When we arrived at the lodge, we had lunch, checked into our rooms, and we were asked to be back up front a couple of hours later, as we would be visiting a Masai Village.
When we arrived at the village, there were ladies lined up to greet us in song and dance. The young men joined them with a jumping dance. Everyone had on red colorful outfits. The color red is used in welcoming and in weddings.
The huts are built by the women. It takes about two months to complete one. It is made out of tree branches, making up the frame, and is covered in cow dung. The houses are in a circle, with a large, open area in the middle. This is where they keep their cows, which are vital to their existence. Their is a barrier between where the cows are kept and the houses, made of cut bushes, to keep the cow from getting too close at night while they sleep. Some of the warriors (men), stand guard at night.
In the morning, the cows are moved to pastures to eat. The Masai people use everything on a cow, including the cow's blood.
The meat is used to eat. The hide is used as bed coverings, and the bones are used to make things to sell. They are dependent on these sales to help support the families.
The boys/men use their spears and bow and arrows, to shoot the cows in the jugular, where they drain about a litter of the cows' blood. The cows' renewed blood supply is believed to make them healthier.
The Masai people then add milk to the blood and drink it. It helps to build endurance on the long walks with the herds, and generally it is believed to help to keep them strong and healthy.
Although nomadic by nature, the village we visited has been there for five years. A school was built for them that serves seven villages, and because of the desire for the children to be educated, they have stayed put. One of our guides was a volunteer teacher.
There is an outhouse for the village, and a pumped water supply. The women carry the water the short distance in buckets to their homes. There is no electricity. Light and heat are provided by the campfire they make inside the huts.
I asked the kid who was my guide, if he ever desired to leave this lifestyle, and he immediately said no. He said we like our life as is and don't want to change it. Interestingly, he had been educated away from the village by Catholic missionaries. Even though some leave for school, they almost always come back to this simple life.
I just returned from lunch at the lodge, where I noticed one of the servers had the branded cheeks. I asked him if he was a Masai, and he confirmed that he was. I asked him if he was "cheating" by working outside his village, and he said it was allowed and that their were about 30 of them working at the lodge, although they weren't all from the same village.
Side note 3 - There is a medicine man in each village, who attends to the medical needs of the people. He is able to address about 80% of their needs with local herbs, with the other 20% needing attention at the area hospital.
When we arrived at the village, there were ladies lined up to greet us in song and dance. The young men joined them with a jumping dance. Everyone had on red colorful outfits. The color red is used in welcoming and in weddings.
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| We're being given instructions by this warrior |
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| The Masai people lined up to greet us |
After the greeting in dance, we all squatted in prayer before we began our tour of the village.
Side note - Most Masai women have shaved heads. Others have very short haircut. It is their custom for women not to have long hair.
Side note 2 - All of the Masai people are branded on both cheeks beginning at six years old.
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| He was my guide. Note that his cheeks are branded. |
The Masai people are nomadic, and live a very primitive life. This village had 150 people, made up of a chief, with ten wives, and all of their offspring. The adult child visit other tribes to find mates, then the men bring their new wives back to their village.
The huts are built by the women. It takes about two months to complete one. It is made out of tree branches, making up the frame, and is covered in cow dung. The houses are in a circle, with a large, open area in the middle. This is where they keep their cows, which are vital to their existence. Their is a barrier between where the cows are kept and the houses, made of cut bushes, to keep the cow from getting too close at night while they sleep. Some of the warriors (men), stand guard at night.
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| Kids playing in front of their homes |
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| Close-up of a home |
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| From Wikipedia. I wanted to get this right. The structural framework is formed of timber poles fixed directly into the ground and interwoven with a lattice of smaller branches, which is then plastered with a mix of mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and human urine, and ash. The cow dung ensures that the roof is water-proof. |
In the morning, the cows are moved to pastures to eat. The Masai people use everything on a cow, including the cow's blood.
The meat is used to eat. The hide is used as bed coverings, and the bones are used to make things to sell. They are dependent on these sales to help support the families.
The boys/men use their spears and bow and arrows, to shoot the cows in the jugular, where they drain about a litter of the cows' blood. The cows' renewed blood supply is believed to make them healthier.
The Masai people then add milk to the blood and drink it. It helps to build endurance on the long walks with the herds, and generally it is believed to help to keep them strong and healthy.
Although nomadic by nature, the village we visited has been there for five years. A school was built for them that serves seven villages, and because of the desire for the children to be educated, they have stayed put. One of our guides was a volunteer teacher.
There is an outhouse for the village, and a pumped water supply. The women carry the water the short distance in buckets to their homes. There is no electricity. Light and heat are provided by the campfire they make inside the huts.
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| Me with two warriors |
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| This is inside one of the homes. I told the guy there was no way he could stand upright inside, and he proved me wrong. |
I asked the kid who was my guide, if he ever desired to leave this lifestyle, and he immediately said no. He said we like our life as is and don't want to change it. Interestingly, he had been educated away from the village by Catholic missionaries. Even though some leave for school, they almost always come back to this simple life.
I just returned from lunch at the lodge, where I noticed one of the servers had the branded cheeks. I asked him if he was a Masai, and he confirmed that he was. I asked him if he was "cheating" by working outside his village, and he said it was allowed and that their were about 30 of them working at the lodge, although they weren't all from the same village.
Side note 3 - There is a medicine man in each village, who attends to the medical needs of the people. He is able to address about 80% of their needs with local herbs, with the other 20% needing attention at the area hospital.
They are fascinating people.
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