Zafran Kefir - The Great Reformer

Before the Shekk’erian Great Reform, the Shekk’erian faith was a closed faith – It was impossible for those not considered “true Shekk’erians” to convert to Shekk’er and forbidden for the true Shekk’erians to marry anyone who was not of the faith. Kefir’s reforms opened the Shekk’er religion to outsiders and may have, in fact, saved the religion from dying out completely, as is often the case with separatist tribal religions. (Keaton, 1993)

Little is known about Kefir’s early life. It is assumed he was born of the Ett’u tribe, a nomadic Shekk’erian tribe in northern Iran. His exact birth date is unknown but it is thought that he was born sometime in the early 1920s (Harris 1974).

As with all popular religious figures, it is almost impossible to separate truth from myth. According to contemporary Shekk’erian tradition, Kefir received the Shiriya (or blessing) at the age of 13. The Shiriya is first bestowed on Shekk’erians at the age of 15, when they are believed to fully enter adulthood. To receive this blessing and ritualistic baptism at such a young age is a rare honor indeed.

According to the tradition, Zafran’s father, Saluman Kefir, had a vision in which he saw his son growing up to be Shekk’er’s most powerful Ram, or “holy man” since the prophet Zandum himself. (Harris, 1974; Johnson 1982)

On their way home from the baptism ritual, the story goes, young Zafran and his father came across an old man who had fallen off his camel and was thought to be dead. They rushed to his aid and Zafran, without thinking, put his hands on the man’s head and healed him. This story is only one of the many stories told by the Shekk’erian about this mysterious figure who is said to have had magical powers, including the ability to produce rain. (Harris, 1974; Simpson, 1996)

Kefir quickly became a powerful Ram (holy man) and gained himself a following, eventually becoming head of his tribe at a very young age – possibly even before he’d turned 20. (Johnson, 1982)

D. Algernon Barclay

It was during WWII that Kefir met D. Algernon Barclay, a defector on the run from the British army. Barclay was wounded and exhausted and Kefir’s tribe took him in and reportedly saved his life. It was the first time any Shekk’erian tribe had accepted a foreigner into their tribe.
As a result, a strong bond of friendship formed between Barclay and Kefir. Barclay became the first Englishman and, indeed, white man to ever be taught Zavalan – the sacred language of the Shekk’erian people. He spent several years with the Skek’erians and was given the sacred teachings by Ram Kefir himself. Kefir wanted Barclay to become a Shekk’er and integrate fully into the tribe but there was no precedent for such an act. As a result, Kefir went against the opinion of the other Rams and conducted the Great Reform, making Barclay the first white man to ever undergo the full Shekk’er “baptism” and say the Shiriya.
It is important to note that, although Ram Kefir was the most respectable Ram at the time, not all Rams accepted his reform and several notable Rams still refuse to accept converts as true Shekk’er even today. (Michaels et al 1999)

When the war was over, Barclay wanted to return to the English-speaking world, but was afraid of persecution if he returned to his home country. Instead, he traveled to America, taking Kefir with him. Together they traveled around the country, preaching the doctrine of the Shekk’er to the still stunned post-world war masses. Although they did not attract a massive following, their visit did result in the formation of several US-based Shek’ker communities, some of which still exist to this day. In fact, some of these have formed the basis for a steady stream of Shekk’er immigration to the United states. (Johnson, 1999)

When Barclay heard word from the UK that he was safe, he decided to return to his old haunts and he and Kefir traveled back and settled in Norwich, where Barclay started to put down in writing some of the teachings he had learnt from Kefir. It was during that time that Kefir set up the first, and so far, only Shekk’erian center in the UK. Times were hard in post-war Britain and Kefir and Barclay’s financial situation was getting worse. Barclay struggled to find work as a writer, while the jaded British public did not take well to Kefir’s revolutionary ideas. A couple of hard winters made Kefir decide to return home to the bosom of the desert which he so sorely missed. Barclay stayed behind, desperate to get the Shekk’erian teachings he had transcribed published in the English language. However, he could never find anyone who would publish the teachings of such an obscure and little known religion. Three years later, on the run again, this time from creditors and debt collectors, D. Algernon Barclay left Britain for good and set off to rejoin his friend in the deserts of Iran.
From then on, little is known about the lives of either Kefir of Barclay. (Johnson 1982)

The implications of Kefir’s reforms can be still felt today, as Shekk’er has had a bit of a revival in recent years, attracting an increasing number of western followers.