Masai life (excerpt of my coming post about living in the bush with the Masai!)
In Tanzania the hours of the day are measured in a different way. The counting starts at 6 AM. The first hour is counted when the day starts, with sunrise. Accordingly, 12 is our 6 PM, ending the day with sunset. The Masai life, like that of most living in the countryside, follows the sun too.
With sunrise the movement starts. The women milk the cows and make sweet, milky chai.
The calves, and the baby goats and sheep stay in the boma while the adult animals are taken for feeding and drinking in the surrounding savannah. The men comfortably whistle instructions to the cattle, helping themselves with a wooden stick that always accompanies them.
In the meantime, the women are busy, as always. The have to fetch water, firewood, and vegetables to cook. They make a humble –but full of work– breakfast, lunch, and dinner, usually consisting of ugali, a vegetable stew, and chai. After feeding the adults and older boys that go off with the cattle, they feed the many children, and wash up all the pots, plates, and cups. Even if their day started at 6, they don’t get a break until after lunch.
The few hours they have in the afternoon before the men go back are spent in the sun, catching up with the other women, working on some crafts, and playing with the children.
The men come back mid-afternoon and the work starts again. Feeding everyone, milking the cows, washing up.
The day starts wrapping up with the young kids making a bonfire and enjoying the warmth while the last rays of lights give way to the stars. They eat and go to sleep.
By 9 o’clock all that can be heard are the animals mooing and bleating. Which is, oddly, a lovely lullaby to fall asleep to.
