Meet Pius: Once a Maasai Warrior,
Always a Maasai Warrior
"A man without a culture is like a
zebra without stripes"
This is how Pius explains the Maasai people's pride in their
culture and traditions and their determination to keep them alive. We are
very fortunate to have this friendly and intelligent Maasai man as a guide to
the surrounding villages and land while we are staying in the Maasai Mara.
Pius now is a "Junior Elder" after serving as a Maasai
"Warrior" for ten years. When we asked how one becomes a
warrior, Pius explained to us the four requirements: (1) kill a lion, (2)
kill an ostrich, (3) kill a buffalo, and (4) get circumcised at the age of 17,
without anesthetic. The first three requirements, in addition to self defense,
are the only times that a Maasai
person is allowed to kill an animal in the jungle. Pius wears a red plaid
blanket, beaded jewelry and he carries a spear and a bow and arrow.
Pius is married with two children. We met them and they
are adorable. While Polygamy is a part of the Maasai culture, Pius is
content with his one wife. The armed Maasai elder that is with us has
three wives. Pius tells us that his wife cooks wonderful madida, which
is a mixture of corn, cream, milk and sugar. You can tell that he adores
her as he tells us another Maasai saying: "A man without a wife is
not a whole man".
One day, Pius took us into his village.
We were greeted by a line of ten Maasai women who sang for us
the welcome song. I was very touched. As most Maasai villagers do
not speak English, Pius translated for us as we sat down and had a chat.
The women asked us many questions and we did the same. They were very
friendly. We felt very welcome.
The women wear colorful clothing and beads.
This Maasai woman was just recently married. She is wearing
the wedding necklace. When we visited, the women were building her
home. The homes form a circle around the center which is intended for the
sacred cattle.
Land
and animals are sacred to the Maasai people. They believe that they should
not interfere with the animals and the land and let what ever happens
happens. For example, their tradition dictates that they do not plant
trees. Instead, they use the trees that already exist around them.
Furthermore, they do not believe in land ownership.
The Maasai people believe that God sent cattle down to
earth for them, and therefore, they are justified in keeping them for their milk
and their meat. Cattle is very important to the Maasai livelihood, and
therefore their most valuable commodity.
We also met some Maasai warriors during our visit to the
village. This warrior is wearing six bracelets. This means that he has six
girlfriends. Each girlfriend makes him a bracelet. Life as a Maasai
Warrior is very good. They must be disappointed when they get promoted to
Junior Elder status.
We are very grateful to the Maasai villagers and the
hospitality that they showed us. We feel especially fortunate and proud to
have met our friend, Pius.
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