Cultural Traditionalism in a Modem World

economic growth in Kenya advances, indigenous people must adjust to the demands of a developing country. This photographic documentary will show how the Maasai of the Talek community are refusing to entirely abandon their cultural identity but are, however, using their pastoral wisdom of land and livestock to generate income and to prepare for the inevitable change in an me increasingly modernized society.

In order to understand culture, one must learn about and interpret another pattern of life from an insiderÕs perspective, not from the sidelines. I lived in Kenya for seven years, and will return in May of 1997. While on a trip to Maasailand last year, I met a junior elder from Talek named Daniel Ole Sarowua. He introduced me to his community and to the intrinsic value the Maasai place on tradition and custom.

Life, for the Maasai pastoralist, revolves around cattle. Not only do they constitute the crux of their culture, they also represent a degree of wealth. At daybreak, families collectively prepare the multitude of herds for the morning's graze out in the golden Savannah grass extending from the Mara plains. All family members, aware of a water shortage and limited pasturelands, coax and call each head by name to urge them to remain strong throughout the day. As the herders embark on their daily journey, most art adorned with their striking, red blankets, or shukas, and collages of crafted beads made by the Maasai women. However, there are some that blend two modes of fashion: a shuka, and a pair of suede hiking boots. Although this appears to be an insignificant combination it is a reflection of the impending influence of change the Maasai face on a regular basis.

The Maasai also wish to shed off their national label as backward cattle rustlers and instead, retain the binding elements of their culture while adjusting to a progressive society. When I visited Talek, a rickety Toyota pick-up, Filled with Maasai men in green fatigues, could be seen driving them to their Jobs as rangers or lodge employees in the adjoining Maasai Mara National Reserve. The photographs will convey in what ways the game reserve has employed the Maasai knowledge of animal conservation to preserve Kenya's greatest natural resource. Since the reserve opened up economic opportunity to its original neighbors their culturally identifiable skills as wildlife specialists essentially contribute to the national economy, and to the growing economy of the community in which they live.

In a time when these two spheres of life intermingle more frequently, the challenge for the Maasai is to harness their skills as gifted craftsmen and livestock professionals to contribute larger society. This photographic story, however, will focus on the ways in which they are walking towards this move of adaptation in the context and framework of their culture. It ill document how they continue to display their trademark talents of singing and jumping in rhythmic competition in celebration of a ceremony or a rite of passage. But it will also show how the women who make the ornate beads that decorate the proud warriors are selling their crafts, and earning income to be channeled back into the village for other Maasai-initiated projects.

Because a commitment to cattle cultivation separates the Maasai from many of the other agrarian tribes in Kenya, an important function of the story will be to create a sense of the traditional and fundamental pastoral routine of guiding the herds to fresh grass and water. Equally important, though, are the men's efforts not just to wander with the cattle for the rest of their lives, but how they, are marketing and trading their walking wealth with other community members in a nearby commerce post.

I view this photographic documentary as a priceless tool in promoting cultural awareness and adaptation. People need to begin to see beyond the confines of their own world, and peer into another of a different kind of beauty, value, and authenticity. Photographs will assist others in understanding the traditions of the Maasai way of life, and understanding the strength and vigor of those who want to preserve it, but at the same time, move ahead.