What to Expect When You Visit a Maasai Village With Grevys Safaris
One of the best experiences when you visit Tanzania is to pay a visit to a Maasai village (please note that we do not visit any commercialized Maasai villages but only real places off the grid). But what can you expect when you visit a Maasai tribe in their village? That is what we are going to discuss in this article. We will share some background about the Maasai and let you know what you can expect on your visit. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
The Maasai Tribe
The Maasai tribe is one of approximately 160 distinct tribal communities in East Africa. As the lives of these semi-nomadic pastoralists revolve around keeping their livestock fed and watered, the Maasai go where fresh grass grows, following the rain through northern Tanzania and southern Kenya.
They’re certainly one of the better-known tribes, thanks to their iconic red robes, beaded jewellery, and everyday interactions with visitors from around the world touring through their villages. The Maasai communities live close to the national parks in northern Tanzania, including the famous Serengeti and the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.
Tribal histories vary, but the Maasai likely originated in the lower Nile in the 1500s, what is now Sudan, and moved south over the next 300-400 years, settling in southern Kenya and as far south in Tanzania as the central region.
A Day In The Life Of The Maasai Tribe
Every human being has three main needs: food to eat, a house for shelter and clothes to cover their body. Maasai people construct their homes, known as Inkajijik in their mother tongue (Maa), with cow dung and sand mixture. For the roof, they use small sticks and strings.
As said, Maasai people are nomadic, and their houses are constructed so that making a move is considerably easy. Inkajijik are circular and bigger ones can accommodate up to 6-8 people. The most intriguing fact is that women in the tribe are responsible for constructing houses.
The village is surrounded by a fence known as the Enkang, whose main purpose is to protect cattle and other livestock from wild predators at night. The men of the tribe construct these fences.
The Maasai tribe’s main food source is the cattle, and – in recent times – crops they started to cultivate. And this is the area that most Maasai people concentrate on in their daily lives.
A Culture To Preserve
From their diet to their lifestyle, Maasai culture is fascinatingly unique to many. Often, we associate the Maasai with friendliness and bright, colorful clothing. The bright red with white stripes wrap-like cloth known as a shuka is almost synonymous with the Maasai. The most popular colors are red, black, and blue, and the Maasai enjoy matching their beaded jewelry with fabric.
And, of course, traditions run deep. The Maasai are known for their love of singing and dancing. Interestingly, the only musical instrument the Maasai use is their voice! Typically, the lead singer, the olaranyani, sings the melody, and the audience acknowledges it with a collective call. Maasai dance is a rhythmic jump performed most often during special occasions.
Visiting Maasai Village – What You Can Expect?
With the Maasai people in West Kilimanjaro, you can either take a guided nature walk to inhale true nature or go on a bike ride with the tribal people through Maasailand. You can also take part in their spear throwing competition or join the women from the village and create intricate beadwork.
Overall, visiting a Maasai village and getting an in-depth insight into their culture and traditions will definitely be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
If you’ve been interested in Africa, you must have come across beautiful sunset and sunrise shots taken on the continent. While the photographs are indeed ethereal, let us tell you a secret, the view in real life is so much better.
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