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Published: December 21st 2007
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Having searched the markets and failed to find a type of necklace that I saw the Masai men wearing during my safari I spoke with Edward and he told me we’d have to go to see some Masai women in Mwenge. I’d already asked Edward to come to the market and help me avoid the usual mzungu price nonsense, where it is impossible to even look at some goods without someone asking ‘so how much you pay?’ let alone enquire how much something costs. I find myself speaking Swinglish (or Swanglish - there is no formal definition) which seems to help separate me from the general mzungus (definiately Swinglish, the Kiswahili plural is wazungu) who take the market sellers at face value and encourage their habit of asking a ridiculously high first price by paying and not bartering. ‘Naangalia tu’ (‘I’m just looking’) is sometimes enough to experience one of the market stalls without somebody hanging off your shoulder asking ‘how much you pay?’ for anything you pick up or so much as breathe on. I do enjoy the market but sometimes it can be just exhausting.
We first visited a group of Masai women away from the main wood
market sitting near small tables selling
things - not even Edward knew what they were - and a few typical beads as we approached we were greeted warmly and I replied, proficiently now by rote, in Kiswahili. Masai women wear plain blue robes compared to the variety that the men folk enjoy, shave their heads to the scalp and also wear a huge number of beaded bracelets, earrings and necklaces. The women also have a hole put into their ears with the older ones, especially the ones with many ear-bangles, have the earlobe stretched by almost a few inches. The holes and facial markings (usually a circle under each eye and one on the forehead) are all done with a peice of very hot wire.
I said ‘hello,’ ‘kayaa’ in Masai and then subsequently relied heavily on Edward to translate and feed me some Swahili/Masai phrases. Having tried to sell me everything from elaborate beaded wristbands (about 6”long) to anklets and necklaces that had tags not dissimilar the metal bits off cat collars I settled on a couple of anklets (I wanted one but one lady had already measured and adjusted the former to size so I had that one as well). I also decided to have a version the necklace I came to find and another with the cat-tags removed; then the theatre began. It doesn’t matter what language you speak when someone draws their finger across their throat in jovial disgust at the new price you are suggesting. I similarly entered into the spirit of things and upon paying the agreed price (which I thought was a little high) I opened up my wallet and peered hopelessly into the blank void to illustrate my point. We all laughed tremendously and they thought I was crazy, great fun.
Another volunteer and I had already bought some Masai robes and Edward was very keen for us to wear them. With this in mind I had brought them with me not sure if I actually was. As I showed Edward the robes he was very happy and told me I must wear them, so I obliged. The women found it very entertaining and helped Edward show me the best way to wear them - it’s more complicated than you’d think, or maybe it’s just me. Now I looked the part, much to everyone’s amusement, it was time to hit the wood market. No Masai would be complete without a sword so it was off to the market to find one at a reasonable price. The reaction to an Mzungu in Masai clothes will probably stay with me forever as a mixture of laughter, excitement or just total shock and incomprehension. I was initially uncomfortable thinking the Masai would find such mimickary insulting but far from it, as I have said before, they are very happy that people are interested in their culture and this was no exception. I smiled warmly and laughed with those who were looking at me bemused and before long they laughed back coming over to shake my hand. It was like being a local celebrity. Although in Tanzania it is very common to greet people as you pass and there is special interest in saying hello to Mzungu (people will shout ‘hey Mzungu’ to get your attension which took me a little while to get used to at first until I learned it wasn’t meant in an offensive way) - this was something else entirely. We walked around the market and I got myself a sword and proudly attached it to my belt.
Just as people will shout ‘Mzungu’ to get attention, Edward and other Masai get ‘hey Masai’ it is just the way it is. I remember not being able to help feeling a smack of pride when someone shouted ‘hey Masai’ and it was clear they were referring to me. Edward found this hilarious and we both couldn’t stop laughing at them, the people hanging out the cars confused and just the number of friendly handshakes which I received. We walked to Mlimarni to get some lunch and I began to get used to the reaction. Entering Mlimarni is a bit strange on any day. Leaving behind the dusty, hot, humid streets to enter a cool, clean air-conditioned shopping centre, which would not look amiss on any high street... Entering a shopping centre that would not look amiss on any high street dressed as a Masai and nonchalantly carrying an 18” sword is very strange. Unlike the rest of Tanzania this shopping centre seems to have western rules, few people address each other unless they know each other and it is only the wealthier locals who frequent the centre. Here I mostly received just strange looks.
A little while after and Edward had to go. I must say walking around with a Masai, clearly my friend put some context into what people were seeing. With Edward gone I felt very uncomfortable as the situation had changed and I felt it was more like the mimickary argument again. I was called on this once as one lady spoke quickly in Swahili and a few Masai words (which I recognised but couldn’t reply) and told me as she had seen me dressed like that she assumed I would know everything about the culture. I don’t believe it was meant in a nasty way but it underlined my initial feelings after Edward had left. On the whole it was a day filled with laughter and it answered my original question: ‘What, you’ve never seen a white man dressed as a Masai before?’ - clearly not.
*note on spelling, I had been previously using the spelling Maasai as that was what I understood to be the ‘correct’ spelling but signs in Tanzania (and from asking Edward to spell) the spelling used is Masai.
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