I’m going to be honest here and share that I have heavily debated sharing my experience at a Maasai Tribe Village on my page. It’s been a consistent internal debate. A girl on my trip shared her experience on a travel Facebook group and got ripped apart by thousands of its members. I read some of the criticism and I understood it (although, I don’t think she cared so much about the criticism as she thought she was going to get positive praise for her post. She was in it for the Insta likes and not necessarily the culture sharing opportunity it was).

So, let me preface this by saying the following:

I did not visit Tanzania on a mission trip or do any kind of volunteer work. This was a pleasure trip that I paid for to be a tourist.
I did not go on this trip looking to impart myself into another culture but rather to learn and grow from others and be an active listener rather than a passive aggressor of sorts.
I have not once posted about this experience at the Maasai Village on social media. And I’m not looking for kudos for that either. I’m simply saying that this was a learning opportunity for me, and I never felt the need to use it for likes. It wasn’t about me. It was about the villagers teaching me.
I realize that I am privileged in many ways, the most obvious being my skin color.
I also understand that just because I realize I am privileged does not mean I have erased my mistakes, appropriations, or contribution to racial issues in the world and my community. I am not an exception. This will be a lifelong exploration of myself and how I can grow and be better.

That all being said, the conclusion I came to was that I should share my experience. Because referencing point #3 above, it’s not about me. Each villager I interacted with asked me if I was going to share my experience and pictures with my friends and family back home. You see, Maasai tribes across Africa (they live in both Tanzania and Kenya) are disappearing, or merging into others, losing their unique identities. Their country’s’ governments have even instituted programs to encourage them to assimilate into a more “modern” way of life. The main source of their survival is, of course, money. Tribes such as the one we visited, charge money to share their home and culture. It is a source of income for them and one they use to keep their traditions, homes, and heritage alive. If my fee to visit helps them to keep their tribe alive, then I will support that and share the opportunity with others.

I’ve decided that a fair compromise for my internal debate is to share only the explanations provided to me and what the tribe taught me. No additional commentary from me. I want to highlight the experiences and learning without making it about me. Fair warning, this trip was my first time using a GoPro so please excuse the shaky, amateur footage I managed to capture.

So here it is, my experience at a Maasai Village:

We left the Serengeti and began our journey back to Ngorongoro. This time, instead of stopping at the Olduvai Gorge we stopped and visited a Maasai tribe village. As mentioned above, tourist groups pay a fee to the tribe to visit their home. It is a source of income that is vital to their survival. The fee allows you about a 1-hour visit to tour their home and experience some of their traditions.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted and each provided with a traditional robe, called a Shuka. This is incredibly recognizable because it is predominantly red, often with a plaid pattern. We were then welcomed with a traditional welcome dance. Each of us was invited to join in the welcome dance. I decided to join (personal interjection: I was always taught it was rude to refuse opportunities in other cultures. I cannot confirm if that was the case here but decided to join anyway).

After the welcome dance, we were brought into the center of the village and shown the adumu, known to us as the “jumping dance.” It a recognizable ritual of Maasai life that celebrates the welcoming of young men into the next stage of their lives. It is one ritual of many that makes up a larger ceremony. Once again, we were invited to participate in this tradition.

Next, we were brought out of the center of the village and walked towards a small hut in the back by the Chief. We were greeted by a handful of smiling children. The teacher had the children present a chant of their learnings that included the alphabet, numbers, and words. The Chief explained his belief that education for the children is critical to the tribe’s survival and emphasized his belief that they should not only learn their native language but English as well so that they can continue to invite visitors and share their culture with the outside world.

In addition to sharing their knowledge with us, the children also displayed some of the gifts they had been giving by visitors, including bracelets, necklaces, and even hot wheels cars. They were excited to show us that they knew how to high five and fist bump.

After visiting the children, our group was split up into smaller groups of 2 to 3 people. We were matched up with a male tribe member and brought into their hut. In the hut, we had the opportunity to see what the typical home life is like for a Maasai. The huts are small and have only enough space for a bed or 2, a small bench, and a fire area for cooking and keeping warm. There are no lights or furniture as we think of it. The huts themselves are built by the females in the village for their male counterparts. Men in the Maasai tribe have multiple wives and often only share their hut with one at a time. The other wives stay in separate huts.

The inside of a hut. As mentioned, there are no lights so it’s a bit difficult to capture but this is one of the beds.

Finally, we were given a few minutes to walk around and explore some of the handmade crafts available for sale. I purchased a small, beaded jewelry holder. Tanzania is a haggling friendly culture. When purchasing souvenirs, you are encouraged to negotiate the price with the seller. I chose not to in this instance.

And that was it! All in all, the visit ended up taking about an hour. The Maasai were incredibly warm and welcoming. It was a great learning opportunity and I took a lot away from it. I have always enjoyed learning about how other cultures work. Learning about how other people live gives me a new perspective into my own life and that is invaluable, in my opinion.