Sometimes string figures were used to illustrate stories, as in the case of an Eskimo example that depicts a man catching a salmon. Sometimes they had magic or religious significance.

He had his first heart attacks and spent six months in the hospital. He got into a shouting match in Kikuyu one evening with Jomo Kenyatta who was lecturing on the topic. The two still cared about each other but were apart and conducted different professional lives.

He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there. Leakey participated in national events of British East Africa and Kenya during the 1950s. Having been a prime mover in establishing a tradition of palaeoanthropological inquiry he was able to motivate the next generation to continue it notably within his own family many of whom also became prominent.