Dancing with the Maasai

One of the experiences Dashir Lodge provided for us was a chance to try Maasai dancing. The Maasai are a tribe found in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

One night the Maasai men who work at Dashir dressed up in their traditional Shúkà made from four pieces of fabric. They wore elaborate jewellery they told us their wives had made for them.

They did a wonderful performance of dancing and singing although they told us they are ‘retired’ and are technically too old to be Maasai dancers.

Musa, on the right, is the bartender at Dashir and once the dance was over he answered all of our questions about it.

Maasai boys start to learn to dance when they are 6 years old or so and then when they are 25-27 they let younger men take their place.

Musa told us they dance for all kinds of reasons to celebrate important occasions, to express gratitude for rain, the birth of a new calf, or in the past the killing of a lion. He told us that a lion is never killed for meat. It is taboo for Maasai to eat wild meat. They only kill wild animals to protect people or their cattle.

Then the ladies in our group were given a chance to try a little dancing.

When it was the men’s turn Dave tried his hand at both singing and dancing.

Then we went out onto a grassy field to stand with a mountain background for some more photos.

We had so much fun learning about Maasai dancing and trying it ourselves.