Erase una vez un joven español cuya pasión por los viajes le llevó a un continente prácticamente desconocido para él: África. Vagó a lo largo y a lo ancho de su geografía, hasta encontrar, en Kenya, el lugar donde permanecer por un tiempo. Kenya le ofrecía libertad, naturaleza, fauna y buen manjar, pero sin duda le ofrecía hospitalidad. Sin nada que perder, visitó ciudades, presenció ritos, se comunicó con los lugareños, intentó aprender su lengua y sus tradiciones. Desde Nairobi hasta el sur en una furgoneta, un camino tortuoso hasta alcanzar y conquistar la tierra del rey león, tarareando una canción que jamás se le podría olvidar...¡Jambo Jambo Bwana!!...(Pinchar el link para escuchar la canción) y aprender el lema que acompaña la vida de todos y cada uno de los kenyatas: ¡Hakuna Matata! el equivalente a nuestro Carpe Diem en la lengua Suajili, 'no te preocupes, sé feliz'.
Fueron muchos los animales, bestias y alimañas que se cruzaron por ese camino. Nunca antes había podido admirar a los elefantes campando a sus anchas a un palmo de sus ojos, a manadas de ñus que, tras haber salvado su vida de los cocodrilos en el río Mara, pastaban ajenos a la presencia del rey de la sabana y sorprendido por presenciar unos animales de 5 metros llamados jirafas, asomar sus largos cuellos a través de las ramas de los árboles. Después de interminables y agotadores días de Safari (palabra que en la lengua Swahili significa viaje largo) en busca de los "big 5", se topó con un hombre, lanza en mano, cuyas vestimentas eran fuera de lo común; grandes capas de telas rojas con diferentes estampados, orejas perforadas y numerosos abalorios adornaban su cuerpo. Su nombre era Lankenua y le invitó a conocer su tribu. Asombrado por la sonrisa de sus habitantes, la tranquilidad y el ambiente bucólico, el joven español, ya acicalado con collares y telas pregunto a Lankenua qué era necesario para convertirse en uno de ellos.
Los Maasai son una sociedad jerárquicamente estructurada, en el que la mujer, aunque ellos no lo consideren así, tiene un papel marginal. Existen tres fases dentro de la vida de un hombre Maasai: la infancia, cuya labor consiste en el cuidado del ganado, principalmente cabras y terneros, una segunda fase, la de la conversión en guerrero, que se alcanza tras el proceso de circuncisión y, por último, la vejez, cuya principal misión es la toma de decisiones y la de servir de apoyo espiritual.
El primer paso para formar parte de nuestra tribu será, por tanto, llevar a cabo la circuncisión, uno de los acontecimientos más relevantes en la vida de un Maasai. Empezaremos un día antes con la preparación de tu cuerpo que será cubierto con arcilla roja y carbón. Entregarás la noche anterior a la persona encargada los utensilios con los que se te va a realizar la operación. Desnudo y totalmente depilado, tendrás que aguantar sin soltar un solo grito, ni mostrar un solo gesto de sufrimiento. Gracias a tu tardía llegada, te has librado de otros ritos como la extracción de dientes de cuajo y la marca en tu cuerpo con un hierro candente. Nunca jamás podrás mostrar dolor porque serás considerado una deshonra para tu familia.
Tras alcanzar la madurez mediante este rito, tendrás que salir del poblado durante algunos meses, para así convertirte en un auténtico guerrero Moran. Normalmente la expedición consiste en 5 jóvenes recién circuncidados y un adulto. Durante ese periodo fuera del poblado, aprenderás a cazar, a sobrevivir durante las diferentes estaciones y a aprender sobre medicina mediante las plantas. Para demostrar que te has convertido en un verdadero guerrero, tendrás que traer la pieza más preciada, la melena del león, que en el ritual de regreso tras la caza, portarás en la cabeza demostrando tu valía como guerrero.
Los Maasai somos polígamos, pero tener esposa tiene un precio: 10 vacas por cada mujer, 7 si sabes saltar y eres fuerte y gratis si has sido capaz de cazar un león y traerlo como trofeo. Las mujeres son vistas como un medio para la obtención de riqueza y para servir a sus maridos e hijos. Entre sus otras obligaciones están las de preparar la comida, construir las cabañas con excrementos y paja, así como ordeñar las vacas. Cuando hay una crisis entre el esposo y la esposa, la mujer no tiene derecho a hablar sobre las faltas de su marido, sólo podrá acatar sus decisiones.
Si decides tener varias esposas, no se debe favorecer a una sobre el resto. Cada mujer tiene su propia casa, pero deben estar en la misma zona. El esposo pasa la noche en la casa de la esposa que no esté amamantando niños en ese momento.
Tu dieta consistirá en leche mezclada con sangre de res para desayunar y durante el día, carne de gallina o cordero y maíz.
Una vez cumplidos todos estos pasos, pasarás a ser parte de los nuestros, y lo más importante, hemos decidido llamarte Oliboni.
"Se necesita un día para destruir una casa, construir una casa nueva llevará meses, tal vez años. Si abandonamos nuestro modo de vida para la construcción de uno nuevo, nos llevará miles de años"- Creencia Maasai.
Muy agradecido por el ofrecimiento, el joven se despidió de todos para regresar a su casa, volviendo a la rutina y su modo de vida, pero teniendo siempre muy presente la energía positiva recibida en Kenya: ¡HAKUNA MATATA!
English Version
Kenya: Oloiboni's legend
Once upon a time there was a young Spanish guy whose wanderlust led him to a continent virtually unknown to him: Africa. He wandered along and across its geography, to find, in Kenya, where to stay for a while. Kenya offered freedom, nature, wildlife and good food, but overall it certainly offered hospitality. With nothing to lose, he visited cities, witnessed rites, communicated with the locals, tried to learn their language and traditions. From Nairobi to southern Kenya in a van, a tortuous path to reach and conquer the land of the lion king, humming a song that could never forget ... Jambo Jambo Bwana! ... (Click on the link to listen to the song on youtube) and learn the slogan that is always present in the life of each and every one of the Kenyans: Hakuna Matata! The equivalent of our Carpe Diem in the Swahili language, do not worry, be happy...
There were many animals, beasts and vermin that crossed on the way. He had never been able to admire the elephants walking freely few meters away from his eyes, herds of wildebeest, after having saved their life from crocodiles in the Mara River, grazing unaware of the presence of the king of the savannah and also surprised to witness a 5 meter animals called giraffes poke their long necks through the trees branches. After endless and exhausting days of Safari (the word in the Swahili language means long trip) in search of the "big five", He met a man, spear in hand, whose clothes were unusual, large fabric red layers with different prints, pierced ears and numerous trinkets adorning his body. His name was Lankenua and He invited him to get to know his tribe. Amazed by the smile of its inhabitants, the tranquility and bucolic setting, the young Spanish already wearing necklaces and fabrics, asked Lankenua what was necessary to become one of them.
The Maasai are a hierarchically structured society, in which women, although they do not consider it so, have a marginal role. There are three phases in the life of a Maasai man: childhood, whose work involves the care of livestock, mainly goats and calves, a second phase, the conversion into a warrior, which is reached after the circumcision process and finally, the old age, whose main mission is taking decisions and serving as spiritual support.
The first step to become part of our tribe will therefore perform circumcision to you, one of the most important events in the life of a Maasai. We will start a day early with the preparation of your body being covered with red clay and coal. The night before, you will hand the tools which will be used to perform the operation to the person that will carry it out. Naked and completely shaved up, you will go through without releasing a single cry, or showing a single sign of suffering. Thanks to your late arrival to this tribe, you have escaped other rites as tooth extraction or marking your body with a hot iron. Never ever show you are in pain because if you do, you will be considered as a disgrace for your family.
After reaching maturity through this rite, you will have to leave the village for a few months, and become a real Moran warrior. Normally, the expedition consists of 5 newly circumcised youngsters and one adult. During that period, outside the village, you will learn to hunt, survive during different seasons and learn about medicine using plants. In order to show that you have become a true warrior, you will bring the most precious piece, the lion's mane, that the welcome back ritual after the game, you will wear on your head demonstrating, this way, your courage as a warrior.
The Maasai are polygamous, but a wife has a price: 10 cows for a woman, 7 cows if you know how to jump high and you are strong enough and free if you've been able to hunt a lion and bring it as a trophy. Women are seen as a means of obtaining wealth and serving their husbands and children. Amongst their other duties are to cook food, building huts with dung and straw and milk the cows. When there is a crisis between husband and wife, the woman has no right to talk about her husband's faults and may only accept his decisions.
If you decide to have several wives, do not favor one over the other. Every woman has her own house, but all of them must be in the same area. The husband spends the night in the house of the wife who is not breastfeeding children at that time.
Your diet consists of milk mixed with beef blood for breakfast and during the day, lamb or chicken meat and corn.
Once followed all these steps, you will become part of us, and most importantly, we will name you Oloiboni.
"It takes one day to destroy a house, building a new house will take months, maybe years. If we give up our way of life to build a new one, it will take thousand years" - Maasai Belief.
English Version
Kenya: Oloiboni's legend
Once upon a time there was a young Spanish guy whose wanderlust led him to a continent virtually unknown to him: Africa. He wandered along and across its geography, to find, in Kenya, where to stay for a while. Kenya offered freedom, nature, wildlife and good food, but overall it certainly offered hospitality. With nothing to lose, he visited cities, witnessed rites, communicated with the locals, tried to learn their language and traditions. From Nairobi to southern Kenya in a van, a tortuous path to reach and conquer the land of the lion king, humming a song that could never forget ... Jambo Jambo Bwana! ... (Click on the link to listen to the song on youtube) and learn the slogan that is always present in the life of each and every one of the Kenyans: Hakuna Matata! The equivalent of our Carpe Diem in the Swahili language, do not worry, be happy...
There were many animals, beasts and vermin that crossed on the way. He had never been able to admire the elephants walking freely few meters away from his eyes, herds of wildebeest, after having saved their life from crocodiles in the Mara River, grazing unaware of the presence of the king of the savannah and also surprised to witness a 5 meter animals called giraffes poke their long necks through the trees branches. After endless and exhausting days of Safari (the word in the Swahili language means long trip) in search of the "big five", He met a man, spear in hand, whose clothes were unusual, large fabric red layers with different prints, pierced ears and numerous trinkets adorning his body. His name was Lankenua and He invited him to get to know his tribe. Amazed by the smile of its inhabitants, the tranquility and bucolic setting, the young Spanish already wearing necklaces and fabrics, asked Lankenua what was necessary to become one of them.
The Maasai are a hierarchically structured society, in which women, although they do not consider it so, have a marginal role. There are three phases in the life of a Maasai man: childhood, whose work involves the care of livestock, mainly goats and calves, a second phase, the conversion into a warrior, which is reached after the circumcision process and finally, the old age, whose main mission is taking decisions and serving as spiritual support.The first step to become part of our tribe will therefore perform circumcision to you, one of the most important events in the life of a Maasai. We will start a day early with the preparation of your body being covered with red clay and coal. The night before, you will hand the tools which will be used to perform the operation to the person that will carry it out. Naked and completely shaved up, you will go through without releasing a single cry, or showing a single sign of suffering. Thanks to your late arrival to this tribe, you have escaped other rites as tooth extraction or marking your body with a hot iron. Never ever show you are in pain because if you do, you will be considered as a disgrace for your family.
After reaching maturity through this rite, you will have to leave the village for a few months, and become a real Moran warrior. Normally, the expedition consists of 5 newly circumcised youngsters and one adult. During that period, outside the village, you will learn to hunt, survive during different seasons and learn about medicine using plants. In order to show that you have become a true warrior, you will bring the most precious piece, the lion's mane, that the welcome back ritual after the game, you will wear on your head demonstrating, this way, your courage as a warrior.The Maasai are polygamous, but a wife has a price: 10 cows for a woman, 7 cows if you know how to jump high and you are strong enough and free if you've been able to hunt a lion and bring it as a trophy. Women are seen as a means of obtaining wealth and serving their husbands and children. Amongst their other duties are to cook food, building huts with dung and straw and milk the cows. When there is a crisis between husband and wife, the woman has no right to talk about her husband's faults and may only accept his decisions.
If you decide to have several wives, do not favor one over the other. Every woman has her own house, but all of them must be in the same area. The husband spends the night in the house of the wife who is not breastfeeding children at that time.Your diet consists of milk mixed with beef blood for breakfast and during the day, lamb or chicken meat and corn.
Once followed all these steps, you will become part of us, and most importantly, we will name you Oloiboni.
"It takes one day to destroy a house, building a new house will take months, maybe years. If we give up our way of life to build a new one, it will take thousand years" - Maasai Belief.
Very grateful for the offer, the young Spaniard said goodbye to everyone to go back home, to return to the routine and way of life, which also includes telling all of you his experiences through this blog, but always bearing in mind the positive energy received in Kenya: Hakuna Matata!
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