The Eagle That Wore a Man's Eye

The Samburu believe that the Eagle is the messenger of Nkai because it flies closest to the sky. A story is told of a great elder who was blind in one eye. When he died, his spirit did not want to leave the land he loved. He asked Nkai to let him stay and watch over his people. Nkai, honoring the elder's wisdom, transformed his spirit into a great Eagle. But so that he could watch over his people with the same wisdom he had in life, Nkai took the elder's one good eye and placed it in the head of the Eagle. This is why the Eagle has such incredibly sharp and powerful vision. It is not the eye of a mere bird, but the wise, watchful eye of a respected ancestor, forever soaring above the plains and guarding his descendants from above.