Kenya to Diné College
Bitok talks about life in the US, connection to Barack Obama

Dine College Athletic Director Abraham Bitok is originally from Kenya. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Natasha Kaye Johnson
For The Independent

TWIN LAKES — When Abraham Bitok was 17 years old, he was approached by a cross country coach after a track meet in his country of Kenya. The coach was impressed by Bitok’s natural talent for running and offered him a scholarship to a school called Diné College.

Bitok didn’t know Diné College was a Navajo tribal college.

He didn’t even know in what state Diné College was located.

All he knew in that moment was he was being offered an opportunity to go to college in the world’s most powerful country.

“I knew it was in the United States,” Bitok said. “When you think of the United States, you think of making a better life.

All I knew was I had an opportunity to get an education.”

His parents were thrilled to hear of the offer and there were no qualms about what he might do.

“There was no discussion about missing home,” said Bitok.

“It was a matter of getting out there. This is the land of opportunity.”

Bitok is originally from Eldoret, a town in the western part of Kenya and is from the Nandi tribe. When he was in high school, it was an accepted fact that if you earned anything less than a B average in school, you were to anticipate a life filled with hard laborious work.

“It’s almost a competitive world in Kenya where education and sports are seen as two things that take you to the next level,” said Bitok. “In Africa, you get that one opportunity. I was 17 years old, but I had this mentality I have to make a better life for me.”

His parents, who made a living as farmers, were never formally educated but always expressed their hope for their nine children to seek out higher education.

“There’s no way out; you have to be educated to get through life,” Bitok remembers his parents saying. “You have to get some education to be somebody.”

Adjusting to the ‘Land of Opportunity’

In 1991, Bitok made his way to the United States, where he ran for the Diné College Cross Country team. Bitok said he found things to be “extremely different” in the United States, but found comfort in the Navajo culture since it was closely related to his Kenyan tribal culture.

“The cultural part is extremely similar to Navajo,” said Bitok.

“Families do the same thing; families stay together.”

He was also taken aback by the convenience of everything.

“In Kenya, you walk or run everywhere,” he said. “There is no convenience; you just can’t walk to McDonald’s and eat.”

As an immigrant coming to the United States, Bitok also had preconceived notions that things would be easy to come by.

“There’s an assumption (in Kenya) that (in the United States) you do little stuff and you make a lot of money,” said Bitok.

He quickly learned any goals he wanted to achieve would require the strong work ethic his parents always stressed.

“After you get here, (you realize) it’s not true,” said Bitok. “It’s hard work.”

Hard work a continuing theme

Along with a theme of change, now President Barack Obama emphasized the value of hard work and discipline throughout his election campaign. For Bitok, the themes hit home literally because of Obama’s Kenyan background.

Bitok’s hometown is about 45 miles from Kogelo, President Barack Obama’s late father’s village and where Obama’s relatives on his Kenyan side have always lived.

“The tribe Obama comes from; it’s just across the street. My mom (Rosabella) and Obama’s grandmother know one another,” said Bitok. “They’re village people. They deal with common things.”

Bitok said he first learned about Obama years before he was cast into the national spotlight at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

“I knew (of) Obama before I came to this country,” said Bitok.

In his village, Bitok said there was talk about how a local man’s son was attending school at an Ivy League college.

“There’s a real intelligent grandson that goes to Harvard.

That’s the rumor that went around,” said Bitok. “I knew a little bit about him then.”

Because education is highly valued in Africa, Bitok said it is a village celebration when one of their young people attends college.

“Education is a very important thing in Africa,” said Bitok. “It’s the way to a future, to a better life.”

Bitok recalled back to just two weeks ago when Obama was inaugurated and his people in Kenya celebrated back home.

“All these schools (in Africa) were given a day off for an inauguration in the United States,” said Bitok. “It was like, ‘See kids? You can be anything you want; you can do anything you want. You’ll be in that high level; you’ll be in that high office.”

“They had a lot of celebrations,” he said, recalling how ecstatic his own mother was. “Everyone was trying to find a TV somewhere and trying to be part of it. Our country connection to it (is) they feel like they U.S. gives opportunities to anybody who wants opportunities.”

Teaching at Diné College

Much like the rest of the world, the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States was emotional for Bitok and his students.

“They were hugging each other and crying,” he said. As an educator, Bitok finds opportunities to encourage his students about the value of education and hard work, and the historic event served as yet another opportunity. The obvious heritage ties of himself and the president helped in his case.

“A lot of my conversation has been making students believe that no matter what background you come from, if you’re determined to make a change, to be better than the person next to you, it’s up to you to do it,” said Bitok, who has been coaching and teaching at Diné College

But while Bitok believes strongly in the simple philosophy of hard work, he often has a difficult time comprehending why some young people, both on and off the reservation, choose not to fully delve themselves into hard work and create opportunities for themselves. When asked why he believes there is overwhelming poverty in a land where opportunity is readily available, his tone becomes serious.

“This is personal for me,” said Bitok. “If you believe you are poor, if you believe you got no choices, surely enough you have no choices.”

His observation is a mindset has taken over where people do not want to work hard.

“The mentality is I don’t like that job, so I’m going to rely on the government until I get a job I like,” said Bitok.

Even as a coach, Bitok said he hears excuses he is taken aback by.

“I hear students say, ‘I can’t run too well because I don’t have Nike shoes or Adidas shoes.’”

This is when Bitok uses the conversation to make a point.

“I say, if you have running shoes, then you can be a runner,” said Bitok. (Bitok has led the Diné College Cross Country team to numerous victories at the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Cross Country Nationals).

Bitok cannot help but cringe when he hears conversations among his students about material possessions. Often times, it will be students talking about what their parents own.

“I say, that’s your parents versus what do you have as an individual?” said Bitok. “All you got is your books, your classes, and a dorm room to stay in.”

While Bitok sees the benefits of close-knit families, he also sees how they can cripple young people to move forward in their future, especially when family members are so readily available to help them.

“If you are raised to believe you can go to somebody to get food and shelter, you become lazy,” said Bitok.

His observation while being on the Navajo Nation is that young people are told, “It’s up to you” or “T’aa Awijiteego”, and while he agrees heavily with the philosophy and sometimes sees it applied, he also has witnessed how some relatives are quick to help young people get out of a predicament they could handle on their own, if they are willing. Bitok said the mentality is a bit different in Kenya when someone is not fully applying themselves.

“You better start working or you won’t have anything on the table,” Bitok said.

The tribal cultures in Kenya are rooted in family relationships, but each family member is held to responsibilities.

“There’s a lot of closeness in Africa,” added Bitok. “It’s tough love. It’s like, ‘I love you, but go get some life out there’.”

Bitok is grateful his mom Rosabella Murei and his late father Simon Murei saw the value in education and pushed him and his siblings to become educated in Western thought.

“I have two parents, none of them are educated at all, not even to first or second grade, but all nine kids went to school,” said Bitok. “I always have this conversation with my mother. I ask, ‘What made you guys put us through school?’”

She answers back in her traditional language of Swahili saying, “In the long run, there’s no way out. We have to make sure you can make it in the next world.”

The complexities of the social issues and political issues facing the Navajo Nation are something Bitok is quite familiar with since his country has dealt with similar historical trauma.

“The cultural aspect is changing, not just with Navajo, but with my people,” said Bitok. “The demand of life, the economy, politics.”

But Bitok sees it as no excuse to not uphold the value of hard work.

“Those simple concepts, that plays a big role,” said Bitok. “Hard work is the only choice.”