We took a break from watching animals to visit a Maasai village. The Maasai people live around many of the parks in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They follow a very traditional way of life - living according to age-old customs and thriving without electricity, running water, vehicles, etc.
The Maasai are very welcoming of visitors. When we arrived, the men and women of the village came to greet us.
The men and women each formed a line where they chanted and danced and they invited us to join them.
The men do a jumping dance where they reach incredible heights.
Blake participated in the jumping dance and his performance confirmed the stereotype that white men can't jump. He won't allow any photos of his jumps to be seen in public.
After dancing, we toured the village and learned about the Maasai way of life. It is focused on cattle as their diet is almost entirely cow meat and milk. Men walk their cattle over long distances in search of food. They go day and night with only a stick and their smarts to protect themselves and their cattle from lions and other dangers. They are very brave.
The village tour was followed by a "retail opportunity". When we walked out of the village, we found all the women of the village sitting in a circle with their creations on display. The Maasai know how to make a sale.
The items for sale were mainly jewelry so the sellers focused on Vanessa and Blake got to stand back and enjoy the show. After Vanessa picked the items she liked, she bartered with the men on prices. They had a price list to show their starting price for each item.
The Maasai we saw in the village live the traditional way of life but some are taking on non-traditional careers. One example is our safari guide for the three days we were in Amboseli. Perez is a Maasai who committed himself to school and achieved a guiding certification. Perez is a tremendous guide and was a big reason why our Amboseli experience was so memorable.
Before we left the village, Vanessa made friends with several kids. They loved being photographed and then seeing what they looked like in the display on her camera. They were fascinated by her brown hair and earrings and like to touch them.
This was the end of our three days in Amboseli. Our encounters with the elephants and the Maasai are experiences we will always remember.
Vanessa and Blake
The Maasai are very welcoming of visitors. When we arrived, the men and women of the village came to greet us.
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| Women from the village |
The men and women each formed a line where they chanted and danced and they invited us to join them.
The men do a jumping dance where they reach incredible heights.
Blake participated in the jumping dance and his performance confirmed the stereotype that white men can't jump. He won't allow any photos of his jumps to be seen in public.
After dancing, we toured the village and learned about the Maasai way of life. It is focused on cattle as their diet is almost entirely cow meat and milk. Men walk their cattle over long distances in search of food. They go day and night with only a stick and their smarts to protect themselves and their cattle from lions and other dangers. They are very brave.
The village tour was followed by a "retail opportunity". When we walked out of the village, we found all the women of the village sitting in a circle with their creations on display. The Maasai know how to make a sale.
The items for sale were mainly jewelry so the sellers focused on Vanessa and Blake got to stand back and enjoy the show. After Vanessa picked the items she liked, she bartered with the men on prices. They had a price list to show their starting price for each item.
The Maasai we saw in the village live the traditional way of life but some are taking on non-traditional careers. One example is our safari guide for the three days we were in Amboseli. Perez is a Maasai who committed himself to school and achieved a guiding certification. Perez is a tremendous guide and was a big reason why our Amboseli experience was so memorable.
Before we left the village, Vanessa made friends with several kids. They loved being photographed and then seeing what they looked like in the display on her camera. They were fascinated by her brown hair and earrings and like to touch them.
This was the end of our three days in Amboseli. Our encounters with the elephants and the Maasai are experiences we will always remember.
Vanessa and Blake
