Sept 27 - the Maasai people

     The Maasai people had been pastoralists and wanderers for centuries, following their great herds of cattle throughout eastern Africa. When the British began colonizing Kenya in the early nineteen-hundreds, many of the Maasai were forced to give up their lands. As safari hunts gained in popularity, the land of the Maasai shrunk further. Then with the advent of game parks, the fate of the Maasai seemed to be sealed – the thousands of pasturelands which used to be free for their use had been all but taken away.     

 With their great herds now a fracture of the size, they had to resort to other ways to sustain their families. One such way was to take advantage of the very source of their troubles – tourists.

 The women had long been known to create beaded jewelry for themselves and their families. It didn’t take them long to begin pressuring sightseers heading out on safari to buy a few items.

 As the safari vans stop at the gate to go into the game park, the passengers are easy prey for the budding entrepreneurs knocking on the van windows and holding up their intricately made wares. Having been a tourist on the receiving end, I didn’t enjoy this type of shopping. My question for the women was what they thought of it.

 In the afternoon of our second day out at the Mara, our Maasai guide Dann, took Denise and I to the village which lies closest to the Oloolaimutia Gate. The women who live there seem to stalk the gate waiting for their next victim.

 How did they like doing that? Were they making any money that way? Would they be willing to try something else?

 The resounding response was that they did not enjoy this at all and they did not feel it was effective. They just knew of no other way to reach their customers.

  When we told them that our friend Izzo was trying to build a gift shop on his land just across the road, they smiled and nodded their heads. Dann did not have to interrupt at that point – the women were in.

 And then, they told us to wait a moment, as they had a gift for us. Note our necklaces.     

 Everywhere I’ve gone during my six trips to Kenya, all of the people I have met have been kind, gracious, and understanding of this American woman who they must see as a little bit crazy. All of the children steal my heart. But it is the hardworking Maasai women who live in my heart.