Karla Lalim

It was day two of our safari in Amboseli at Camp Kibo. Today, we saw lots of cheetahs and hyenas, too. A highlight was meeting the members of the Maasai tribe.They met us as we pulled up in our Land Crusier. The head of the tribe spoke very good English and was happy to take us around their camp, showing us how they lived. This particular tribe had around 180 members. There were thousands of tribes around the area. At two years old, the Maasai people are marked on their face with a symbol. It's burned into their skin; sort of like I imagine branding cattle. Men often had more than one wife. Hair on a woman was considered unclean even on their heads. That's why they shaved their heads. Their dowry included paying 5 to 15 cattle to the father of the bride. With each new bride, they needed to build a new home. Their wives were responsible for building the home, cleaning the home, cooking all meals, and caring for the children. The men provided the food to eat and care for the cattle. Often, a man had 10 wives if he could afford it. That also meant ten homes. The roofs of their homes were thatched. Elephants would keep those roofs manicured. We met the principal of the school at the Maasai camp. He showed as the school buildings. Jolene is standing outside the walls of one school building, emphasizing dental health. They cleaned their teeth with a stick.
When we traveled to Maasai Mara, our next camp, we were met and chauffeured by a Maasai tribe member. We found out that some of the practices from one tribe to the next differed, especially the branding on their face.Read more