains up to 26 amino acids. Mellitin is known to stimulate the pitituary-cortico system thereby encouraging adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which stimulates an increase in the levels of cortisol. Moderate increases in cortisol increases memory function, increases levels of immunity, lowers sensitivity to pain and helps maintain homeostasis in the body.
Connie, a High school teacher from CT, enjoys a taste of raw organic Mau Forest Honey.
Honey is an excellent source of vitamins. Research has demonstrated that mind and matter are connected as far as our body immune system is concerned. Stress hormones triggered by infection consume high levels of vitamin C for synthesis, therefore a robust system has higher vitamin C levels, which enable white blood cells to work effectively against the bacteria in infected red blood cells. Honey has the benefit of being rich in Vitamin C, which is essential for the revival of the immune system.
Consider the fact that spinach loses 50% of its vitamin C within 24 hours after being picked.Fruits lose some of their vitamin content during storage. In contrast honey keeps well. It may be the only food that never expires
Mmm....Organic Mau Forest Honey may arguably be the best honey in Kenya
The complex carbohydrates found in honey are made of complex sugars such as glucose, oxidase, invertase, diastase, amylase and acid phosphate. They are considered pre-biotic i.e these carbohydrates are non-digestible, but by consuming them, you encourage the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria in the body, which helps you digest food more easily, thus lessening the work of the digestive system and relieving stress on the digestive process particularly important for convalescing people.
Are you going to eat that?
Dr. Stoimir Mladenov’s research using raw honey to treat respiratory problems reveals that our of 17,862 patients treated with honey, there was an improvement in health of between 55-82 percent for the following respiratory problems: chronic bronchitis, chronic rhinitis and sinusitis.
The Honey comb: The creative genius of the bee
If you have been having problems sleeping over the past few days, honey has a particular amino acid called tryptophan. It is a natural relaxant that helps alleviate insomnia by inducing normal sleep patterns. It also reduces anxiety and depression, relieves migraine headaches,boosts the immune system and reduces the risk of artery and heart spasms.
Ogiek Children: Faces of Hope and despair; Despite the odds, we will restore our heritage...The Mau Forest
Research by ecologists indicate that over 100,000 species of plants would die out and become extinct without the pollinating work of bees. Invariably the absence of these plants would dramatically alter the ability of the Mau Forest ecosystem to function optimally. The Ogiek community may have been onto something given their ‘love affair’ with honey.
Add a little Honey to your day,
Mukuria
NOTE: All the images were taken by Jes Bruder from Brooklyn New York.
