The Maasai Tribe
My Adventure
In the summer of 2011, my family and I went on an adventure. As we crossed the United States and flew across the Atlantic Ocean, we finally landed at the Nairobi airport in Kenya, Africa. My mom planned a 10-day trip at an African Safari starting in Kenya, and ending in Tanzania. I was beyond excited for this adventure because 1) I love animals, 2) I love discovering new areas and seeing new countries, and 3) I had no idea what to expect. The unknown within this safari became a fascination that my curiosity was dying to explore. Our trip started with few lingual exchanges with the natives, for we did not speak their native tongue, Swahili. Instead, we relied on another very useful sense: our vision. We spent the first few days driving around in our open car with no windows so that we could see all of the land surrounding us. We saw zebras, monkeys, lions, elephants, hippos, cheetahs, and many more animals. Seeing these creatures felt so surreal; I felt like I was living in a dream. There are definitely no wild animals like this in my hometown of Los Angeles. Although this touring was amazing, the most special memory I have from this African Safari was the day we spent living and interacting with The Maasai tribe.
My Adventure
In the summer of 2011, my family and I went on an adventure. As we crossed the United States and flew across the Atlantic Ocean, we finally landed at the Nairobi airport in Kenya, Africa. My mom planned a 10-day trip at an African Safari starting in Kenya, and ending in Tanzania. I was beyond excited for this adventure because 1) I love animals, 2) I love discovering new areas and seeing new countries, and 3) I had no idea what to expect. The unknown within this safari became a fascination that my curiosity was dying to explore. Our trip started with few lingual exchanges with the natives, for we did not speak their native tongue, Swahili. Instead, we relied on another very useful sense: our vision. We spent the first few days driving around in our open car with no windows so that we could see all of the land surrounding us. We saw zebras, monkeys, lions, elephants, hippos, cheetahs, and many more animals. Seeing these creatures felt so surreal; I felt like I was living in a dream. There are definitely no wild animals like this in my hometown of Los Angeles. Although this touring was amazing, the most special memory I have from this African Safari was the day we spent living and interacting with The Maasai tribe.
The Maasai
The Maasai are an African ethnic group of people that live in Maasai Mara, the name of their mainland. I was definitely wondering how we would be able to spend the day with a group of people in which we shared no common language, but I was very open to the experience! At first when we arrived, all the men of the tribe waited outside of their huts to greet us. The most eye-catching quality I noticed was their clothing. All these men were wearing bright red outfits made of cotton cloth. This vibrant red color was a powerful contrast against their brown, mud-made houses. Not only that, but they also had huge smiles on their faces. They had their arms open, ready to welcome us into their little community. The interesting thing is that they only spoke Swahili. Although this language barrier was present, it did not stop us from communicating with them.
The Maasai are an African ethnic group of people that live in Maasai Mara, the name of their mainland. I was definitely wondering how we would be able to spend the day with a group of people in which we shared no common language, but I was very open to the experience! At first when we arrived, all the men of the tribe waited outside of their huts to greet us. The most eye-catching quality I noticed was their clothing. All these men were wearing bright red outfits made of cotton cloth. This vibrant red color was a powerful contrast against their brown, mud-made houses. Not only that, but they also had huge smiles on their faces. They had their arms open, ready to welcome us into their little community. The interesting thing is that they only spoke Swahili. Although this language barrier was present, it did not stop us from communicating with them.
How High Can You Jump?
The first thing that the Maasai did when they let us into their home was teach us a little bit about their culture. One man pointed to a woman in the village and then started jumping- as high as he could. After he stopped jumping, another man took the “stage” and tried to jump even higher than the pervious man. This continued for about five rotations, and at first not only was I so confused, but I also had no idea what the point of this jumping was. What I soon came to understand was that this is how mating works in this community. The man that can jump the highest will be regarded as the most noble and will also be able to mate with a given female. It was so interesting that I was able to understand this concept without having them explain this to me. My confusion turned to enlightenment when I felt like I was taken out of this language darkness.
The first thing that the Maasai did when they let us into their home was teach us a little bit about their culture. One man pointed to a woman in the village and then started jumping- as high as he could. After he stopped jumping, another man took the “stage” and tried to jump even higher than the pervious man. This continued for about five rotations, and at first not only was I so confused, but I also had no idea what the point of this jumping was. What I soon came to understand was that this is how mating works in this community. The man that can jump the highest will be regarded as the most noble and will also be able to mate with a given female. It was so interesting that I was able to understand this concept without having them explain this to me. My confusion turned to enlightenment when I felt like I was taken out of this language darkness.
Free Hands and Colorful Clothes
When all the female women entered the open space of the village, they were also wearing brightly colored clothing. In order to welcome us, these women began singing a song in their native tongue. I still was clueless in terms of what the lyrics meant, but I could see the joy permeate through their movement, smiles, and dancing. Although no words of direct communication were spoken, I definitely felt welcomed. Part of the Maasai culture includes women with fully shaved heads and elaborately beaded jewelry. These women wear big earrings that they make for themselves using colorful beads. The women that have children carried them on their backs, so that they could continue to work with both of their hands while also fulfilling their motherly duties. When I am communicating with someone in English, I tend to multi-task and not give the speaker my full attention because I understand the English language so well. On the other hand, in this moment, I felt so connected to these people and their rituals that I found myself so much more engaged in trying to understand their culture.
When all the female women entered the open space of the village, they were also wearing brightly colored clothing. In order to welcome us, these women began singing a song in their native tongue. I still was clueless in terms of what the lyrics meant, but I could see the joy permeate through their movement, smiles, and dancing. Although no words of direct communication were spoken, I definitely felt welcomed. Part of the Maasai culture includes women with fully shaved heads and elaborately beaded jewelry. These women wear big earrings that they make for themselves using colorful beads. The women that have children carried them on their backs, so that they could continue to work with both of their hands while also fulfilling their motherly duties. When I am communicating with someone in English, I tend to multi-task and not give the speaker my full attention because I understand the English language so well. On the other hand, in this moment, I felt so connected to these people and their rituals that I found myself so much more engaged in trying to understand their culture.
WHAT?! I'm worth HOW many cows??
All these men and women in the tribe were very intrigued by my fare skin and pale blue eyes, two qualities they rarely, if ever, saw around their village. One of the funniest memories I have was when one of the men walked up to my mom and pointed to me, then to himself, then showed a five on his hand, and then pointed to a cattle of cows, just across the way. At first my mom and I both looked at each other and had no idea what this man was trying to say to us. He didn’t say a word- all he did was used hand motions. After a few successive times of watching his creative sign language, it started to make sense. Our tour guide who had driven us to the tribe spoke a little bit of English and he also helped us understand the meaning of this man’s cryptic messages. The man wanted to buy me in exchange for five cows, but he asked my mom because he knew that he needed her permission first! Of course my mom shook her head from left to right to clearly say “no”, but to this day we still laugh about the fact that this man thought I was worth five cows. This moment actually means a lot to me because rather than using words, this man used his body- a form of communication in which I find much more intimate.
According to the Maasai.... I am worth five cows. Thank you for not selling me, mom! :)
All these men and women in the tribe were very intrigued by my fare skin and pale blue eyes, two qualities they rarely, if ever, saw around their village. One of the funniest memories I have was when one of the men walked up to my mom and pointed to me, then to himself, then showed a five on his hand, and then pointed to a cattle of cows, just across the way. At first my mom and I both looked at each other and had no idea what this man was trying to say to us. He didn’t say a word- all he did was used hand motions. After a few successive times of watching his creative sign language, it started to make sense. Our tour guide who had driven us to the tribe spoke a little bit of English and he also helped us understand the meaning of this man’s cryptic messages. The man wanted to buy me in exchange for five cows, but he asked my mom because he knew that he needed her permission first! Of course my mom shook her head from left to right to clearly say “no”, but to this day we still laugh about the fact that this man thought I was worth five cows. This moment actually means a lot to me because rather than using words, this man used his body- a form of communication in which I find much more intimate.
According to the Maasai.... I am worth five cows. Thank you for not selling me, mom! :)
Let's stay warm!
The next moment I experienced was watching the men work. They showed my family and me how they make a fire, which for them living in huts without electricity, is crucial for survival. The members of this tribe have no lighters, or flashlights; therefore if they need light or a source of heat, they are responsible for it themselves. These men would create piles of sticks and leaves and then blow with all their might to create an extremely impressive flame. As the day came to a close, we all sat around the fire as a community. No words were necessary to fill this open campfire space. As the English thoughts ran through my head upon my reflection of the day, I realized that these Masaai were probably pondering similar thoughts in their own native tongue. That is the beauty of multilingualism- each person can be fluent in a different language, but we can co-exist, connect, and have the same most wonderful and beautiful experiences together. At the end of the day, it didn’t even matter how much I understood the Maasai. In fact, this language barrier actually brought us closer to them in a different way. This experience made me feel more connected, engaged, and inspired.
The next moment I experienced was watching the men work. They showed my family and me how they make a fire, which for them living in huts without electricity, is crucial for survival. The members of this tribe have no lighters, or flashlights; therefore if they need light or a source of heat, they are responsible for it themselves. These men would create piles of sticks and leaves and then blow with all their might to create an extremely impressive flame. As the day came to a close, we all sat around the fire as a community. No words were necessary to fill this open campfire space. As the English thoughts ran through my head upon my reflection of the day, I realized that these Masaai were probably pondering similar thoughts in their own native tongue. That is the beauty of multilingualism- each person can be fluent in a different language, but we can co-exist, connect, and have the same most wonderful and beautiful experiences together. At the end of the day, it didn’t even matter how much I understood the Maasai. In fact, this language barrier actually brought us closer to them in a different way. This experience made me feel more connected, engaged, and inspired.
To view an awesome map, and my picture slideshow that goes along with this narrative, press here: