What to Expect When You Visit A Maasai Village With Sababu 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 jewelry, 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. But how can you make a visit more meaningful and make a positive impact on the community?

Give the Gift of Light:

Source: SolarSister

Like most tribes across Africa, many Maasai lack access to electricity. Our aim at Sababu Safaris is to offer a meaningful safari, an experience with a purpose giving back to the local communities we visit. So we initiated our solar light distribution project.

Most tribal communities depend on kerosene lamps as their nighttime source of light, but kerosene has some serious disadvantages. For starters, kerosene is dangerous and highly flammable, and even a spark of fire can lead to a fire, especially in the huts. Secondly, kerosene is very expensive. And last but not least, kerosene fumes are toxic and can lead to respiratory health issues.

When you choose to visit a Maasai village to distribute solar lights, your safari guide will look for a home of a family living without electricity and first talk with the tribal leader, describing the project's purpose and explaining the intention and purpose behind your visit.

We're sure you can imagine how satisfying it is to offer such a workable solution to a family's basic need for light. A safe, sustainable, clean and inexpensive way to improve a family’s quality of life.

The gift of light is provided by SolarSister. The main goal of the organization is to provide clean energy and improve overall women’s health in the community. The organization says that by using clean energy, women in the community are getting healthier and stronger than ever and even take part in the crucial task that has the significant influence on income-generating activities. Until now, SolarSister along with the local team has created a positive ripple effect by reaching around 3.4 million people across Africa with solar energy.  

Give the Gift of Clean Water

Water, the elixir of life, is an important need for every human being. But research says that most water from Northern Tanzania contains AMR E.coli (Antimicrobial Resistance E.coli). If you have not heard about AMR E.coli, it is best to know that this variant is a global issue and a significant threat to humans and animals. Just like the gift of light, you will also get the chance to give the gift of clean water: a water filter.

The gift, the water filter is graciously provided by Wine to Water and the main objective is to make a positive impact in the community by working with local schools with the help of a program called, Water4School. Local ceramic filter factories are also pitching in for the greater goods. Another main objective here is to free up women's time so that they can take a prominent role in the community and ultimately help in income-generating activities.  

It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. You get an authentic insight into local life, and the community gets the tools to ease their living situation in their remote villages. 

FAQs:

What are some of the Maasai tribe’s traditions?

The most noticeable thing would be their singing and dancing. Usually, the main singer, known as olaranyani sings the melody, and the people acknowledge with a unanimous call. Traditional Maasai dance consists of high jumping and is mostly done at special occasions.

Are the Maasai considered friendly?

Yes, often considered the most friendly of East African tribes, the Maasai are warm and welcoming. They'll think of you as a friend if you respect their traditions.

What languages are spoken by the Maasai?

"Maa" is the mother tongue of the Maasai tribe. However, many Maasai speak Swahili and English, the primary languages of both Kenya and Tanzania.

The End of the Trip:

Meeting other people from different backgrounds and different cultures sure feels exciting. But we want to do it in a respectful and authentic way that leaves behind a positive impact. If you want to participate in the distribution of solar lights and water filters, create your own personalized safari with us today!

We hope this article will help you understand what you can anticipate when visiting a Maasai village. We would like to end this article with a quote by Sir Winston Churchill,

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”