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MASAI LECTURE/DANCING PICTURE LINK

On the first day at the Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, we listened to a lecture given by a Masai warrior. He talked for about an hour explaining his culture to us, and at the end we could ask him any questions that we wanted. To be honest with you, I didn't know much about the Masai before this day. So what a fascinating and eye opening experience this was to learn about such a vastly different culture!

On the evening of the second day we were here, we were able to enjoy traditional Masai dancing and singing. Before dinner, a group of about twenty Masai warriors came into the camp and performed for us for about 30 minutes. Afterward, they sold crafts that the women of their village had made. I bought a peace stick from one of these warriors. You can check out this item on the ITEMS BOUGHT link to the right.

The Masai don't have musical instruments. They sing in a call-and-response system. One warrior chants/grunts part of a rhythm, which together with the calls of the other warriors creates a pattern of rhythms. The songs are competitive, with the singers alternately leaping as high as they can from a standing start. One of their performances was a buffalo dance which involves vertical jumping that would put an NBA forward to shame!

What an extreme experience this dancing and singing was to see. I've never seen anything like it before (besides on tv which isn't the same), and the chanting and humming even seem to put me into a trance! They would also let out yelps and stomp their spears. Tourist were invited to dance with them at the end, which was fun to watch.


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Copyright © 2002, Dawn M. Dalton.
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