Mzungu Mimics Maasai

Once again I seem to be lagging in my updates to the blog.  However, I had good reason this last week while I was making a return visit to the Masai Mara.  With the advent of the USB modem, internet connections have been fairly reliable and strong anywhere that you can get a cell phone signal.  I say fairly because I discovered that I strong signal does not always equate to a good internet connection.  However, I digress on the main topic.

I decided that I would take a few days in traveling back to Nairobi from Bungoma in Western Kenya.  So, on Tuesday morning I packed up my belongings and started east.  I drove south through Kisumu and then turned southeast to Kericho and then east to Narok.  Narok is the stepping off point for anyone going into the Mara by road.

Wednesday morning I got up and made the drive to the Sekenani Gate of the Mara where I met my friend Jonathan.  The whole point of the trip was not to see wildlife but to spend some time with Jonathan and getting a better understanding of life as a Maasai.  Jonathan is the guide that I met while doing my safari about a month ago.  This trip was definitely a step down in budget.  I stayed at a rustic camp owned and operated by the Maasai.  It at least had running hot water and some electricity so I wasn't completely roughing it.

The whole of Kenya is in a terrible drought.  However, the Maasai are pastoralists and are truly suffering from the lack of rain.  There entire wealth is measured in head of cattle and goats.  With the lack of water and grazing area, they are facing the loss of a significant head of livestock.  There is competition between the livestock and wildlife as they compete for the same dwindling water in the rivers and watering holes.  In fact, Jonathan's uncle lost 2 cows to elephants the day that I arrived.

Because I had the rental car, we agreed that we would spend Thursday driving the Mara to check on some areas that were said to still have some graze and water.  It was an all day task.  I was amazed at how much drier the Mara seemed to be just one month after my last visit.  The grasses all seemed to be cropped right to the ground by the grazing wildlife and livestock.  The river beds were either dry or pools of murky and stagnant water.  I saw numerous dead cattle in various states of decay.

The picture for this entry was taken at the temporary homestead for a friend of Jonathan's named Francis.  A temporary shelter sat on the crest of a hill with dust blowing all about it.  The structure was made of small branches woven to make a house.  Rather than the normal waddle of mud and manure, they had simply put some fabric across the side that received most of the wind.  There were 4 women present and 15 children.  One was Francis' wife, one was a mother to his father, and the other two were sister in laws.

The children were absolutely filthy.  Jonathan explained that with the lack of water they really hadn't been able to bath for about a month.  They typically are getting their liquid in the form of milk from the families' herds of goats.  They all looked small and thin, although not malnourished.  I know that they are nearing that point as food is scarce in this area.  They had a goat's head cooking on the fire.  I can't imagine that there is much meat on a goat's head, but it must provide some nourishment.

The children were completely enthralled with seeing an 'mzungu' up close.  I greeted each of them the typical Maasai way.  An adult lightly places his/her hand on the head of the child.  They've all seen Caucasians in safari jeeps, but had never been able to touch one.  They were enthralled with my skin and swarmed me so that they could rub the skin on my arms.  Some of the older ones noticed that I had quite a bit of arm hair and would lightly pull on it to see what it was like.  Kenyans, as a whole, do not have much hair (if any) on their arms. They stroked my arms the entire time I was with them, laughing and giggling amongst themselves.

I have to admit that I had thoughts of germs passing through my mind during this time.  As I placed my hand on some of the heads, I could not help but see the common characteristics of ringworm on some of them.  As they rubbed my arm, I looked at the dirt that seemed to have become almost a second skin on their hands and under their fingernails.  I thought about my immune system and wondered if I was putting it at any additional stress.  And yet, I also thought, who cares?  Children the world over are simply children.  They're curious, gentle and explorative.  They simple found me to be of intrigue or amusement and I was happy to be with them.

After a bit of a visit, we decided to proceed to the village "just down the hill."  Francis wanted to buy me lunch.  It was going to be nyama choma or grilled meat.  His wife came along so that she could get some vegetables and corn meal to take back to the family.  The just down the hill was probably another 20-30 minute drive at slow pace necessitated by the landscape.  The good thing was that it was also towards the Mara River and Mara Triangle where water and pasture were thought to be better.

The little village was made up of small stores (dukas), a couple of butcheries, and numerous bars.  Alcohol is such a problem in some areas and this seemed to be no different.  We bought some goat meat and had sodas while we waited for the food to be cooked.  The meal consisted of goat, potatoes, onions, and a side of ugali (the corn meal staple).  It was absolutely delicious and I ended up gorging myself.  The wife was able to buy some maize and wilted vegetables to take home.  We dropped her off as we made the 12-18 mile return trip.

Jonathan spoke to his family and they agreed that they would need to move the livestock.  Together, the family probably has close to 600 head of cattle.  The men will move the livestock to the SLIGHTLY greener area where water will be available.  They'll also continue to pray for the rains to arrive.  The meteorologists are promising El Nino rains but they've eluded this area so far.

Jonathan showed me a stretch of the river that is normally free flowing.  I looked down from a high point on the bank and saw 60+ hippos literally on top of each other trying to stay wet and cool.  The smell was incredible.  The water is not moving and so their waste floated across the top of the water.  If you think of a stagnant pond with manure instead of algae growth, then you have a good idea of the sight.  It was disgusting.

As Americans, we take water for granted.  We want our perfectly green lawns and so sometimes cheat on watering days imposed by municipalities.  We actually buy bottled water slickly marketed by companies when we have perfectly clean water running in our taps.  We throw half a load of laundry into the washing machine because we can't bear to where one of the many clean shirts in our closet, but instead want the one that is in the hamper.

The morning I left we dropped off a niece of Jonathan's at the school that is within the town of Talek.  Talek is one of the gates going into the official Masai Mara Reserve.  It is a small collection of buildings housing markets for the local population.  That are of the Talek River is also a little higher although not really a running stream.  The children near the town are fortunate in that they are able to get water from one of the two wells in the 2 mile radius of the town or from that portion of the river.  Each child had a container with water for drinking.  These containers were mainly leftover vegetable oil containers and were a half gallon or gallon.  Even through the opaque whiteness of the container, I could see that the water was not clear.  Most of the water was a tan color.  I couldn't help but think of what this would do to my system.  In fact, in another area of the country, there is a cholera outbreak because the water people are getting is stagnant and contaminated.

The lesson I am taking away from this is that conservation of our resources is absolutely vital.  There are many reasons for the situation here in Kenya and I need to write an entry on it.  However, I know that upon return to the States I will think twice before taking a long shower.