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. 

Traditional dance of Maasai warriors

Adumu- traditional dance

Maasai

Maasai women singing traditional songs

Little girl

Standing outside a hut

Demonstration of how the Maasai make fire

Little boy

Children eating hard candies

Children outside their hut

Dog entering one of the huts

Handing out pens to the children

Trying to make friends but to no avail

You can find more photos from this trip at www.ariagiovanni.com

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to go to Africa. Watching all the National Geographic shows as a kid really stuck with me. I was always fascinated by the episodes that had to do with the savannas and jungles of Africa in particular. It seemed like such a different world to me out there and I could only imagine experiencing it firsthand. There was a time that I had wanted to become a field biologist and study animal behavior in Africa. It is funny how life takes you down a different path but I have never lost my desire for the experience. When the opportunity came for me to join a group of my friends on a safari through Kenya and Tanzania in July of 2007, I jumped on it. Nothing was going to stop me from seeing my dream place. I know, some people would not consider Africa to be their dream place but it definitely was for me. One of my favorite places to go when I was a child was the zoo and Africa felt like a 24 hour zoo that had no boundaries. Africa was like none other: from the baboons I followed on my way to breakfast in the morning, the Maasai village I visited and gave out candies and pens to the children, to watching the hunt, sitting in the front seat of a jeep 12 feet from a lion eating, watching the wildebeests migration, sunsets over the Serengeti, sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, and the long drives on the badly paved roads that ended with numerous mysterious empty bottles of wine in the back. I had so much fun and I enjoyed all the excitement feeling like I was right there when everything happened. I can’t wait for the opportunity to go back again.