The Maasai village is surrounded by a wall of thorn bush branches that they use to keep wild animals from attacking their children and livestock. Entering the village, the children that were running and playing beside their mud/dung homes turned quickly to give Dad, Mom, Annie, and me a big, fly-covered smile. The Maasai are known for their warrior skills, but as they opened their homes to us they shared with us more about their culture- which is just like stepping into the Old Testament (OT). Here is a little bit about what we learned...
The Maasai man typically has many wives that he purchases with cows. The first marriage is an arranged marriage, and the marriages there after can be chosen for love. If anything is to go wrong (sickness, baby who cries, etc.) it is believed to be because an ancestor is upset with them. To appease their ancestor they take an arrow, cut a hole in the neck of a cow, let blood drip into a leather container, and then pour it on the ground next to their home. If the ground soaks in the blood, then the spirit has been appeased. The Maasai financial value is determined by how many cows they own, and typically the richest man in the village is the "Traditional medicine doctor", aka witch doctor. If you go to a witch doctor for treatment, he will give you herbs (good for malaria, stomach ache, and even Viagra). Witch doctors often fabricate stories such as telling a new Maasai parent that their child is going to die. For the price of five or so cows he will pray that it does not happen. If the child does not die then he has done his job. However, if the child dies, then the people have not had enough faith.
Many of these beliefs and traditions are some of the same beliefs and traditions that we have heard about our whole lives- straight out of the Bible. It was fascinating to see, hear, and imagine what life might have really been like then.