--- description: Post-election clashes between tribes re-awakened ancient ethnic rivalries. They are settling scores the old-fashioned way, with centuries-old weapons that can have deadly results. title: Kenyan Tribes Wage a War With Bows and Arrows image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) # Kenyan Tribes Wage a War With Bows and Arrows by [TIME](/author/time/) Mar 13, 2008 4:00 AM CUT by [TIME](/author/time/) Mar 13, 2008 4:00 AM CUT Post-election clashes between tribes re-awakened ancient ethnic rivalries. They are settling scores the old-fashioned way, with centuries-old weapons that can have deadly results. ### Armed and Ready  A Kikuyu girl stands between two warriors armed with bows and arrows. Though political rivals Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga have established an uneasy truce, the violence inspired by the allegedly rigged election between them continues in the form of long festering land disputes. Zohra Bensemra / Reuters ### Throwing Stones  In addition to the bow and arrow, some of the warriors have adopted the slingshot. Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Day’s End  A Maasai warrior returns to his village after fighting. "Nobody can remain at home doing nothing," says one warrior. "You have to go. One day, instead of going to church, everybody went fighting." Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Pitched Battle  Maasai warriors clash with members of the Kalenjin tribe on a hill overlooking the Olmelil Valley. The battles have been taking place daily and follow codified, age-old traditions. Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty ### On the Attack  The fights, which begin around dawn each day, are rarely interrupted by police. Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### War Wound  Over 20 people have died in the fighting. This man, a Maasai shot in the face on the hill overlooking Olmelil Valley, survived. Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Surgery  The Maasai man is treated at a clinic in the town of Kilgoris. Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Weapon Maker  A Maasai craftsmen holds freshly made arrows. The tips are made from re-fashioned 4-inch nails. Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty ### Battle Plan  A Maasai man gives his fellow tribesmen instructions before they face members of the Kalenjin. The daily battles last several hours and are waged from a distance, with very few warriors engaging in close combat. Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Out in the Open  During the post-election violence, the tribes discovered that the bow and arrow was a more deadly alternative than the machete. "Before this conflict, arrows were mainly used for activities such as hunting," says a policeman interviewed by Agence France Presse. "This is obviously something very wrong and very new." Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ### Uphill Battle  Says one Kalenjin, "Here, we believe in fighting on a battlefield. We don't go at night to attack. It's no good." Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7044112/kenyan-tribes-wage-a-war-with-bows-and-arrows/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7044112/kenyan-tribes-wage-a-war-with-bows-and-arrows/"},"headline":"Kenyan Tribes Wage a War With Bows and Arrows","datePublished":"2008-03-13T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T10:45:04.192Z","description":"Post-election clashes between tribes re-awakened ancient ethnic rivalries. They are settling scores the old-fashioned way, with centuries-old weapons that can have deadly results.","url":"https://time.com/archive/7044112/kenyan-tribes-wage-a-war-with-bows-and-arrows/","keywords":["LightBox"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME","url":"https://time.com/author/time/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-lightbox/","name":"LightBox"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7044112/kenyan-tribes-wage-a-war-with-bows-and-arrows/","name":"Kenyan Tribes Wage a War With Bows and Arrows"}}]}] ```