On the last day of the tour, we visited a Maasai village. The Maasai are a patriarchal society covered by a set of oral law. They worship a single deity called Enkai who has a dual nature: both a benevolent and a vengeful side. The Maasai are known for their intricate jewelry. Their main food source is the cattle. They eat the meat and drink the milk and blood. They will buy greens at the local market. This is where different villages come together to buy, sell or trade. Boys go through a right of passage to adulthood. The first step is circumcision as a teenager and then they must prove himself as a warrior. I don’t think this really means fighting, I think it just means survival and the ability to care for a family. Girls responsible for chores, such as cooking and milking, skills which they learned from their mothers at an early age. Female circumcision is no longer practiced. The women build the houses in the village. The framework is timber poles and then they are plastered with a mix of mud, grass, dung, human urine and ash. Villages are enclosed in a circular fence built by the men, usually of thorned acacia. At night, all cows, goats and sheep are placed in an enclosure in the center, safe from wild animals.

The village we visited, had about 10 homes. Very small. We were greeted by the adults of the village who came out of the enclosure dancing and singing. We were invited to join them. I was given a necklace to wear. We got a demonstration on how they make fire. We got to go into one of the houses. And then we were invited to look at some of the merchandise that they have made. The intent was for us to buy some stuff. Our village guide had actually gone away to school in Nairobi. He came back to the village, married and has two children. He spoke excellent English. The children of the village were at school. The Maasai are determined to keep their culture. Everything in the village is shared. The cows are owned by the village not by an individual. If a Maasai gets a job at one of the lodges, his earnings go into a communal fund. Villagers were very friendly and very willing to engage with us. To me it just seems like a brutal way to live. Though I must admit, I am looking at it through Western eyes.

Here are some videos of the dancing.

Pictures from inside the village. 

After visiting the village, we drove to the airport. Along the way we got to say goodbye to some of the animals.

This is the final post for this adventure. Certainly a trip of a lifetime. I look forward to my next adventure, which is undefined at this time.