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The Maasai.
This tribe has fascinated me for years, from the first time I saw their jumping tribesmen on a documentary highlighting the nomadic people. I loved the action, the singing and their colorful clothing.
As I scoured the itinerary for our safari, the first thing that stood out was the visit to a Maasai village. Yes, I was excited to see the beautiful scenery and the animals, but I was most excited to see the Maasai!
Having driven to Arusha from Nairobi, I had already spotted many Maasai along the way, walking along the roads and tending their cattle. I had also spotted many Maasai villages dotting the landscape while flying to the Serengeti. I was giddy with excitement, however, as we pulled off of the roadway and parked under an acacia tree in front of a village on the way from the Serengeti to Olduvai Gorge.
Many villagers, dressed in their colorful Shúkà, emerged from the entryway of their compound and lined up while one of the village elders, Lalashe, came over to greet and welcome us to the village.
While we waited for the others in our party to arrive, we mingled with the women as they decorated us with their beautiful, beaded collars. They sang songs and smiled at us while the men, practiced their dance moves. Soon, the others safari vehicles pulled under the acacia tree and our friends joined us for the show.
The Maasai women began to sing harmonies while one of them, the song leader, or olaranyani, sang the melody. As she began by singing a line or title (namba) of the song, the group responded with a call of acknowlegement. The olaranyani then sang a verse over the group’s rhythmic throat singing. The women moved their necks…tilting their head back for an inward breath and then breathing out when their head was leaned forward.
While the women provided the music, one of the men used the Greater Kudu, or horn and the other men formed lines, moving together and chanting rhythmically, “Oooooh-yah” with a growl and staccato cough. They thrust and withdrew their bodies, some jumping.
As their performance came to a close, we were invited into their compound and gathered under a large tree in the center. The men continued to chant while jumping extremely high in what seemed to be a competition among them.
Eventually, we were gathered around two of the male villagers who proceeded to demonstrate how the Maasai make fire. With a bit of a breeze, conditions weren’t right and they were unsuccessful after two lengthy attempts. Clapping for their efforts, we then moved on to other parts of their village.
The schoolhouse was nearby and as we glanced into the small hut, the young children sang a song for us, recited their ABC’s and we inspected their lessons written on their chalkboard. Handing over the small gifts we had brought (pens, pencils and paper) to the schoolmaster, we were thanked profusely by everyone.
The king’s son, then divided us into groups and assigned us to one of the male villagers whose job was to escort us around the village and show us how they lived. As my group entered the small mud huts, we were greeted by darkness. Our eyes adjusted and we noticed a small cooking area in the center and two raised sleeping pallets at the rear of the hut. We were informed that the building of the huts are the women’s responsibility and they assist each other with the task, each hut taking about four days to build. When the king’s son, who had led us around, was asked if he lived with all of his wives and families in one hut, we were greeted with a laugh and a funny response, “Oh, no, each of my wives have their own hut. Women fight too much!”
Exiting the huts, we saw many women and children who had not performed during our arrival, peeking out curiously at us. Shyly, they remained in the doorways of their huts where they could dart back in if a camera was raised.
One thing we noticed about those who were present in the village was that there were no young boys or teens. Boys who have reached puberty participate in a rite of passage, an emorata…a circumcision ceremony performed without anesthetic, believing the pain with lead them into manhood. The newly circumcised young men then live in another village built by their mothers (a manyatta) which has no barricade for protection, since they are now warriors and can protect themselves. These newly minted warriors spend much of their time on walkabouts throughout the Maasai lands and can be recognized by their elaborate white face paint. Before arriving at the village, we had spotted what we thought was a newly circumcised boy, but in actuality, it was some younger boys playing a joke on unsuspecting tourists. They had plastered some white tape on their foreheads! Later, however, we did see some “authentic” newly circumcised boys walking along the roadway.
Our leaders escorted us around the center of the village where tables had been set up showcasing a wide variety of crafts available for purchase. As we walked around and selected objects of interest, we tried to keep in mind the instructions given to us by our guides about negotiations. “Start by offering half of the price they give”. Usually a great negotiator in African markets, I was again a bit off of my game and let my emotions get in the way of my common sense, ending up paying a bit more than I probably should have.
Walking away with a mask and a statue, I know that we had made an impact on the villager’s day to day life. Learning to survive in the modern world, the villagers use the money they earn from their craft sales and the admission charged per safari vehicle to pay for things we take for granted like water. Instead of walking miles to the nearest watering hole, the modern day Maasai can have water delivered!
It was then time to say goodbye. We reluctantly handed back our colorful collars that the women had lent to us at the beginning of our visit and made our way back to our safari vehicles. Many of the villagers came out and as we drove away, they all stood proudly, a colorful mark on a barren land, waving goodbye!
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Maasai Village
- http://maasaiwilderness.org/maasai/
- There are many Maasai villages in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. If you are with a tour company, the villages are visited on a rotating basis. A recent change necessitates a $50 per vehicle