Masai village

It has about fifty people, and when you enter all the women come out and shake your hand, saying “Sopa!”.  The children bend their heads down, expecting to be patted on top.

A typical dwelling is about 18 by 15 feet, and it is made out of mud, cow dung, and sticks, the latter material is in place to hold it together when it rains.  In one half of the dwelling, the young sheep come and sleep at night, so that the predators cannot kill them.  In the other half of the dwelling, ten (!) people sleep, at least for the house I visited.

Polygamy is the norm, with two or three wives being typical.  Someone from the previous generation might have had ten wives or more.  When you ask them about the “adding-up constraint” — what about the men who can’t get wives? — it is difficult to get a straight answer.

I very much enjoyed the hocking, polyphonal vocal music I heard.

I asked the women what they most want from their government, and their answers were 1) a road, and 2) a better water supply, the current water tank being a few kilometers away.  At night a few small lights go on, powered by solar.  Cell phones are commonplace, and many of the children now go to school, a recent development.

A poor family might own 100 cattle, a rich family perhaps 200 cattle.  A typical cow might sell for $80 in the market.

They do not know what America is, though if you point toward the sunset you can tell them you come from that direction.

The rate of smiling is fairly high.  One woman had lost her leg, it is believed because of a snakebite requiring amputation.