Visit to a Masai Village

During our 3 day safari to the Masai Mara, Jon took the opportunity to visit the traditional Masai village. This was after a 10-hour game drive that day, so the kids were ready for a rest. Also, the “initial” cost for the visit was $20. For Ashley and the kids, it would not have been worth it: for Jon it was awesome.

Friction Fire

The only reason Jon really wanted to go was to learn friction fire directly from the Masai. He loves the outdoors and has tried to start fires in multiple ways. Successes: magnifying credit card, magnesium fire starter, flint striker, matches, lighter. Failures: every imaginable way to start a fire with friction.

The Masai people only start a fire using a traditional hand drill setup. They start one fire each evening, for the entire village, and transport embers into each hut for cooking. The keys:

• Fireboard: this is probably the most important part. There is a native tree called the “sandpaper” tree. The leaves actually feel gritty like sandpaper, and the wood itself is very coarse, allowing for high friction.
• Spindle: carefully sized and shaped from cedar.
• Team approach: they use at least 3 men. One holds the fireboard stable above the knife-blade and at least 2 alternate spinning down the spindle.

After watching the Masai men demonstrate starting a fire, Jon made sure he got a turn. They all looked at him a bit odd, he’s not sure any tourists have ever wanted to do it themselves. By utilizing the same approach, one holding the fireboard and Jon alternating spinning down the spindle with one other, he got a solid ember! This is a lifelong skill highlight for Jon: we’ll see if it is replicable by himself down the road. We have done a great job of not accumulating souvenirs as we travel the world, but there was no way Jon was leaving the camp without that fireboard and spindle: $20.

Masai Village Setup

The village Jon visited had 160 total members. There is one chief, and the Masai traditionally live as polygamists. The chief of this village had 6 wives, 22 sons, and 160 total people after counting all the wives and children. The males are only able to marry after completing the manhood initiation ritual (see below). Then, they can add additional wives as they accumulate more cows. The chief lives in a house in the middle of a circle of the rest of the village houses.

Becoming a man

This was a fascinating part of Jon’s visit to the Masai village. At the age of 22, males from the Masai village are circumcised and then sent out in a group to the wilderness. The exact mechanics of how the group is formed were a little fuzzy. But, at the time of Jon’s visit, there was a group of 20 total males, each around the age of 22, living out in the bush.

Each male is given a spear and a “knife” (think Crocodile Dundee: “That’s not a knife, THIS is a knife!”). The group is not allowed to return to the village until they have successfully hunted and killed a male lion. They are allowed no other weapons and have to survive off the land until completing the hunt: 1 total lion for the whole group.

After returning to the camp, the group performs a ritual dance of sorts. Jon was not given an option to sit it out. The culmination of the dance involves each man jumping up and down a few times. Based on the jump, you qualify for marriage. At least, it’s something like that, and Jon jumped high enough that he might be eligible for Masai marriage.

Do the Masai still drink cow’s blood?

Yes. They use a small bow-and-arrow to puncture a vein in the neck and drink small amounts of blood before quickly tending to the wound. The cows do not suffer adverse effects, and this is part of the nutrition of the Masai. They also drink milk from cows and goats.

Masai Economy

The primary economy of the village is livestock. This particular Masai village does no farming of any kind. They don’t even plant fruit trees, as that attracts elephants. There is a memorial right across the entrance from our eco-lodge from where an elephant had killed a villager.

The Masai raise cows and sheep for trading at the market. They also have goats and chickens for personal consumption, but only eat meat a couple of times a week.

By bartering with their live cows and sheep, they trade with other villages for fruit, beans, maize, rice, and supplies like iron and fabric. One of the chief’s sons is a blacksmith and makes all of the knives and spear-tips in the camp.

Masai Homes

The homes are built exclusively by the women in the tribe. It takes about 3 months to build a 4-room, waterproof house. They frame out the house with wood and then use a combination of mud mixed with cow dung for the walls and roof. All the kids sleep in one room, the husband and his wife/wives in another, one guest room, and one main room for cooking. The houses last about 9 years before termite damage leads to a tear-down and rebuild.

Visit to the Masai Village: do it.

Anywhere you travel, it’s always awesome to learn about the local people and culture. On our family trip around the world, we continue to strive to learn and have these experiences. If you do visit the Masai Mara on safari, take the opportunity to visit a local village. Parting pro-tip: take a few extra $1 bills with you. The initial cost of the tour is followed by consistently asking for tips and to purchase something. Jon bought the friction fire materials, which satiated the group. Mostly.

Kenya was our longest stay during our trip around the world, and we had the opportunity to travel around the country for a total of 7 weeks. See our other articles for traveling to Kenya here: travel to Kenya during Covid, how expensive in Diani Beach, top 5 activities in Diani Beach with kids, getting from Nairobi to Diani Beach, and how tourists can use MPESA.

To see all our travel adventures during a year-long trip around the world, head over to our Instagram page.

If you have questions about visiting Kenya or taking a safari to Masai Mara, let us know!  Happy Travels!