A Visit to the Maasi Cattle Market

This picture shows the general feel of the Maasi cattle market. Every two weeks Maasi men come to sell their cattle at the market. The cattle market is sort-of like a state fair. The Maasi are traditionally a nomadic people. The cattle market gives them the opportunity to sell their cows and goats to big buyers from Dar Es Salaam and other areas to get money for school fees, clothes and other items. Howerver, the Rift Valley Fever epidemic that has spread from Kenya (Rift Valley Fever is a hemorrhagic fever that is spread by mosquitoes and humans are commonly infected from the meat of cows, goats or sheep) and means that all the cattle must be tested for the disease. This prevented many of the large buyers from purchasing cattle from the Maasi on the day we were there.

The Maasi men frequently marry more than one woman (if they can afford it). Apparently the price paid to the father or a Maasi woman for her hand in marriage has gone down from 20 cows to 14 cows. There was a meeting among the Maasi elders and they decided to decrease the price, because it was preventing many young people from getting married. They have arranged marriages, but it is more and more common for the daughter to have some say in the decision of who she marries.

Right after I took the above picture, Pastor Hofferman, Karleen and I were talking to each other and a drunk Maasi man came up to us and asked Pastor Hofferman if Karleen and I were available. Pastor Hofferman (a happily married Lutheran pastor who is almost 70 years old) told the man in Swahili that Karleen (21 years old) and I (22) were his wives. Then the drunk Maasi man pointed at Karleen and said in Swahili "isn't this one your daughter?" (apparently I don't look too young to be married to a 70 year old)! Then Pastor Hofferman told him he marries young like the Maasi. This got rid of the drunk man quickly because it is very bad in Maasi culture to show interest in another man's wife.

Here is a picture of me trying to engage in Swahili conversation at the Maasi cattle market with a Maasi man. I didn't understand much of what he said but it was a good experience anyway. The native tongue of the Maasi is Kimaasi, but they learn Swahili so they can trade and communicate with the non-Maasi. Apparently more and more Maasi families are sending their children to school so some of the Maasi children spoke English as well.

This is a Maasi woman I met when I went to the Maasi cattle market last Saturday with Karleen and Pastor Hofferman. When I first asked her if I could take her picture, she acted embarrassed and hid her face. However, I had Karleen take a picture of me with my digital camera and let the Maasi woman see the picture. Then she was very excited and really wanted me to take her picture. She also brought me over and had me take a picture of her son.