The Maasai

Masai live on both sides of the border of Kenya and Tanzania into a large area of the Masai Mara assigned to them for a thousand years. Masai civilized very weak, and so the population of Tanzania considers them a sort of wild Indians. However, the Maasai have own pride. They are the tallest people in the world. Two meters tall at them is in the order of things. Masai do not bother themselves with ranchers, agriculture and even hunting, but the Masai warriors with spears always go to protect themselves from wild animals and thieves.

In the past Maasai greatly suffered from the slave trade. Beautiful giants were easily to be sold in the slave markets. But the captive Maasai did not survive. Descendants of many African tribes can be found in America, but there is no Maasai. The reason for this is diet. The main food of the Masai people is blood and milk. Blood is taken from a humpback zebu cows from a vein in the neck. Draw half a bucket of blood, wound daubed with clay, and the second half a bucket filled with milk. There are also gourmets among the Maasai. They make blood-milk mixture and still fermented week, and then drink intoxicating drink, which neighbors the Maasai call “forest whiskey”. Maasai also eat meat. But they don’t have habits to store something, and meat spoils quickly in the heat. Therefore, the Maasai, slaughtering a cow (usually – a sick or old), sit near the carcass, cut a piece of meat, fried and eaten, fried and eaten. Two Masai per day continuous eating can eat a medium-sized bull.

Maasai do not like to be photographed. Like many other African nations, they have a belief that the photo takes a piece of their soul. But for the money, you can take pictures of Masaya. The best way to do it is to drive up to the roadside village and found the leader, agree with him about the passage into the village. Some maasai from illustrative villages (nothing is not very different from the “real” villages) all day long sticks from hut to hut in anticipation of tourists. But here they go! Warriors as casually raise spears and begin to follow closely, so anyone didn’t unauthorized picture. It takes a little time, and leader appears. He has huge holes in his ears and non-working watch London boy on his wrist.

The leader was in college and has a two-storey house in the town, but his role plays well and even smells naturally, as wild. He assesses the financial capacity of tourists and names the price: $ 50. Tourists immediately give thirty and then painstakingly digging through their pockets and fished out another three $. The leader at least takes a decision: two handles, chocolate for children and… The leader gives command, the soldiers opens the gate in the fence, and ready for the play begin to dance, rhythmically groan, depicting a wedding dance.

Tourists make photo. Women sing and dance, children comb Mushin ulcers, soldiers also gather in a circle and jump as high as possible. Chief offers to go into the hut. Hut is a small and very low yurt with a thatched roof, covered with clay. It is strange that the highest people in the world live in such inconveniences. Tourists squeeze inside. Smoldering campfire in the middle of the hut, and the smoke goes into the small hole in the roof. Through the same hole in the cabin gets a thin pillar of light. The leader raises his hand, suggests a sunbeam hand… and a miracle happens: the beam is reflected from the palm, scattered – and in a hut becomes light.

The leader offers tourist and tourist brings to the line of palm. The street dance stops, the leader gets out. A tourist again inserts his hand. So dark, so light. How easy! So much for the savages… I was tired of civilization. Well, I came to Tanzania!

Author: Arif Aliyev.