Field trip to a Maasai Village (Kijiji cha waMaasai)

So yesterday's adventures included a field trip to a Maasai village. Many people are familiar with the Maasai tribe, actually, when you think "Africa", you are likely imagining a Maasai village. Something like....this:

This is the leader of the Maasai tribe we visited. Yes, most of the children in the background are his. 

Residents of this home include two wives and  ten children.

Cows (Ng'ombe) are used as currency here, for dowries or land or whatever. Though there's very little concept of credit in the area, sometimes cows are "promised" in the future, rather than given as currency all at once.

However, the traditional Maasai communities are actually very different than the lifestyles of most Tanzanians. There are over 120 tribes in Tanzania, but most people only know the Maasai. Reasons they’re intriguing? Men have maybe 2 or 10 or 18 wives and so many children it’s hard to know their age. Cows are used as currency. Homes are built with sticks and mud and literally wash away each time it rains. Traditionally, the Maasai were pastoralists, meaning they were nomadic for their cows.

We had such a National Geographic moment, sitting on little stools surrounded by twenty children and the leader (kiongozi) of the tribe, listening to the elders speak in a combination of Kimaasai and Kiswahili with a translator by our side. In Swahili, we asked them questions about their history, their culture and the lives they live now. After asking them what they ate, they brought out a large gourd and tin cups. As we sat in a circle they opened the gourd and poured (more like slopped) out this liquid porridge with little lumps, Loshouro (sp? Does anyone even know how to spell this?). It was essentially a combination of milk straight from the trusty cows, corn, bananas, and some weird spices. The taste was something between cottage cheese and vomit with a hint of strawberry yogurt. Moral of the story, field trips are better when you bring your own sack lunch.

Following that, they let us tour the village, see their source of water at a nearby spring and continued to answer the questions. The children were so excited to see wazungu (white people) and they even wanted us to teach them English.

The kind, patient leader of this tribe so willingly shared his culture. He has two wives, two cows and too many children to count. See the kids in the picture below? Sounds like at least eight or ten were his. And the home pictured, suits two wives and ten children. Due to their culture of pastoralists, the homes are built with branches, mud and cow poop, sturdy enough to house the whole family but biodegradable like no other, washing away with heavy rains.

 However, the traditional Maasai communities are actually very different than the lifestyles of most Tanzanians. There are over 120 tribes in Tanzania, but most people only know the Maasai. Reasons they’re intriguing? Men have maybe 2 or 10 or 18 wives and so many children it’s hard to know their age. Cows are used as currency. Homes are built with sticks and mud and literally wash away each time it rains. Traditionally, the Maasai were pastoralists, meaning they were nomadic for their cows.

We had such a National Geographic moment, sitting on little stools surrounded by twenty children and the leader (kiongozi) of the tribe, listening to the elders speak in a combination of Kimaasai and Kiswahili with a translator by our side. In Swahili, we asked them questions about their history, their culture and the lives they live now. After asking them what they ate, they brought out a large gourd and tin cups. As we sat in a circle they opened the gourd and poured (more like slopped) out this liquid porridge with little lumps, Loshouro (sp? Does anyone even know how to spell this?). It was essentially a combination of milk straight from the trusty cows, corn, bananas, and some weird spices. The taste was something between cottage cheese and vomit with a hint of strawberry yogurt. Moral of the story, field trips are better when you bring your own sack lunch.

Following that, they let us tour the village, see their source of water at a nearby spring and continued to answer the questions. The children were so excited to see wazungu (white people) and they even wanted us to teach them English.

The kind, patient leader of this tribe so willingly shared his culture. He has two wives, two cows and too many children to count. See the kids in the picture below? Sounds like at least eight or ten were his. And the home pictured, suits two wives and ten children. Due to their culture of pastoralists, the homes are built with branches, mud and cow poop, sturdy enough to house the whole family but biodegradable like no other, washing away with heavy rains.