The Voyage of Sir Vivian Fuchs to the Legendary South Island in 1934

FAIN: FT-51687-03

Mustafa Kemal Mirzeler
Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5200)

This project examines the voyage of Sir Vivian Fuchs to the South Island in Lake Rudolf in Kenya in 1934, and his encounter with the Elmolo people, which resulted in trans-cultural exchanges between the Elmolo people and the Westerners, that continue to this day. I examine the South Island as a frontier zone, where intercultural trade and ideologies were exchanged between the Europeans and the Elmolo people, during the colonial era, which transformed the concept of identity for both groups. This study will contribute to a growing body of intellectual works in the humanities, relating to cultural histories, particularly within the colonial encounters, to understand the flow and intercultural contacts over time.