Valuable lessons in a Maasai village
Whenever I develop a little lump of guilt as I recklessly spend money on lipsticks I do not really need, a popular cosmetic brand nudges me… you are worth it.
I was visiting Maasai Mara in Kenya a few years ago for a wildlife safari. After a few days when I had seen the Big Five several times. my Maasai driver Jonathan asked me whether I was interested in visiting a Maasai village.It sounded like a great idea as I was curious to know about the lives of the wandering Maasais who lived in five to six countries of East and Central Africa
So the next morning, we drove to a Maasai village that was located near our resort. On reaching, I was greeted by a local Maasai guide who would be showing me around the village and telling me a little bit about their way of loving. He was dressed in the local Maasai style of prominent checked Shaka
Before you start worrying whether this isa blog post about a cosmetic brand, calm down. This is a post about an incident that actually happened in Africa which gave me a tangible insight into what I was really worth. And you will get to know this shortly. But there is a back story…
Maasais are a tribe of shepherds who earn their livelihood from their cows and goats. A typical village comprises of 15-20 huts where the Maasais live with their family and animals. In fact, the first room in the hut is reserved for their precious goats. Their cows and goats are their wealth,. It’s the closest equivalent of our gold, silver or crypto.
Maasai men can have several wives. And my young guide gave me to understand that the Msai women are not jealous. Each wife has her own hut which she has to build herself after the marriage. The men have it really good deal in this part of the world.
As we walked around the village, we were joined by another young Maasai man. He spoke a little English and seemed to be very curious about me. He wanted to know how many children I had. When I said none, he wanted to know about my husband. When I mentioned that I did not have one, he seemed very happy. Then with. a lot of confidence he said that he was willing to marry me. i was a little taken aback but decided to quiz him a little more. . I asked him whether he had other wives. He said that he was single and he was serious about his proposal. And to prove his intentions, he was willing to give me all his possessions as dowry… all of ten goats.
So how much am I worth in Maasai country? I am worth ten goats. The goats would have made some great curries but the idea of carrying mud to build my new home sounded like a lot of work. So the proposal was rejected.
I know my worth. Do you? Why not visit Maasai Mara and find out for yourself…