The Maasai People

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to visit a Maasai village. The Maasai people are known for their strong culture and traditions throughout Kenya and Tanzania and have a very distinctive appearance. They are often covered in bright shawls and the elders have very intricate jewlrey, with their earrings signifying their age. Elders have very droopy ears that are almost completely covered in various beads and metals. The Maasai people live very simple lifestyles. The men are warriors, and responsible for the cattle and livelihood of the tribe, while the women are responsible for the home and children.

A couple of the volunteers and I were greeted by a young Maasai man at the bus stop. He was a former student at the school, and often brings volunteers out to meet his family. We got off the bus literally in the middle of nowhere, completely surrounded by flatlands with the occasional group of cattle. During the 2-3 km walk to his village he explained that he lived with his whole family, as descended from his grandfather. It was quite a big group, as his grandfather had 4 wives. His father also had two wives, and his mother was the second wife. There was definately a pecking order, and we were introduced to his grandmother first upon arrival (admist the large groups of curious children).

The grandmother is in the middle in the blue!

We were brought around to the rest of the females in turn, the first wife of our maasai's father, then the second wife, then the wife of his cousin. All of them invited us into their little huts. Some of the homes were circular huts made of mud with straw roofs while a couple had metal roofs. They were all very dark, with small fire pits. There was also usually one bedroom area for the women and small children. The older children sleep outside. To our amazement the cousin (Alexander) even had one solar panel that provided power to his radio! The family had many different areas for all of their animals, which included their cows (who were away grazing somewhere), goats, chickens, and dogs.

Once all the introductions were over, we were allowed to spend some time with the children. We had brought them bubbles, construction paper, skipping ropes and stickers. After pulling these things out, madness quickly ensued. We then spent about an hour teaching them how to make paper planes, blowing bubbles, and chasing them around. They were absolutely fascinated about my skin, freckles and hair. This then led to them giving my hair a makeover.

Eventually we were pulled away from the kids to go and eat lunch. It was an absolutely delicious stew of corn and beans that we shared with out maasai warrior, his cousin and his grandfather. The males never eat in front of the children or women, so none of them joined us. While fascinated by their culture, I cannot imagine growing up in such a patriarchal society. Especially since schooling is a priviledge reserved for only one or two of the best males.

After lunch it was time to head back, but not before some singing and dancing. When we emerged from the darkness of the hut the children grabbed our hands and started singing a beautifully lyrical song. Along with the song  came a flurry of jumping up and down (kind of like on a pogo stick). We repeated this for about 10 minutes before we were allowed to catch our breath. Sadly we waved goodbye, and made a washroom stop behind a rock before walking the 3 km back to the side of the road.

Looking back it seems as though we were witnessing a piece of living history. Their lifestyle seemed so primitive (though obviously they all had their mobile phones), but they were such a happy family, and said that they could not imagine living any other way, nor would they want to.
Take-away from the Maasai village: All you need in life is a kanga (the long piece of fabric they wrap around themselves) and a stick!