Of two cultures and their influence on the Sarova Hotels Brand
Residing several kilometers apart, the Maasai people thrive along the fringes of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley while the Samburu are found further up North. These colorful ethnic groups live on the frontier between human life and the untamed wilderness. Notwithstanding the distance apart, their cultures are intertwined and influenced by each other. This shines through at both Sarova Mara Game Camp & Sarova Shaba Game Lodge where each of these cultures is embodied in our people, our cuisine and our beautifully rustic interiors.
David Sasine, a charismatic, witty naturalist and driver cum guide at the Sarova Mara Game Camp holds a wealthy perspective of the two cultures. He shares this with us, often going on a tangent about how instrumental Sarova has been for his family & himself.
Q: What do you do for Sarova Mara Game Camp & how long have you worked here?
A: I have worked here since November 2014 to date. Before that, I had worked as a Maasai cultural lecturer in a small village in the Masai Mara called Olai Mutiai. I am currently a naturalist & cultural ambassador. My roles include giving the guests a warm Maasai welcome experience through dance, conducting cultural talks, as well as taking our guests on nature walks and guided game drives.
Q: What does a cultural ambassador do?
A: A cultural ambassador is a bridge between the tribe and the hotel globally because I represent the face of the Maasai tribe at the most local level. I am quite passionate about this role.
Q: Who are the Maasais?
A: Maasais are one of the smallest tribes in Kenya. We are nomadic pastoralists who keep sheep, cows and goats and move from one place to another in search of pastures. The Maasais are originally from Egypt. We followed the flow of the River Nile and briefly settled in South Sudan. And then we moved again and settled in Kenya through Lake Turkana. The Maasai entered Kenya as part of three subgroups alongside the Turkana and Samburu tribes, but I can’t quite tell how we met and all converged here.
Q: Where in Kenya are Maasais found?
A: In a quest to follow the flow of climate, the Maasais in Kenya once found themselves thriving in Nairobi, named so by the tribe to mean “a place of cool waters”. We’ve also settled in Nakuru which in Maasai means “a place of bare land” & also in Naivasha which means “a place of water bodies”. An attempt to settle in Mt. Kenya failed due to the cold climate of the land, eventually causing us to further subdivide the tribe into two – The Maasais of the Mara in Narok and the Maasais of Amboseli, closer to the border of Kenya & Tanzania.
Q: Is there a difference between the Maasais of Kenya and those in Tanzania?
A: A long drought experienced in Kenya decades ago forced some Maasais to cross and settle into Tanzania through the Mara River, further to the Serengeti plains in Northern Tanzania. Our close ties however continue due to trade and intermarriage. Our mode of dressing is quite different though – Kenyan Maasais adorn a predominantly red color in their attire while the Tanzanian Maasai’s attire is predominantly blue shades.
Q: Could you tell us what the difference between the Maasai and Samburu tribes is?
We like to say the Maasais & Samburus are cousins. We share common cultural activities, but we never intermarry with the Samburus. While our dialects are largely similar, our differences are mostly to do with mode of dressing. The Samburu are known for incorporating white fabric into their regalia while we’re known for our red “shukas”. Their hairstyles also differ from ours.
What else stands out about the cultures?
A: Well, our cultures are patriarchal. Our men don’t cook. But we’re finding that increasingly changing with the times. For instance, a while back, young Maasai men who were taken in to work at Sarova Mara Game Camp in a quest to empower the community, would say they can work anywhere else BUT the kitchen. As we speak, four men are chefs here at the camp, and amazing ones at that!
I just want to say a big “Ashe Oleng”, (thank you in Maasai) to the Sarova Hotels stakeholders for an opportunity to work in a condusive environment that spreads our culture to the world and beyond.
Category: Sarova Hotels
Author: admin
FoLLOW OUR BLOG
Sign up and stay updated
with our latest posts!