In Kenya we were lucky enough to get to know some great guys of the Maasai tribe of western Kenya. We really enjoyed their stories and explanations behind nature. The way they read the landscape and tracked game was quite amazing. Indeed, many aspects of their rich culture reminded us of the Dinka tribe of southern Sudan, particularly their cattle beliefs and value system, their nomadic lifestyle, the removal of the front teeth and their facial scarring coming-of-age traditions. But I am left with a touch of sadness in my heart because they were not truly living out the life that it is in their blood. Imagine being a nomad in this modern world of property ownership and international borders. Where is home when 'home' used to be wherever your feet would take you? There was an international law passed last year that now allows nomadic tribes of East Africa to roam freely across borders. But what is the point of that if you cannot move your cattle with you? Without them you are a poor man with nothing. We have come across other Maasai in our travels, on the Kenyan coast, and previously on Lamu and Pemba Islands. They go there to sell their jewellery and trinkets to the tourists at the beach or they work as security guards around resorts. That is their new way of life now. The young men wander to lands their ancestors never would have taken their cattle to. They find a way to earn some money to send home to families who live a stationary life they never asked for. This has happened to so many peoples of the world. Once again, I am reminded of the cost of development and how so many rich and ancient forms of humanity get lost in the progress, never to be reborn. 
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| Tyre-tread shoes. Recycling at its finest. |
