Stage Two: Maasai Mara To Lake Nakuru
We’re not always one hundred per cent certain about visits to tribal villages, it’s sometimes a thin line between an authentic experience and something touristy and exploitative, and it’s hard to tell the difference beforehand. Whichever, the bottom line is that the time honoured customs of the local people will be being impacted one way or another by the influx of tourist money, there’s no getting away from that. But here, in a new country and deep into the Maasai Mara, our desire to learn more of their culture outweighs the doubts and we commit to an early morning sortie.
As it turns out, it’s not touristy, it’s definitely not fake, and we do indeed learn a great deal about Maasai tribal history, culture and customs. We are walked the twenty minutes or so from the Lodge to the village by tribesmen Ben and Patrick (well that’s what they say their names are), to a scattered array of traditional dwellings, a muddy compound housing a sizeable cowherd, and a clearing in the centre where the men in Maasai dress perform a dance of welcome.
Anthony, a son of the village chief, tells us that every single male in the village has the same grandfather – and the total population of the village is around 200. Busy grandfather. Maasai culture permits polygamy, but for obvious reasons the wives, who are all committed by arranged marriage (“love comes later” says Anthony), must come from a different village. Life for the woman then isn’t easy: her next job is to build the family home, literally build it, by hand from scratch, assisted only by any female friends she can call on for help. From that point, she does everything in the home for the rest of her days.
The men only have to tend the animals – but then those guys have by that time already been through a set of extreme experiences as part of Maasai custom. Public circumcision, performed by a village elder with a knife and without anaesthetic, is one of them. The menfolk watch closely as the boy – aged 15, mind you, so not a toddler – has to undergo the ordeal without showing the slightest sign of pain or anguish. Any such reaction, even a curling of a toe or a tensing of the hands, is perceived to be cowardly and the boy will be ostracised by the village and deemed unworthy of adult male Maasai status.
How does a young boy prepare for this horror? By having burning sticks placed on his body and searing the skin, over and over, until he learns to take it without showing pain. Anthony proudly shows us the multiple scars on his legs which he “earned” as part of the process. After the circumcision ordeal, the boy is sent off into the bush with fellow adolescents and a single village elder, where the group learn the survival skills of the tribe, only returning to the village three whole years later, now deemed to be a “proper” adult Maasai male. The thing is, their village may well have been flattened and relocated elsewhere by then, because decay of, and termite infestation to, the cow dung walled houses means that each village only has a maximum lifespan of 9 years before the dwellings start to crumble. The village chief decides on the new location and, yeah you’ve guessed it, the women have to build the new houses.
We’re back on the road after our village visit, leaving the Maasai Mara behind and heading north with our five companions and driver-guide Stanley, onwards towards the equator, passing now and again through chaotic market towns bursting with everyday life.
Our en route call is at Lake Nayvasha where we take what Stanley calls a boat safari. The lake teems with birds – ibis, egrets, herons and pelicans wading and feeding in the waters, fish eagles swooping from above to grab fish, and impossibly colourful woodland birds seeking food among the trees, while pied kingfishers speed from perch to perch like mini fighter jets. It’s a birdwatcher’s dream of a place.
Hippos lounge in the cool waters, snouts appearing intermittently above the surface, while water bucks wade out into the beds of water hyacinth and feast on its verdant leaves. Not just a birdwatcher’s dream but pretty good for hippo lovers too.
We finally make our next base as darkness is falling. We are now at Lake Nakuru, north of the town of the same name and only around fifteen miles from the equator, the scent of damp vegetation filling the evening air. Heavy rain blighted part of today’s journey and it’s clear that it’s fallen here too. Somewhere out there in the darkness there are splendid views of the lake, but they’re going to have to wait until morning, they’re tucked away for the night now.
Our second safari destination awaits.
31 Comments
Helen Devries
If that’s the Maasai culture…they can keep it!
Your boat safari looked just super, though.
Phil & Michaela
Well yes, I can’t say I’m too keen on the circumcision thing either…
Monkey's Tale
Love the kingfisher! A Maasai friend of our guide joined us for a day when we was back visiting his family. In his tribe after they become men, the smart ones are sent away again but this time to Nairobi for school. He was sent away and ended up loving Nairobi so never returned to live with his tribe. I think they allow him to return for visits because he brings money. At least that’s what we understood. It is an interesting culture although I can’t imagine being a Maasai woman. Hope you’re loving Nakuru. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
Interesting. Like so many other cultures, one effect of tourist money is precisely that – they now know of other worlds and many get the opportunity to find a new life. Even the fact that the safari lodges are staffed by Maasai presents a big change to tradition for many.
Lookoom
It’s amazing how the way of life can still be so different in certain parts of the world, and it takes humility to respect these differences.
Phil & Michaela
Yes indeed. Things are changing with tourist money coming in and I’m never quite certain which outweighs the other, good or bad.
Travels Through My Lens
The boat tour looks delightful; seeing animals in their natural surroundings is always a treat.
Phil & Michaela
It certainly is..
Miriam
I’ll never complain about housework ever again! What a different culture and what an insight you both are experiencing. Amazing adventures and photos.
Phil & Michaela
Ha ha no although I’m not too keen on the Maasai male trauma either! Yes it’s been an amazing week really…
restlessjo
I’m just thanking my lucky stars not to have been born into a Maasai village. I couldn’t hack it. I do love the pelicans though. What kind of temperatures did you have?
Phil & Michaela
I don’t blame you Jo! Actually not as hot as expected, hovering sort of 28 to 30C. Lots of cloud so a bit humid, then the afternoon winds blow away the cloud and the evenings are the clearest skies. Nights were chilly near the Equator too.
restlessjo
🤗💙
Andrew Petcher
I’d choose ostracism to circumcision for sure.
Phil & Michaela
With you on that one Andrew.
The Nepal Trekking Company
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Toonsarah
Sounds like you had a fascinating visit to that Maasai village, and really learned a lot about their culture and way of life. Not a life any of us is likely to covet however! We also visited a Maasai village when on safari in Tanzania years ago but from what I recall we were told it wasn’t their actual village because they preferred to keep that private. So they’d set up a replica a few miles away and spent certain days there to welcome tourists and show them how they lived without having to sacrifice privacy. It was an interesting visit but I don’t think we got as much out of it as you did – perhaps because our hosts were less open and forthcoming than yours.
I love the look of the boat safari too – the pelican photo is great but I have a special fondness for pied kingfishers. Maybe it’s the black and white ‘football strip’ 😆
Phil & Michaela
Well I certainly think our visit was to a “proper” village. It looked and felt like it and we were the only two visitors, no other tourists there. And inaccessible even by 4×4 so probably enough off the trail, so to speak. We love kingfishers too, as it goes…and there were so many!
grandmisadventures
Fascinating read on the Maasai culture. That would be a very difficult rite of passage for those young men- not only having to endure such a public painful event but then to be sent out to the wild for a few years. That’s a lot of pressure on the women too to have to build and maintain the house. Amazing though to be so close to a hippo in the water!
Phil & Michaela
There are still some very different cultures in the world, aren’t there….
WanderingCanadians
The Maasai culture and way of life sounds rough for both the women and men. Makes me appreciate where I live. The boat safari looks cool. Great pictures, especially the shot of the hungry pelicans.
Phil & Michaela
They were begging!! But yes we definitely learnt things about a very different culture.
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
What a fascinating society and great post. Had to do a search about the Maasai as I knew very little about them. Maasai are tall because of the rich calcium diet intake from animal products. Red symbolizes bravery, unity, and blood. One of the last tribes that hold on to their early traditions in Africa. It makes one appreciate the life we live compared to them.
Phil & Michaela
It was for sure a fascinating little visit!
Annie Berger
What an incredible experience you had in the village learning about the Maasai way of life first hand. It must have been a huge honor. I appreciate your candor and honesty about whether your visit might be considered intrusive and possibly exploiting their lifestyle. Thanks for the education into their way of life. The shot of the hungry pelicans is, once again, phenomenal.
Phil & Michaela
Yes I’m always in two minds about things like that. It’s not possible for a way of life to remain unaltered when the tourist dollar changes their economy. Even if it improves it, it still alters it. The pelicans were funny!
Alison
What a horror story, perhaps not as bad as the poor women who go through the same with razor blades! Your Anthony seemed happy enough. It does make you wonder about the survival rate. We are so mollycoddled it’s hard to believe the lives these tribes live. You are really immersing yourself into the culture and your photos are wonderful.
Phil & Michaela
There are still some very different lifestyles out there, even where there is crossover with tourism
Alison
It’s good we get to hear about them
wetanddustyroads
Visiting the Maasai village camp looks very interesting – if it’s not touristy (as it seems to be), it’s the best way to get to know a tribe (somehow though, I’m glad I grew up here at the southernmost tip of Africa). And I could clearly spot the “intruders” in one of your pictures. My favourite photo in this post has to be that beautiful one of the pelicans!
Phil & Michaela
Those pelicans are a bit on the greedy side 😀. But yeah I’m glad we did the village visit, we learned a lot.