"A people denied
history is a people deprived of dignity." Ali Mazrui, Kenyan scholar
Ole Kolii Paul
 The Maasai are well known for their proficiency in
beadwork. The traditional dress and adornments of the Maasai are incredibly
beautiful. However, there are very few Maasai painters.
Ole Paul was an extremely prolific painter and at
one point I counted 12 paintings sitting on Unik Gallery's shelves. Needless to
say, these paintings sold quickly as he is a very sought-after artist.
His use of watercolors to create a dramatic three dimensional
landscape is unique. This detail shows a light touch, as well as an interesting
use of colors (a purple-trunked acacia?).
Unfortunately, Ole Kolii Paul recently
passed away from the scourge of Africa: AIDS. As is the case with art, African
or otherwise, his demise has taken his paintings to a new level as there are now
a limited number of his paintings available. My wife recently returned to
Nairobi and came across a small cache. These will be the last paintings of this
incredible Maasai artists. His keen eye and ability to translate the beauty of
Maasailand onto watercolor paper will be missed.
Look below the
paintings to learn about the Maasai people and the land they possess that Ole
Kolii captures so beautifully.
If you like Kolii Paul's style, you might be
interested in the artist
Wasike. They are
very similar.
Update: 10 March 2008
- We have discovered two more Ole Kolii Paul paintings. Just fabulous!
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Title: Samburu
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 14.75"
x 11" (38 x 28cm)
Price: $235 |
Title: Elephant
Family on the Move
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 12.5"
x 9.5" (32 x 24cm)
Price: $185 SOLD! Thanks Heather! - April
21st 2008 |
Update: 15 January
2007 - I have just added these five paintings from Ole Kolii Paul.
Enjoy!
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Title: One Under the Tree
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 14.75"
x 7"
Price: $210 |
Title: Facing Mount Kenya
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 12.5"
x 9.5"
Price: $180 SOLD! March 17th 2008-Thanks! |
Title: Facing the Ranges
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 12.5"
x 9.5"
Price: $180 |
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Title: Grazing by Mount
Longonot
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 16.25"
x 8.5"
Price: $210 |
Title: Father and Son
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 12.75"
x 7.75"
Price: $160 |
Title:
Kudu
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 11"
x 7.5" (28 x 19cm)
Price: $180 SOLD! March 31st 2008-On it's
way to Malta ! |
25 September 2006: Somehow,
someway, I found some more Kolii Paul's in
Nairobi town. The owner of the gallery had them inside and deep under a counter.
He had no idea of their value. I'm guessing these are the last of Kolii Paul's
paintings that will ever be available.
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Title: My World
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 21.5"
x 14.5" (55 x 37cm)
Price: SOLD! November 2006-Thanks! |
Title:
Mt. Kenya Scape
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions:
15" x 9" (38
x 23cm)
Price: OLD! 24 September 2006-Thanks! |
Title:
Mt. Kilimanjaro Scape
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: 11"
x 7" (28 x 18cm)
Price: OLD! 10 October 2006-To
a collector in Singapore.. Thanks! |
The paintings below are sold!
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Title: Maasailand
1
SOLD! She picked the perfect gift! |
Title: Maasailand
2
SOLD! 1 May '04 - It might be on a
calendar! |
Title: Maasailand
3
NOT AVAILABLE-A Rarity |
Title: Maasailand
4
SOLD! -28 May '03-To a friend in
Chile. My first sale in South America! |
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Title: Maasailand
5
SOLD! Feb. '05-The last one is
in the USA's capital, Washington, D.C. |
Title: Maasailand
6
SOLD! -28 May '03-To a friend
in Chile. My first sale in South America! |
Title: Maasailand
Large
SOLD! Her husband likes it as much as
she does! |
Learn more about the
Maasai
 The Maasai are the local tribe of Nairobi, Kenya. With the until-recent lack of
rains in Maasailand, it was not unusual to see a Maasai herding his cows and
goats through the city. This parade of cattle can cause quite a traffic snarl.
When asked why he is tying-up the traffic, he responded by asking, "Is this
not my land?"
Not only an incredibly proud people, the Maasai are also highly skilled at
adorning themselves with intricately beaded items from head to toe.
The Maasai people are a tribe who live partly in southern Kenya but mainly in northern Tanzania. They range from Lake
Turkana down through Ngorongoro. Currently there are 377,089 Maasai but the population is declining fast. This
disappearance is mostly due to a clash both economically (farming) and culturally with the advancing Kenyan and Tanzanian
peoples. One quarter of the Maasai people have already been converted to Christianity. The rest still follow the traditional religion. The traditional Maasai religion worships cattle and
evolves around the God of the sky, Engai, or more commonly Enkai. To the Maasai any pursuit other than a pastoral one is considered demeaning to
Enkai. The Maasai feel that each new day is a significant change in their lives.
The Maasai got their name after their language; Maa. It is an African language that has no written form. The Maasai have
four age grades: junior warrior, senior warrior, junior elder, and senior elder. The Maasai men can marry once they reach the
senior warrior age group. This age lasts for about fifteen years. Once a person has been a senior elder for around fifteen years,
they are eligible to become the Oloiboni, tribal leader, soothsayer, priest, and prophet.
One aspect of the Maasai that is unique is their application of red ochre all through their bodies and hair. The women of the
tribe wear many coils around their necks as well as some on their arms. The Maasai, both warrior and elder alike, wear
earrings through the large loops in their ears. The Maasai are nomadic most of the year; following the herds and rains across the
Serengeti/Maasai Mara area. The Maasai live in kraals, small huts made out of clay and cow dung clusters. The women are
treated as equals of the men in the Maasai culture. They are the ones who make the kraals. The village
children are content to simply play games with pebbles, dung, and berries. One of the traditional rites of passage for
Maasai boys and girls
becoming a junior warriors is a customary circumcision ritual.
For food, the Maasai eat mostly meat. Their drink mainly includes the milk and blood of the animals. The Maasai are
very much like the Native Americans in that they have a great respect for their food and feel that they need to use all of the
animals that they have slain. The following parts are used these ways: its urine is used for medicinal purposes, the dung to
plaster and seal their houses, the morn is used to make containers, the hooves for ornaments, and the hide for everything
from clothing and shoes to bedding. Often times, a Maasai warrior will go out armed with nothing but a spear to kill a lion.
A few Maasai have turned to cultivation and grow maize and barley for Kenya Breweries. Although some of the
Maasai traditions are being washed away by "western" customs, many of their traditional practices still are being utilized.
Unfortunately, these customs may not be continued if their population continues to be diminished.
Compiled by Scott Sanderson
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