Traditional Maasai Village

There is only one traditional Maasai Village in the Enonkishu Conservancy. It is there to support tourism. In the village, the Maasai live in the traditional way and the income comes from the fee that tourists pay to visit the village. I was very keen to visit a traditional Maasai village because a few months before coming to Kenya, I read a book called “One of Them (My Life Among the Maasai of Kenya)”
by Eti Dayan. The book is a recount and reflection of the author’s time living among the Maasai people in a traditional village. She originally came to the village as a guide, bringing foreign tourists to visit the village. She became a trusted friend to a particular family after helping with a medical emergency. Eventually, she was invited to stay in the village, first a few days at a time. Then, invited to stay as long as she liked. She ended up staying for 15 years.
 
The author provided such vivid descriptions of her life among the Maasai. Every aspect of their way of life is so different from ours. Reading the book while I was in Shanghai allowed me to step one foot into their world. Now that I am actually here, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it all in real life.
 
When we arrived at the Maasai village, the son of the village chief greeted us and outlined the itinerary for the afternoon. We would first be welcomed by the Maasai warriors and the women with singing and dancing. Next, we would watch and join a jumping competition. Then the warriors would demonstrate the traditional way of lighting a fire with cedar wood and a sand paper branch. Next, we would visit a traditional Maasai home. Lastly, we would visit the village school.
 
Many aspects of the traditional Maasai way of life, like their village manyatta surrounded by a fence with space in the center for the cows, the Maasai throaty singing and high-jump dancing and the colorful Maasai dress with intricate jewelry, were exactly as I imagined. The part of the visit that surprised me was the traditional Maasai home. The structure is made with branches and spread with cow dung and mud for waterproofing to hold its shape. The roof is made of more of the mixture plus leaves and twigs. Dayan describes the home as very dark inside with several small rooms, the size of the largest room just enough for a bed. The bed is a frame layered with cow hides for comfort. The book describes the traditional home accurately. Inside, it is low, dark and stuffy. It is hard for me to imagine that a family with six to eight children could live in such a dwelling. What a difference from the homes that we are used to with high ceilings, climate control, gourmet kitchens and every luxury imaginable to make life convenient and comfortable.
 
The boys in the family were invited to take part in the jumping competition and the fire-lighting. Unfortunately, this is reserved for boys only as in Maasai culture, the men and women have clearly delineated tasks and responsibilities. Women’s work includes building the home, taking care of children, milking cows and preparing food. Men’s work includes grazing the cattle, lighting fire, hunting and protecting the village. Women are not allowed to compete in jumping and they are not allowed to light the fire. The purpose of the jumping competition is to attract girlfriends. The warrior who can jump the highest receives the favor of the most girls. Leo, RY and DY took interest in lighting the fire. In Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, RY and DY have learned to light a fire using flint and steel but they seldom have the opportunity to try it using just sticks.
 
Lastly, we visited the village school. The schoolhouse is a tin shed built by the Sepel Foundation, an education NGO that operates in the area. There are two teachers at the school who teach the youngest from age 3 to the oldest at age 10. Around 7 years old, the students have the chance to move to a county boarding school in Narok where they must be able to study independently, wash their own clothes and essentially take care of themselves.
 
The teacher who received us seemed enthusiastic and dedicated to his work. To have a positive and passionate teacher is one of the most important factors to inspire and motivate children to learn. During our visit, the younger children were developing their fine motor skills by building shapes with large-sized lego blocks. The middle class was developing creativity by crafting beaded necklaces. The oldest students were able to recite the Lord’s prayer and also a motivational poem about the opportunities that education creates to be a teacher, to be a pilot, to be a doctor, etc.
 
The most obvious differences between this village school and our old school in Shanghai is physical – the school itself. The classrooms here are nothing but tin sheds and with dirt floors. The plastic chairs are at an awkward height and size for reading and writing. There are no visible resources – the entire class shares one or two textbooks. There are no visible supplies like pencils, crayons or paper. It is heartbreaking to think back to my old classroom in Shanghai, and classrooms in wealthier countries all over the world, and reconcile the tremendous amount of  excess and waste that exists. At the end of the school-year, the amount of notebooks, papers and stationary that goes into the garbage from my classroom alone, could sufficiently supply more than 10 of these village schools.
 
In reality, the deeper problem isn’t what we can see. It is not just about school supplies. Building a school structure and getting sufficient books and stationery certainly help. But the bigger problem has to do with complicated stuff like government policy, poverty and culture.