Senteu ole Mbatian

Biography

Senteu ole Mbatian was the younger son of the great Laibon Mbatian and the brother of Lenana. According to Maasai tradition, Mbatian intended Senteu to inherit the sacred Laibon staff and isurutia, making him the supreme spiritual leader. However, Lenana deceived their dying father by presenting himself in the dark, receiving the staff meant for Senteu. When the deception was discovered, Senteu refused to accept Lenana's authority, and the two brothers plunged the Maasai nation into a devastating civil war known as Iloikop Wars. Senteu rallied the Loita, Purko, and other southern Maasai sections to his cause, while Lenana was supported by the Kisongo and eventually the British. The civil war, combined with the rinderpest epidemic of the 1890s that killed up to 90% of Maasai cattle, brought the Maasai to their lowest point. Senteu was eventually driven southward into present-day Tanzania, where his descendants continue to serve as Laibons among the Tanzanian Maasai. His story represents the tragic consequences of succession disputes and the vulnerability they create in the face of external threats.