Playing in waterfalls, the source of Lake Natron (as pictured above with Saitoti). Gracious people. Erupting volcano (Oldonya Longai, Kimaasai for the "Mountain of God"). Goat meat. More goat meat. Lack of water. Scorching sun. Flamingos. Cows. Cow dung. Jumping. Dust. Flies. Singing. Stars.
These are the words that come to mind from my latest journey to the Maasai land to visit my students, two Maasai young men named Saitoti and Julius. We took a school trip to visit their families, their worlds. Experiencing where they come from was so eye opening to me, their teacher. Not that I even began to scratch the surface in my short visit, but I feel like I at least have a better sense of their heritage, what they're proud of and why. I get it much more. And I agree they have a lot to be proud of...
Don't we all wish we were Maasai...at least kidogo?
Like us, most Westerners revere the Maasai. We have a tendency to romanticize the Maasai and their stubborn ways, their reluctance to shed the skin of their rich culture and tradition. We admire it. Right on, fight the power, eh?! We are in awe of a group that actually remain stalwart, standing resolute in a rushing river - not blown over by modern ways - blue jeans, slang, ipods, mixed diets, "American idol"...
But upon living and breathing the boma life, my perspective has altered. I've realized how rough and tough their lifestyle truly is. Now clearly, I can't speak on behalf of all Maasai people, but I observed some serious health conditions, conditions which can be avoided by simple procedures - like washing hands...with soap if possible and by using a pit latrine for human waste, kujisaidia as we say (to help ourselves). I witnessed eye infections so nasty, one girl accompanying us, who serves as a nurse stateside, claimed that the eye would literally be lost if not attended to (the boy was already blind)...and sadly, I doubt it will be attended to, despite our dropping them off at the closest town's clinic doorstep on our way back to Arusha. As the saying goes, you can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. In development, you have to be met halfway, or at the least, part-way.
It was fascinating how drastically different this tribe is from the Wabena, who live down in the SW of Tanzania, where I spent my first two years. While the Wabena thrive on being farmers (in fact, you rarely see them without a jembe, or hoe, in hand), the Maasai never farm - not one vegetable or fruit. Period. Think about that. Let that sink in. We may all know that the Maasai are pastoral people, but can you fathom NEVER ever eating vegetables or fruit of any kind? Ever. And yet, they continue to survive on meat and milk alone. Kudos to them for their resiliency. I know I couldn't do it, but hey - different strokes for different folks. It's yet another reminder of how beautifully diverse this world is. It would be a drab place if we were all the same.
I must say though - rice and beans and fruit never tasted so good my first day back home! No more goat for me. I've had enough for now...
Open this Snapfish link for more shots from this adventure, from recent seminars and events at Global Alliance (namely Memory Books), from baking bread with mpishi Eliza and the boys at Mkombozi, na kadhalika:
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=94111205240601973/l=354004691/g=13602658/cobrandOid=1000001/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
3 comments:
good report. how is your kiswahili?
My sweet lady,
I just got a laptop and internet at home. So glad to be reading your blog. It's been over a year but my god if I don't miss it so much. Reading what your experiencing kinda gives me some connection to my old home. You inspire me. You inspired me while I was there also. Keep up the good work.....while you still have time....and please please please savor it all.
You look cute in that Maasai outfit, fit right in too. BTW, that would make fantastic halloween outfit.
NB: Here is some funny 'bits' about my lovely country ....
You Know You Are In Tanzania ...
March 24, 2008
1. You are constantly told to eat more ugali so you won't be so skinny.
2. Cell phone towers are more common than traffic lights
3.. The most common phrase you hear is "Hey mzungu! Taxi?" ("mzungu" is Swahili for "white person")
4. A short cab ride can cost up to 3,000 TZS, but no worries…that's only $2.
5. The vernacular has enough common greetings to fill a dictionary, but locals resort to English to explain that they are "busy."
6. You usually use laundry detergent powder to wash your hands in restaurants.
7. Riding three people on a small Chinese motorbike is safer than riding certain bus routes.
8. The internet is so slow it takes 25 minutes to post this blog.
9. Coworkers frequently walk by and casually mention that they have malaria.
10. During traffic jams, 2-lane roads become 6-lane highways courtesy of drainage ditches, school yards, and storefronts.
11. Cell phone airtime is billed per second.
12. Getting a seat on the bus during rush hour requires running at a full sprint or climbing through a window.
13. Children greet you with: "Good morning," no matter the time of day.
14. You get better cell phone reception than you do in the U.S., but you have no access to running water.
15. Your bus hits a biker and drives away.
16. Your taxi driver can watch TV, make videos and play music with his cell phone, but his taxi has no radio, A/C, seatbelts, locks…and often, no gas.
Heriki Sali, NYC
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