Lucas, the son of the tribal chief, greeted our safari leader, Paul Renner. Paul was raised in Tanzania by his missionary parents and speaks Swahili fluently.
Jambo. Jambo. The Masai were friendly, gracious hosts. The piercing and stretching of earlobes is common among the Masai.
The women of the village greeted us in their colorful dress and elaborate jewelry. Observe the children on backs of the mothers. Tribal leaders encourage having as many children as possible, and the population of Masai is estimated to have doubled in the last 12 years.
These women proudly displayed their jewelry.
The men prepare for a tribal dance. The Masai people are struggling with the forces of change, beckoning some to adopt more modern lifestyles while others seek to preserve the strong traditions of the past.
The men performing a warrior dance.
This youngster was curious about us but stayed closed to his mother.
A tribesman performing the traditional jumping dance. He can be on my basketball team.
The men form a semi-circle and then each steps forward and demonstrates his jumping ability.
A young girl returning to her house which is called an enkaj in Swahili. Shaving the head is common.
An elder woman displaying her jewelry. Note the conventional key on one necklace. I wonder what it unlocks!
Women are responsible for chores such as cooking and milking the cows while the men tend to the cattle.
Married women who are pregnant are excused from heavy work such as milking and gathering firewood.
Traditionally the Masai were known for eating raw meat, raw milk, and blood taken from cows by piercing the jugular vein. Today, however, along with meat from cows and goats, the diet includes grains and vegetables. The consumption of blood is waning.
Lucas introduces his wife and son and invites us to see his house called an Enkaj.
Lucas explains more about tribal life as we sit around the fire.
When we emerge from his house Lucas and his wife are eager to sell us their jewelry.
The items for sale are displayed on these racks.
The women explain about the various items for sale, but Lucas does all the price negotiation.
A woman bringing firewood to her Enkaj while a shy boy peeks out from the doorway.
We discovered why the Masai wear sheets of clothing, called shukas, to cover their entire body. As we visited a dust storm blew to which the Masai simply pulled their shukas over their heads. If the Masai would have had Shukas for sale, they likely would have made more sales to us.
You get the idea about the the dust storm here.
The Enkaj behind these villagers is made from sticks, mud, grass, cow dung, and human urine. The cow dung provides a good seal for the roof. A typical Enkaj is about 10-15 feet in diameter and 4-5 feet high.
As poor as the Masai are based on Western standards, they appeared to be a happy people eager to share their lives with us.
Julie negotiating another big purchase.
The Masai as semi-nomadic herders who discern wealth by the number of cows they own, have also learned the value of dollars! After making many sales to our group, Lucas had so many $1s he wanted to trade Julie for $10s and $20s, which of course she exchanged.
Here's the village school house. It certainly demonstrates that you don't have to have a fancy edifice for education to take place.
Teacher and students greet us with cheers and song.
Wonderful faces as they applaud our presence.
After taking this photo, I showed the 4 youngsters their photos on the camera LCD. They liked looking at themselves.
You got to love 'em. They too enjoyed seeing themselves on the camera LCD.
Lucas and Paul renewing friendship before our departure.
I made a quick friend in Lucas. He walked me back to our Land Cruiser declaring how happy he was to have us visit his village.
