Masai Village

This is a picture of our guide to the village. He met us at the Olonana Safari Camp and we walked the 15 minutes to the village. This Masai was an elder. You become an elder when you marry or after the age of 26. When you are between 15 and 26 you are considered a Warrior. And when you are 5 years you begin to herd the goats, which you do until you are 15 when you become a Warrior and begin to herd the cattle.

The Masai are Pastoralists and Nomads. They will live in one place for a maximum of 12 years at which time they will move on to find better grazing ground. Unless their is a drought and then they will send out warriors to find water and better grazing grounds for their new village


This is a communal lodge is mostly for the men but from time to time the women are allowed to enter. The Masai always wear red and or blue. Red is for bravery and blue is for the sky. They believe that God is in the sky but they do not believe in Jesus Christ.

The men are very handsome and are known for their bravery. The women are very crafty and do most of the work around the village, that is very common in Africa. You will see women carrying huge bundles of wood on their backs and you wonder how they can manage such large and heavy loads.


These little children were curious but not about to come out from their house. The houses are made of cattle dung. They are very dark inside with only a small vent to let out the cooking smoke. The beds they sleep on is like sleeping on concrete with an animal skin on top for a mattress. The inside has a tiny room that is for the baby goats and baby calves, yes they sleep right with the people.




This a typical looking Masai, you can tell them apart from all other tribes in Kenya because they all dress very traditionally. The young men are the only ones to get an education, education is not for women.



This is a picture of their homes with a little path way in between. In the middle of the village their is a fenced in area that is a foot deep with dung for the cattle to be brought in at night. The warriors will be on guard at night to protect the village and the cattle.

This is a beautiful unmarried young women, she was stunning and very elegant. The men can marry a woman from another village but when they do she "belongs to them". Women are like their cattle, they belong to them.


We didn't ask how old they live to be but due to their diets etc. we don't imagine very old. Their main food is milk and blood from their cattle. They put a puncture hole into the main vain in the cows neck and fill their gourds with the blood to mix with milk or drink along. The hole is then resealed for another day.


The women are very industrious making beautiful beaded necklaces and other things for the tourists. Their beautiful work is sold all around Africa. This was right out of National Geographic and something we have always read about and longed to see the "magnificent Masai People", living like they did hundreds or even thousands of years ago. No modern conveniences at all, living off the land with reverence for it and it's beauties.