The intensity with which they hunt underlies the attributes of strength, courage, fidelity, and vital action, that has earned them the respect of being called the “King of Beasts.” Evidence of humankind’s use of the lion as a symbol has been found on the walls of the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc cave in southeastern France, painted in the Paleolithic period 36,000 years ago. The Field Museum in Chicago has two male lions on display that allegedly killed 135 construction workers in the Tsavo region of Kenya in 1898. Food insecurity will drive the lions to find alternative sources, such as the two-legged, soft-fleshed prey that is easy to catch. The encroachment of human activity in lion country has limited the lion’s access to habitat and the native populations of prey, such as gazelles, wildebeest, and zebras. Lions are apex predators, at the top of the food chain and fearless. Wimoweh is actually a mispronunciation of the Zulu word “Uymbube” in the original version, meaning “you are a lion.” Vocalizing and echoing a single word “Wimoweh” in varying pitch and rhythm gives people a sense of the mysteries in an African night. It is a song remembered for its chorus, sung in a Zulu call and response tradition. It is a chilling sound to be sure, for someone alone and responsible for protecting the family’s livestock. The lion’s roar can be separated into three primary messages - defending the territory, mating, or hunting. On nights with low humidity and light wind, a lion’s roar can carry up to five miles. “Wimoweh” is a song based on a boyhood spent herding cattle in lion country, reflecting on the peacefulness of those nights without lions roaring in the distance.

Carry it On! by Pete Seeger