Meto

CHARACTER
Meto
Gender	Male
Birth	c. 1899
Nationality	Kenyan (Maasai)
Profession(s)	Goatherd

Meto was a friend of Indiana Jones. Meto was a Maasai goatherd, about the same age as young Indy when they met in the Kirinyaga area of British East Africa in September, 1909. He lived in the Maasai village and was fluent in Maa language.

Biography

On their first encounter, Meto was tending his goats when a young American approached and waved at him before being called back to the camp. The next day, Meto tended the goats in a similar spot, and Indy introduced himself and learned Meto's name. Despite the language barrier, the boys headed back to the village, following the cow herders. At the village, Indy showed Meto his new binoculars and the boys set out to watch the wildlife on the savanna and at a watering hole. Eventually, Indy picked up some Maa language, and Meto learned a little English. At the end of the day, the boys were chased by a lion, who left them for a wildebeest. As the sun was setting, Meto pulled out his flute and tried to teach Indy.

Indiana Jones and Meto observe a rhinoceros.

Two days later, Indy returned with a drawing of Burton's Fringe-Eared Oryx, hoping that Meto might know where it could be found. Meto showed Indy to a kopje (a rocky outcropping) with some rock paintings of the oryx. When a snake appeared, the two fled. Returning to the village, Meto showed the drawing to a village woman. She and several of the villagers led Meto and Indy to the Liabon, under a tree. The Liabon made a drawing in the ground of a root melon, and began to explain, but Meto left before Indy understood.

The next morning, Meto showed up at the safari camp, not knowing that Indy had gotten in trouble for being lost the night before. Convincing Indy to join him, Meto led the way to a place where root melons could be found - the food of the oryx. The boys spotted several of the oryxes and spend some time watching them in the morning light. Indy returned to camp, and Meto soon followed with the root melon, nearly bumping into Teddy Roosevelt and pushing his way past a servant trying to bar him. With Meto and the root melon, Indy explained how he knew why the oryx had disappeared - an imbalance to the ecosystem. Meto and Indy guided Roosevelt and the hunting party to the place where they had seen the oryxes. Meto watched as Roosevelt and the men shot three of the creatures, and then Indy convinced them to stop, and Meto went to examine the dead oryx and watched his friend trudge off sadly.

When the camp broke up, Meto and Indy said their good-byes. Indy gave Meto the binoculars, and Meto returned by giving Indy his flute. As Indy left on horseback, Meto watched him with the field glasses and waved farewell. Indiana Jones later re-obtained the binoculars, and put them on display in his Marshall College clasroom along with several other personal artifacts.

Behind the scenes

Meto was played by Isaac Senteu Supeyo in "British East Africa, September 1909".

The scene in which Indy and Meto trade possessions was not included in Passion for Life, however the final scene where Meto has the binoculars and waves farewell is included.

Appearances

• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "British East Africa, September 1909" → Passion for Life (First appearance)
• British East Africa, September 1909 comic
• Safari Sleuth
• African Safari
• Safari in Africa
• Indiana Jones: The Search For Buried Treasure

Sources

• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles trading cards
• Birth of a Nation (Non-fiction source)
• Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
•  The Real Indiana Jones: Friendship & Sacrifice on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)