Setting

“They Sold My Sister” by Leteipa Ole Sunkuli is a Kenyan story published in 1989. The references to the Maasai and Nairobi (l. 174) indicate that the story takes place in Kenya. The time setting is not mentioned specifically, but the social context of the story suggests that the events could take place in the 1970s-1980s (a time when attitudes among the Maasai people towards forced marriage and female genital mutilation were beginning to change).

Physical setting

The physical setting is represented by the narrator’s village, including her home and that of her sister’s new husband. These elements of the physical setting are not described but only mentioned. The relevant descriptions in connection to the physical setting are those of the negotiation of the marriage and the wedding ceremony: “Nothing was brought for us children. In fact they did not want children in the house where my sister was sold. I hid myself behind a standing bag of maize. They could not see me.” (ll. 12-14); “We walked in a single file. My sister's father-in-law walked ahead, followed by his wife, followed by Nyamalo and lastly, myself. Although customarily the bride was required to promenade along…” (ll. 83-85)

Social setting

The social setting is more important than the physical setting as the story is focused on arrange...