The Motherland

It is said that Kenya is the Cradle of Humanity...the precise location of mankind's evolution. That is why it's supposedly so hard to leave this place, because once you arrive, you feel like you've come home. Africa, the Motherland. I don't find this hard to believe following my weekend trip to the Maasailand. The Maasai are a nomadic tribe, and can still be seen wearing traditional kangas(cloth wrapped around their bodies)and ornate beaded jewelry. Their ears are stretched out six inches due to heavy rings in each, and their eyes have a light ring of hazy blue surrounding the outer circles of brown. Their faces tell a story amidst the lines and creases, and you could stare mesmerized all day to reinvent an entire life. The men are tall and boney, herding their cattle along the side of the road with walking sticks. It's as if you are walking into the past as you enter into these villages, a live portrait belonging in a museum.

I rode 20 kilometres on the back of a motorbike past the Ngong Hills into Olashibor, where I had to venture off the road and into the bush in order to see any homes at all. It's an incredibly religious experience, I've never felt so high, and I tried to imagine how I would ever even begin to describe it. Something about the Acacia trees amidst a huge open sky, set off my tin houses with wooden gate doors...I felt my place in the world. No running water or electricity. Outhouses and dirt paths that seemingly lead into another time and place if followed for long enough.

At the age of 14, the Maasai boys become men. They are circumcised, and sent off "into the bush" with a group for an extended period of time. They practice hunting and weaponry skills, and are allowed to eat only what they kill. They are not to have contact with the women, or ask for help, and the final test to become a true Maasai Warrior is to kill a lion. A group of five Maasai hunt and encircle the lion. The lion will choose one to pounce, and one of the boys is required to grab and hold the tail while the others kill it. Sometimes they all come out alive, sometimes they don't.

In other news, I started wearing Mama's skirts. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but last week my Principal told me I looked very "motherly." Also, I've begun to think the dresses in the side shops don't look so bad anymore. One's idea of luxury changes a bit as time passes in this country.