While on safari in Kenya, I went and visited a Maasai village. The Maasai are a tribe of Kenya whom are easily recognizable by the bright red garments that they wear. While out on safari it was not uncommon to see a lone Maasai walking through the Masai Mara reserve amongst all the animals. Usually the only form of protection that they carry is a spear and/or a short club. When I arrived at the village the chief’s son came out to great us with a group of Maasai warriors. They performed some ritual dances and then a group of women came out and sang some traditional songs. We were then invited into the village for a tour. Their village is circular in construction and is surrounded by a thick collection of brush and sticks that form a hedge to keep the wild animals out. The outer circle within the walls of the village is composed of huts made of sticks and mud. I was invited into one of the huts to have a look around. Inside, there is a small anterior room for baby animals and after passing this you enter the main room. In this room the adults sleep on skins and have a section in the center for cooking over a fire. There is also a small side room in which the children sleep on the floor. When you enter the hut you must duck to enter and remain crouched while inside due to the height of the hut being low to the ground. It took me a moment to acclimate my eyes once inside the house because of the lack of light due to there being no windows or electricity. After exiting the hut they showed me the inner circle of the village in which they keep the cattle. This enclosure is also made of a hedge and it takes up most of the area of the village. Cows are very important to the Maasai for food and milk but also they are the wealth of the people. At this point, the children slowly came out of the huts to see what we had brought them. I handed out pens and candy to the little ones and it was such a great feeling to see the smile on their faces from such small things. I was glad that I had a chance to visit the Maasai village. It was a really interesting experience to see how they lived and to learn more about their way of life.
