Pheobe: Research assistant from Oregon and graduated from Colorado College. She is funny and truly cares about conservation
and animals.
Wilson: Kenyan RA - from Tanzania. He is really goofy, outgoing, and loves to make jokes. He also has quite the knack for finding animal - a world-class safari guide!
Joseph: he is one of the care-takers of the camp and also happens to be an amazing cook. I had a great time hanging out with him, learning his recipes, and hearing old Masai stories.
Steven and Lsingo: guards of our camp. They walk around at night to make sure we are safe from the animals (and possibly overly curious humans). Steven took me and Hadley to his traditional Masai home!
 |
| Wilson with the trusty Land Cruiser |
 |
| From left to right: Benson, Phoebe, Joseph, Wilson, me having fun in the kitchen tent |
The Masai are beautiful, proud people with stunning colors
and rich traditions. I was fortunate to
learn a little bit about their culture while I was in the Mara. They are a pologmous culture, so most of the
men have many wives. I heard that
Lsingo, one of the night asantis, is one of 80 children. YES you read that right – eight zero. His father had 12 wives. WOW.
Anyways, the Masai used to live on the Mara, but when it became
“protected” by the government in the 60s, the government forced the Masai to
settle on some given lands. This created a lot of tension because of course
indigenous people were forced to give up their land but also many of the
families earn their money from herding cows, sheep, and goats, so their grazing
land was also taken away. It is
forbidden for them to herd on the Mara land, but they do it anyways because
there is nowhere else for them to go.
I was able to visit a traditional Masai home – Steven, one
of the night guards, was kind enough to show my around his house and introduce
me to his family. He has two wives and
six children. The homes are made out of
cow dung with thatched roofs, with a place for sleeping, cooking, and for the
smaller animals. I also got to purchase
a traditional Masai beaded necklace from Steven’s mother. The colors the Masai women use are
amazing! Every color imaginable dances
along the necklaces, tapestries, earrings, and decorative pieces they make. One
note – my bargaining skills came in handy!
I got a necklace that was originally 700 shillings down to 300
shillings. There’s the Indian girl in
me! Get it!
 |
| Two of Steven's sons! |
 |
| Me with Steven and one of his baby sons, Letepa Photo credit: Hadley |
Other fun activities
- Market Day at the local town, Talak West. So many colors and beautiful artisan work, textiles, and clothing!
- Sundowner: this is when the research team takes the evening out, drives to "sausage tree", a beautiful spot on a hill, and dances to Masai music and watches the sun go down. So fun!
- Game Drive: Wilson took us on a Game Drive (pretty much a safari)! We saw over 40 species of animals...we even saw a Black Rhino (see the earlier blog post for pictures)
- Food: I ate SO MUCH AMAZING FOOD, thanks to Joseph. My favorite was sakuma (a spiced kale-type green that is served steamed). I also enjoyed the Mchuzi (a rice and potato dish), the corn bread, and of course, the banana pancakes.
- Hot Air Balloon Ride: Hadley and the guys surprised me one morning - I thought we were going on morning Obs, but instead they took me on a hot air balloon ride. This was one of the most amazing experiences and true surprises I have ever had!
 |
| Adding air to the balloon |
 |
| The view from up abovewas amazing! |
 |
We were greeted by a lovely breakfast in the middle of the Mara after landing! |
Benson, Hadley, and me with the balloon pilot
Photo credit: Hadley's camera
Photo credit: Hadley's camera
No comments:
Post a Comment