Sahel Time

The land

Gently rolling ground under open grass steppe, 651 m up; far from any sea; hot and dry.

Cover

open grass steppe

Elevation

651 m

Relief

gently rolling ground

The sea

far from any sea

Climate

hot and dry

The patch

about 1.85 km north to south and 1.81 km across; 1,853 m north to south, 1,809 m east to west, 3.35 km²

Centre

12.4917°N 22.7583°E

What the land offers a builder

Of this land: reed, earth, turf, stone, hide, bone, cloth, rope, fire. The land allows: ground, stilts.

Now

Clear and mild here, 05:14 local, the dry season, full dark.

The wild

Animals here this month: lion (feeding), buffalo (rutting), wildebeest (migrating), antelope (rutting), wild ass (feeding), fox (feeding).

This season: the rains returning.

The lay of the land

• The low knoll (knoll): a rounded rise with a clear view across the surrounding patch
• The north hill (hill): a broad shoulder of high ground dry underfoot after rain

What stands here

THE REED HUT — on the low knoll. House-sized, about 6 m. Reed, earth, stone. On the ground.
"A stout reed hut roofed with earth, set low out of the wind with a central hearth"
A roof of earth atop the top: pitched low to shed rain and heavy gusts. A hearth of stone inside the centre: set with flat stones to hold the embers through the night. A doorway of reed facing the south: fitted with a heavy latch on the leeward side. A storage rack of reed along the north side, hung with dry provisions, cordage, and spare gear.
Of this land: reed, earth, stone.

THE FIRING KILN — beside the north hill. Small, about 4 m. Reed, rope. On the ground.
"A thick-walled reed kiln with a low draft tunnel and a sheltered fuel rack"
A chimney flue of reed atop the top: daubed tight to draw a steady draft. A fuel rack of rope along the east side: stacked with dry kindling under a narrow eave.
Of this land: reed, rope.

The story, as Signe Dahl tells it

Of the place

• West Ford Hold was laid out by Signe Dahl, who marked the low knoll first and set the reed hut to face out of the prevailing weather.

Of the people

• They keep a dry stack of fuel beside the reed hut and share the first meal at the hearth with any traveller who crosses the low knoll. (heard when a people lives here)
• Before winter sets in they check the lashings and stones of the firing kiln and sing the names of the first four who came. (heard when a people lives here)

The people

THE PEOPLE OF SAHEL TIME — herders, hunters, and gardeners, seasonal, in bands.
Names from their own tongue. They hold the rain sacred.
They keep: rain songs; age groups; burial in the fire; the feast of the rains' return; gifts to strangers; winter camps away.
They like earth, hide, clear, and wildebeest. They dislike frost, fog, and stone. Open to strangers.
Their words: hearth lumwusebo, river or sea ami, winter or the rains sontami, the dead kenwamoye, home sekalubo, stranger sowelu, feast lungyoyado, child inomu, old one bomeseniso, the place Ngelema, the beast melukida, the sky nasi.
Their herd: antelope.
Founders: four. Lore: 2 lines.

Ways

herding, hunting, gardening

Settlement

seasonal

Kinship

bands

Marriage

either

Naming

given names

To strangers

open

They hold sacred

the rain

They keep

rain songs; age groups; burial in the fire; the feast of the rains' return; gifts to strangers; winter camps away

They like

earth, hide, clear and wildebeest

They dislike

frost, fog and stone

Their herd

antelope, 3 head

Founders

4

Counted

4 named folk, a household of 0, 0 born here, 0 died here

Founded

6 November 2026

Their words

hearth lumwusebo, river or sea ami, winter or the rains sontami, the dead kenwamoye, home sekalubo, stranger sowelu, feast lungyoyado, child inomu, old one bomeseniso, the place Ngelema, the beast melukida, the sky nasi.

Their lore

• They keep a dry stack of fuel beside the reed hut and share the first meal at the hearth with any traveller who crosses the low knoll.
• Before winter sets in they check the lashings and stones of the firing kiln and sing the names of the first four who came.

Named folk

The chronicle

Every line is a record the land wrote; the names in quotes are the owner's words. What the chronicle does not say did not happen.

Year 1

The annals: 1 founders; 2 passage; 1 people founded; 1 ways changed.

• The dry season, the first year of Sahel Time: wildebeest went by Sahel Time, migrating.
• The dry season, the first year of Sahel Time: the ways of the people changed: name. kept
• The dry season, the first year of West Ford Hold: wildebeest passed through West Ford Hold, migrating.
• The dry season, the first year of West Ford Hold: four came to West Ford Hold and lit the hearth. The net-mender "Manoda", the potter "Womku", the fire-keeper "Tene", the keeper of the shrine "Kima". kept
• The dry season, the first year of West Ford Hold: Signe Dahl called a people to West Ford Hold: the people of West Ford Hold. kept

Here now

the net-mender "Manoda" (folk) · the potter "Womku" (folk) · the fire-keeper "Tene" (folk) · the keeper of the shrine "Kima" (folk)