Maasais: Colorful, peaceful, traditional people

While I had made a quick summary previously of the culture we experienced in Africa, I still HAD to dedicate a whole post on the friendly and laid back people that met, in fact lived with for a short amount of time.

The Maasai people are found throughout Kenya and Tanzania mostly. They are pastoralists and their lives revolve around their animals: cattle, sheep and goats and historically relied on these animals as their primary diet only eating/drinking milk, meat and blood. Today, they have introduced more African foods such as rice, potatoes, ugali and even japati.

They  mostly live in mud and dung huts and right outside, their animals are kept in an enclosure built of sticks, which looks quite sophisticated. This is to keep them safe from the wild animals out there: Hyenas and big cats.

Finding the Maasai, isn’t hard. They are beautifully covered in bright reds, purples, blues and yellows. The women wear what look to be pounds of beaded jewelry and have shaved heads. The clothes are blankets and sheets, vibrant and beautiful with very simple designs of checkers or stripes – think flannel patterns.

Unfortunately, many tourists only get to experience the Masaais as jewelry hawkers in the entrances of safaris. These ladies are certainly relentless but it is their only source of income, as they traditionally were independent from money/currency and now are adapting a more modern way of life: western clothes, and food and needing gas for cars and generators, etc.

It was amazing to see them communicate with their animals. Their lives are central to them and they had a way about herding and directing them. A boy could spend his whole day just with the animals, a quite solitude and peaceful lifestyle.

I fell in love with their bright colors and quiet dispositions. Also, they are great singers and dancers. I am sure it is in their genes.