The Masai are very visible in
Tanzania. They are cattle owners much
like the Fulas in The Gambia. But unlike the Fulas, the Masai actually do herd
the cattle rather than allow them to be free range. The Masai also really do wear the brightly
colored Masai blankets that you have probably seen in pictures of Africa. As we
drove through the countryside you could see them taking their herds of cattle
to the water holes, wearing their blankets and holding a long pole used in
herding. One day we passed some young men who had recently gone through the manhood rites and stopped for a
photo op. The young men are taken away by the elders and are taught the ways of men
and are also circumcised. If the young man shows pain or cries out during the
circumcision, it brings shame upon his family.
This is also true of the manhood rites in The Gambia. However for the
Masai, the newly initiated young men must wear black robes and white face paint
for 3 months after they finish their manhood rites. It is an interesting
difference when their clothing is usually so colorful.
The second park we went to, Nogorongoro
Crater is national conservancy. No one
can hunt the animals but herding is allowed on the within the park. So in addition to all of the wild animals
there were also herds of cattle. We paid
an entrance fee to go into a Masai village and it was an eye opening
experience. First they met us wearing
all of their finery and sang and danced. You can see from the background of the pictures that the country is rather harsh.
Since they are herders they are plagued by flies. If you look at the little girl hanging onto her mother in picture, you can see all of the flies that are crawling on her.
The women create elaborate items from bead work the results of which you can see in the pictures.
The women are also the ones who build the
homes. The next 2 pictures are of a
woman hard at work on her new home. She
created a framework of sticks and then is covering it with mud and cow
dung. (probably part of the reason for
all the flies)
The picture below is a view from the
outside view showing the Masai women hanging around with homes in the
background. They are sitting the way
that I have seen women sitting in The Gambia -- with their legs straight out
and their bodies at right angles to their legs.
I could do that for about 3 seconds before I would quit and yet they are
quite comfortable.
As part of our visit an English speaking
Masai man took us into his home. He is
taller than I am but the houses are all
built less than an adult's height so I had to stoop. He described the home as having 3 rooms and a
main area. One room was for sticks, one room was for the children
to sleep and the other area was for him and his wife to sleep. The main area
was for cooking and congregating and had the only window, a round hole about
the size of a softball.
This is the view of the window.
His sleeping area
The chidren's sleeping area
The kitchen. The window is distorted in the picture, it is much smaller than that.
Here is another outside view of houses to show what the entrance looks like. I had to stoop to go in and the entrance was full of flies.
After showing us his house he brought us
to his family's part of the "market" which had things for sale that
his wife had created. I felt embarrassed because I had left my money in the car so I could not buy anything.
The last stop on our trip was a visit to
the school. The children were peeking
out the door awaiting our arrival but when they saw us coming they dashed to
their seats and sang a welcoming song. I
don't thing school is actually in session in August, but they were requesting
donations for their school. As you can see
from the pictures they definitely need the money. There is plastic sheeting in the ceiling but unfortunately as you can see there is also a big hole in the ceiling.
What was written on the blackboard. Going to school in Africa makes American classrooms look like palaces.
It is interesting to see how they
live. Most of their net worth is on the
hoof and the homes are relatively temporary.
As you can see not much is required to pull up stakes and move if
the water holes dry up. Water is a precious resource. There are no wells or cisterns in their
village, so washing clothes and bathing is done in the same water holes their
cattle use. I often wonder about the accident of birth gives some so much
and others so little. Hopefully I will come home with a real appreciation of
all that I have.
