After two very pleasant days in Lake Naivasha, we headed southwest to begin our three-day adventure in Masai Mara National Reserve. The first half of the journey was very smooth; however, the second half was on a very rough and bumpy road, and I was very grateful when we arrived at our destination for the next three nights, the Mara Bush House. The name pretty much says it all. The house is most definitely in the bush, and quite a downgrade from our previous lodge experience, but has beautiful views (as it is located on a small hill overlooking the entire Mara) and the staff is incredibly friendly.
We are the only guests at the House, as it is currently low season, so we have the run of the entire place. Additionally, they have a few tents outside of the house, with built-in beds, so we may ask if we can sleep in one of the tents for a night, to experience the "real Kenya" (haha, not really...).
We sat out on the lovely terrace for lunch, then had a short nap, and headed back down in to the valley for a visit to a local Maasai village, also known as a manyatta. The Maasai tribe is one of the largest tribes in Kenya, and are the traditional tribesman that people think of when they think of Kenyan warriors. They are recognizable by their bright red cloaks and incredibly colorful outfits. We had to do some bargaining with the chief of the village regarding the "admission donation," but eventually agreed on a price and were led a tour through the manyatta.
During our tour, the young warriors performed a dance/chant for us, as well as performed a jumping competition. Apparently, the warrior who can jump the highest is considered the strongest and will attract the most beautiful woman in the village to be his wife. It seemed an interesting way to show strength, but it was definitely quite impressive how high the warriors could jump.
During this time, we also learned about the right-of-passage for the Maasai warriors. In order for boys to be initiated as warriors, they are required to kill a lion and bring back its mane to the elders of their village. Despite much push from the government and various conservation groups to do away with this tradition, as it poses great threats to the lion population in Kenya, the Maasai still stick to this as essential for becoming a man. The chief did instruct us, however, that the group of initiates is only required to kill a single lion, as opposed to each initiate killing their own lion. I guess that's an improvement...
Next, the women performed a song for us and did more swaying than actual dancing. They had these silver medals attached to their jewelry that made beautiful tinkling sounds as they moved.
We learned a lot about the Maasai women, most of which was incredibly disturbing to myself and to Mike. Essentially, women are seen as property and of little to no value in the Maasai culture except to give birth to male offspring. Men can take as many wives as they choose and, in some Maasai tribes, women can be traded and used among various men within the community, not just their own husbands. Women are "purchased" from their fathers for a price of 10-15 cows. I would like to think that I am worth more than 10-15 cows...
Speaking of cows, however, the Maasai value their cows above all else. Since they don't use paper or coin currency, their wealth status is determined by the number of cows in which they own. Cows are treated as gold, yet never sold. The constant drive is to procure more and more cows. It is an interesting and incredibly foreign concept to us. While one warrior may own hundreds of cows (valued at around US$400 each), they live in huts composed of cow dung and dirt. The huts are small, dark, and quite stinky (from the combined cow dung and internal cooking fires). A hut the size of about 14' by 12' houses parents and children (often up to five children), alongside calves and baby goats/sheep (in their own small rooms within the hut).
Their children may lack clothing or shoes, but the cows are never sold to feed or clothe the family. And any money obtained from working outside the village is immediately converted to purchasing more cows. It is all-consuming.
Overall, the experience was very eye-opening. Mike and I both left feeling incredibly lucky for various reasons. But, as we discussed afterwards, it is a completely different and foreign culture, and incredibly difficult to evaluate from an outsider's perspective.
We are the only guests at the House, as it is currently low season, so we have the run of the entire place. Additionally, they have a few tents outside of the house, with built-in beds, so we may ask if we can sleep in one of the tents for a night, to experience the "real Kenya" (haha, not really...).
We sat out on the lovely terrace for lunch, then had a short nap, and headed back down in to the valley for a visit to a local Maasai village, also known as a manyatta. The Maasai tribe is one of the largest tribes in Kenya, and are the traditional tribesman that people think of when they think of Kenyan warriors. They are recognizable by their bright red cloaks and incredibly colorful outfits. We had to do some bargaining with the chief of the village regarding the "admission donation," but eventually agreed on a price and were led a tour through the manyatta.
During our tour, the young warriors performed a dance/chant for us, as well as performed a jumping competition. Apparently, the warrior who can jump the highest is considered the strongest and will attract the most beautiful woman in the village to be his wife. It seemed an interesting way to show strength, but it was definitely quite impressive how high the warriors could jump.
During this time, we also learned about the right-of-passage for the Maasai warriors. In order for boys to be initiated as warriors, they are required to kill a lion and bring back its mane to the elders of their village. Despite much push from the government and various conservation groups to do away with this tradition, as it poses great threats to the lion population in Kenya, the Maasai still stick to this as essential for becoming a man. The chief did instruct us, however, that the group of initiates is only required to kill a single lion, as opposed to each initiate killing their own lion. I guess that's an improvement...
Next, the women performed a song for us and did more swaying than actual dancing. They had these silver medals attached to their jewelry that made beautiful tinkling sounds as they moved.
We learned a lot about the Maasai women, most of which was incredibly disturbing to myself and to Mike. Essentially, women are seen as property and of little to no value in the Maasai culture except to give birth to male offspring. Men can take as many wives as they choose and, in some Maasai tribes, women can be traded and used among various men within the community, not just their own husbands. Women are "purchased" from their fathers for a price of 10-15 cows. I would like to think that I am worth more than 10-15 cows...
Speaking of cows, however, the Maasai value their cows above all else. Since they don't use paper or coin currency, their wealth status is determined by the number of cows in which they own. Cows are treated as gold, yet never sold. The constant drive is to procure more and more cows. It is an interesting and incredibly foreign concept to us. While one warrior may own hundreds of cows (valued at around US$400 each), they live in huts composed of cow dung and dirt. The huts are small, dark, and quite stinky (from the combined cow dung and internal cooking fires). A hut the size of about 14' by 12' houses parents and children (often up to five children), alongside calves and baby goats/sheep (in their own small rooms within the hut).
Their children may lack clothing or shoes, but the cows are never sold to feed or clothe the family. And any money obtained from working outside the village is immediately converted to purchasing more cows. It is all-consuming.
Overall, the experience was very eye-opening. Mike and I both left feeling incredibly lucky for various reasons. But, as we discussed afterwards, it is a completely different and foreign culture, and incredibly difficult to evaluate from an outsider's perspective.
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