ORIGINS: Sironka Olemeeli

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Personal Data

Full Name: Sironka Olemeeli
Surname (tribe name): Olemeeli
Given Name: Sironka
Nickname: None
Current Rank: Lieutenant (O-3)
Current Billet: SEC, USS HOOD NCC-1703
Species: Homo Sapiens (Terran Human - Maasai culture)
Gender/Sex: Male
Age: 23
DOB: May 1, 2212
POB: Kenya, Lake Turkana
Father: Koinet Olemeeli (Tribal elder)
Mother: Namelok Olemeeli (homemaker)
Siblings: 42 (see discussion on ‘age sets’ in Maasai culture)
Spouse: None
Children: None

Physical Description

HT: 230 cm (2.3 m, 7’ 6 ½”)
WT: 109 kg (240 lbs)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Shaved head
Skin: Brown (African)
Blood Type: O-

Background Data

Sironka Olemeeli (last name pronounced Olay’ meele) was born to Maasai tribal chieftan Koinet Olemeei and wife, Namelok Olemeeli near Lake Turkana on the continent of Africa, in what was formerly known as Kenya. The tribe consisting of some 150 members lived a semi-nomadic life on the fertile grasslands south of the expansive Sahara desert.

Maasai culture is unique in many ways from the predominant culture of Earth at the turn of the 23rd century. The Maasai continued to live a separate existence from the majority of Terrans, eschewing a more technological society for one based on nature and extensive ‘communion’ with their environment. This intimate connection with nature afforded the Maasai great status as stewards of many of the nature parks dotting the African landscape. Stewards is an appropriate title as the unified government of Earth granted many of the various Maasai tribes the right to police and maintain literally thousands of acres of land on the continent, protecting the indigenous populations of animals and plants as they had done for centuries prior. This fact, along with the Maasai people’s natural genetic proclivities made them even more well known as the ‘dark warriors of the African continent’.

Maasai males are born into what are called age sets (every 15 years a new age set is started). These ‘age sets’ form the basic principle of brotherhood amongst the males. Siblings are any brothers in your age set as well as any children born to your mother. Thus, a single Maasai boy can have a great number of siblings depending on the size of his age set.

In order to become a ‘man’ a Maasai boy by the age of 15 must participate in a lion hunt with members of his age set. Each boy in the age set must hunt and kill a lion with nothing but a spear. Venturing into the wild for weeks at time, members of the age set have been known to be killed while undergoing this ritual. Failure during this ritual can happen in several ways; either the boy fails to kill his own lion, the boy kills a lionness by mistake, the boy kills a weak or sick lion or lionness, or the boy is killed. Failure to kill a lion means the boy may never become a warrior and only warriors may ever lead a given Maasai tribe. There are no second chances. Failure during the ritual is a permanent mark on the Maasai male.

There is more to the ritual of becoming a man in Maasai culture. The second and most important part of this coming of age for Maasai males is a circumcision performed immediately after the young boy returns from successfully killing his own lion, and without any anesthetic. If the male expresses any pain or discomfort during this part of the ritual, he is permanently dishonored. Such dishonor disqualifies the male from ever becoming head of his own tribe.

Educational Background

Academic Institutions Attended

Starfleet Academy (graduated top 2%)
University of Kenya (Principles of Space Warfare, Historical Warfare specialty, second degree in Environmental Science with climatology specialty)

Chronology

0: Born near Lake Turkana in area formerly known as Kenya
0-15: Raised in Maasai tribe lead by father Koinet
15-16: Exiled from tribe
17-19: Attended University of Kenya (showed exceptional talent and completed four year degree in two years
19-23: Attended Starfleet Academy and assigned to USS HOOD