Painting
Maasai Flag
- Description
- Canvas with painted American flag and eagle-tipped flag pole on a sky-blue background. A silhouette of the New York City skyline is painted along the bottom edge of the flag, with a white cow on the left and a brown cow on the right. Green text in the white stripes reads: "TO THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA WITH COMPASSION FROM THE MAASAI." Text along the bottom reads: "In remembrance of September 11, 2001."
- Historical Notes
- This painting depicting the American flag, Twin Towers, and African cattle commemorates the gift of 14 cows by the Maasai tribe in Kenya to the people of the United States.
Curator's Comment
Living in a remote region of eastern Africa, many of the Maasai people of Kenya did not learn about the magnitude of the 9/11 attacks for months. Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, a Maasai student attending university in California, witnessed the attacks on the World Trade Center during a visit to New York City and told his community what had happened when he returned home to visit in spring 2002. In response, they offered 14 cows—a gift of compassion and generosity—to the United States. For the Maasai, cows are a sacred symbol of life. The U.S. ambassador accepted the gift on behalf of the nation. It was determined, however, that the herd should remain in Kenya to be cared for properly. Naiyomah asked an American friend, James Cloutier, to create two identical paintings to commemorate the gift—one for Kenya and one for the United States.
With coauthor Carmen Agra Deedy, Naiyomah wrote an illustrated children’s book chronicling the story called 14 Cows for America.
With coauthor Carmen Agra Deedy, Naiyomah wrote an illustrated children’s book chronicling the story called 14 Cows for America.
- Accession Number: C.2011.1219.1
- Dimensions: 43.25 in X 63 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 109.855 cm X 160.02 cm
- Sources: Vernoy Paolini, James Cloutier , Willson Kimeli Naiyomah
- Credit Line: Gift of Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and the Maasai people of Kenya
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