Masai tribe dances in Masai Mara reserve. September 2008.The Masai are a very famous warrior tribe in Kenya whose lives center around herding cattle. They live in small settlements of 8-15 huts per kraal. Their settlements are surrounded by a thornbush fence as an added form of protection. The two-inch long thorns of the thornbush are as sharp as barbed wire and the men are responsible for tying branches together to form the fence. In the evening, the cattle, goats, and other domestic animals are brought inside the kraal for protection against wild animals.The huts take seven months to build by the women of the village. They are built of branches, twigs, grass, and cow dung and urine formed into a plaster and applied to a branch frame. When the mixure dries in the sun it is as strong a cement and does not smell. Generally they cannot stand up inside and the only openings are that of the doorway and a small opening in the roof or wall which allows smoke from a continually smoldering fire inside to escape. The fire is used on which to cook and to keep the family warm during the rainy season. Dried cow dung is used as the fuel for the fire.Inside, the family sleeps on beds of woven branches cushioned with dry grasses and animal skins. In some huts, small animals are brought into the hut in the evening to help protect them from larger and more dangerous animals as well as the cold.They stay in an area close to the front door. The only evidence of western man in a Masai hut ...
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