On Meeting a Stranger
With respect
And reverence
That the unknown
Between us
Might flower
Into discovery
And lead us
Beyond
The familiar field
Blind with the weed
Of weariness
And the old walls
Of habit
—From Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donohue
A Maasai woman shows off her beadwork ©kathykarn
The Maasai woman pressed handfuls of necklaces against my window as we pulled up to the Musiara gate exiting the Mara Game Reserve. A young girl nudged her aside with a stack of colourful shukas (Maasai blankets). Their eyes begged - please buy my crafts. I didn’t have any money with me. We’d left at 5:30 am on our game drive, now 12 hours later, I was exhausted from a long day out on the savannah. I shook my head at the women regretfully, holding up my empty hands. Feeling awkward I turned my eyes front. Meanwhile Kupai, my Maasai guide and driver, was animatedly chatting up the park ranger at his window like they were long lost friends. In desperation I whispered “Kupai”, in my most imploring tone, hoping he’d get the message time to go home.
Caption: David Kupai Senchura, my Maasai guide and driver
Kupai was committed to making the best of every hour we had together. He’d packed a lunch so we didn’t have to return to camp for a midday break.
Caption: Dawn over the Maasai Mara
As we lurched along rough terrain in the heat of the day I’d reminded Kupai I was old enough to be his grandmother and grabbed a short nap.
We’d an eventful game drive including time with a pride of lions, tracking a mother cheetah and her cubs and laughing out loud while a tiny elephant calf entertained us with his playful antics.
©kathykarn
Now, stopped at the park gate, I was tired to the bone and my patience was wearing thin. I longed to hit the shower, have dinner, and fall into bed. Hearing my plea, Kupai shifted his attention to the women gathered around my window. “They want to know if we’ll give them a ride home,” he explained.
Caption: Approach to the Musiara Gate to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve
Realizing we could help my energy shifted in a heartbeat. “Of course, we can give them a ride!” I replied. Five laughing women piled into the truck with their wares. These women sat at the park gate all day long hoping to sell their beadwork to the tourists entering and exiting the park. Most safari vehicles flash an entry ticket at the guards and roll on through. Based on my retail unpreparedness I was willing to bet sales were few. The Maasai are proud people with a strong traditional culture. Maasai women are renowned for their exquisite beadwork, but without an organized distribution system their market is slim.
Approaching rain storm on our way home ©kathykarn
Once on board their chatter in Maa was fast and furious. “They’re deciding what to sing for you,” said Kupai. The Maasai sing to their cows. They sing to their children. They sing for rain. They sing to celebrate. They sang for 10 kms, (video 95 seconds) as we bounced along the track bobbing their heads in the classic Maasai dance move making their necklaces jingle and bounce all the way home. When I asked what they were singing, Kupai told me “The women are singing for peace making between the tribes because they are peace makers. They also sing to God asking for rain because we believe God hears women.”
Singing for peace between tribes ©kathykarn
My fatigue evaporated as our hearts connected, and smiles blossomed. The value of the ride for these women was not lost on me. Every day they walked 10kms to the gate in the morning and another 10kms at the end of the day with no guarantee of a sale. Their risky journey traversed the open savannah, home to wild elephants, lions, and hyenas. They only spoke Maa and had no other means of earning an income outside of the home. Their children had access to school, but these women never had that opportunity.
Maasai Singer ©kathykarn
We laughed and introduced ourselves. I asked if I could take their pictures and played the videos back to them much to their delight. At our final stop the last woman to get out waited patiently for me to take her picture. I came for lions, I left humbled by the strength and camaraderie of women.
Maasai Woman ©kathykarn
