After breakfast we continued
to the Maasai village, passing up herds of elephants along the way. We had to
leave the park, a 15000 square kilometer parcel of protected land. As we
crossed the gate, a whole family of baboons wandered by, bouncing across the
tiny islands dotting the narrow river.
When we arrived, the
villagers all lined up in their multi-colored clothes and performed a welcome
song and dance. I was pulled into the center and crowned with a conical cap made
of lion pelt. I danced along with the warriors as we paraded past the women and
joined in a circle, chanting and bouncing.
Then it was the women’s
turn, and Kathryn and the two Japanese ladies joined a line of Maasai women as
they danced and sang. This ended with the whole line ‘welcoming’ me, each lady
going by and pressing their right hand against mine, kind of like a gentle
high-five.
After this came the high
jump ceremony. The warriors formed a semi-circle, one after the other stepping
forward and bounding high into the air repeatedly. They also demonstrated lighting a fire by twirling a stick amongst tinder. As one warrior's hands grew tired, another knelt and took his place. They had a fire burning within 2 or 3 minutes.
Then they took us inside
the kraal. The homes were sticks caked with a mixture of mud and cow dung which
will hold together for about 5 years. It was dark as a cave inside, the only
light coming from the door and the small hole punched in the wall to allow
smoke from the cooking fire out. Women are responsible for building the house,
while the men must build the thorn fence that surrounds the village.
The first room is for the
cows, and the second room for everything else. We sat on a bed of cow hide
where the parents would sleep. Another alcove served as a bedroom for children
under 5 years old. After 5, they must move out into a separate house.
We paid $20 each to
visit, half of the money going to pay the salary of the teachers at the nearby
school which this year was projected to service 500 children.
We visited their market
and picked out a dozen items, then dickered a bit about prices. While normally
I am a ruthless barterer, the poor conditions of the people coupled with the
difficulty in getting back to Nairobi in time to shop, prompted me to pay more
than I would have elsewhere. But I didn’t mind. The items are still great buys,
and now I have the pleasure of saying I bought them at a real Maasai village
where they made them themselves. For instance, the Maasai club I bought is
intricately carved, and it still cost less than totally unadorned ones I have
seen elsewhere.
So, we headed back to camp to rest up for our afternoon game drive!
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