A preservation of Culture within a 21st Century Paradigm
Travel Location: Maasai-Mara,Kenya
Sopa. Kaaji encarna Alex. Ainguaa Canada. Kayie etii choo? (How are you? My name is Alex. I am from Canada. Where is the latrine?- is probably the most important combination of phrases to know.) On our last day in the Mara, we combined lectures with game drives, but the day had a surprise in store. After one of the game drives, we were taken to a “typical Maasai village” where we were exposed to the lives of REAL Maasai. We were treated to a series of beautiful dances accompanied with song and thoroughly encouraged to participate. We were taken into the mud and cow-dung homes of these Maasai, who were decked out in full regalia, giving the impression of having been transported into a whole different, isolated world. This was followed by a lesson in Rungu (a powerful wooden club) and spear throwing. And finally we were taken to a “Maasai market” where all of the women had laid out their “traditional” –touristy wares for us to purchase.
The experience as a whole was an intellectually challenging one as I (and many other people in our group) was uncomfortable with this commoditization of culture. These traditional dances were preformed out of context to entertain us, removing their religious and spiritual significance. All of the village members were dressed in full Maasai gear, which is not uncommon among the Maasai, who maintain their traditional garb most of the time. But usually their dress is a combination of traditional and contemporary, with digital watches, cell phones, and Adidas sneakers adorning them along with their shookas, bangles, necklaces, and lobed ears. However, none of these adornments were visible here, as all signs of outside influence were hidden away, as if they feared that these were not part of the authenticity that Western “cultural tourists” were seeking. And in fact it is true. There has been this intense desire since the 1930s (Margaret Mead) by western academics –now replaced by tourists- to find “primitive” societies untainted by the influences of globalization and to gawk at them in wonder. I don’t deny that some part of me wishes that the big evil monster of globalization would just bypass certain peoples, fearing that it would corrupt “innocent” societies, free from the burdens of wanton materialism that comes associated with Western contributions to the world. But the reality of the world, of the Maasai world, is that we are now interconnected. It is part of the Maasai social reality now that a cell phone or a nice watch is a status symbol like it is at home. I think my unease at this artificial setup and portrayal of culture stems from this knowledge that this is a mere Potemkin village. It doesn’t reflect the reality of the contemporary Maasai world, but rather sells a false ideal of cultural purity (which is impossible in ANY context), which is what is expected of them. The whole time I was there, I kept bursting into a smile thinking of a Gary Larson cartoon (Far side) which portrayed a group of indigenous peoples (with grass huts and bones through their noses) running around wildly with TVs and toasters in their arms, trying to stash them out of view, while yelling “the anthropologists are coming!!!!” I felt like I was stuck in that cartoon. Some people in our school group were so uncomfortable with the artificiality of it that they returned to the bus immediately.
The whole time I was there, I kept bursting into a smile thinking of a Gary Larson cartoon (Far side) which portrayed a group of indigenous peoples (with grass huts and bones through their noses) running around wildly with TVs and toasters in their arms, trying to stash them out of view, while yelling “the anthropologists are coming!!!!” I felt like I was stuck in that cartoon.
I chose to stick around, as it was still fun and incredibly enlightening, if taken into context. I have been wondering about the context of it all, and I wonder if rather than this being a bastardization of culture (as many were seeing it) it was rather a new strategy of cultural preservation within a 21st century paradigm. While the dances WERE preformed out of their traditional context, I wonder if there wasn’t this audience, would the younger generations, who are actively encouraged to abandon their tribe-specific traditions in school, actually participate in such rites? The Maasai in this region live next to one of the world’s most famous (and most visited) game parks. Despite the millions of dollars that come in every year through tourism, very little gets to the communities, as control of the tourist market is cornered by tour operators and corrupt politicians. The only way for the Maasai to truly tap into this market is to sell a product they know tourists will buy: their traditional culture. This is especially crucial since the other aspects of their tradition are being eroded as the pastoralist lifestyle is becoming more vulnerable. Perhaps these “villages” provides people with the incentive to preserve their traditions. What I lament is the fake artisanship in the market, the selling of wood carvings (not made by Maasai) or miniature spears, with the merchants selling what they know sells, rather than representing Maasai art alone and not misleading people to believe that mask-making is a part of Maasai culture. As I thought more about it, my visits to Mexico and Hawaii exposed me to similar (even Bigger) commoditization of culture where entire “live action” museums were designated as cultural centers, where tourists could come admire the spectrum of Latin American or Polynesian (respectively) cultures. I think those disturbed me less because there was no pretending. It WAS a tourist attraction without giving pretense to being a reflection of reality. The village here was a tourist attraction disguised as an accurate portrayal of reality.
On the other end of the spectrum, we visited a powerful local advocate for cultural change, the medical clinic. Clinics provide both basic statistical information which is critical to understanding the development issues facing this community and the clinic’s role among the people also reflects some unique socio-environmental conditions. Like all of the other clinics we have visited in Uganda and Kenya, malaria is a perennial issue, more or less undiminished by the drier climate here. However, the current extended drought conditions have caused an increase in child upper-respiratory tract infections and increased malnutrition, which Doctor Jackson Njapit assured us was rare among the Maasai. The scarcity of running water also has created unsanitary conditions resulting in a dysentery outbreak. The discussions with the doctor turned to culturally-specific gender health issues. Maasai girls are considered to be sexually mature at the beginning of puberty and thus must be married off. Many of these girls fall between the ages of 12-14 and bear their first child in that age range. Pregnancy at such an immature age is dangerous and generally involves complication during childbirth. As an attempt to induce low-birth weight to minimize childbirth pains, the doctor explained that tradition required pregnant girls to be starved during their first pregnancy. Tragically, this inevitably leads to anemia and excessive bleeding for mother and deformities, or deficiencies in infants. The specific data on how this affects Infant mortality rates is unavailable, however, I strongly suspect that a larger proportion of first-born children die in their first year compared to children of later pregnancies. While maternal mortality rates are exceedingly high by international standards, 20 per thousand, the proportion seems low considering the obstacles women face. Women who face complications in childbirth must take a matatu or hire a car to take them to the closest hospital in Narok (100 Km away on unpaved roads.)
Another social condition women face is genital circumcision (controversially known as genital mutilation, but I will maintain the culturally neutral term as mutilation is an ideologically-loaded term). Girls are not thought to be “full women” or “ready to give birth” until she is circumcised. Many men are reported to refuse marrying an uncircumcised girl. Traditional circumcisions include the removal of the clitoris and most of the labia, causing a great deal of scarification in the genital area. Women’s rights groups state that this is misogynistic practice of sexual domination and control over women, as the surgical removal of this anatomy is thought to prevent the enjoyment of sex and causes excessive bleeding during childbirth. Thus a woman having sex becomes a duty rather than for pleasure. However, many women state their status as a circumcised woman with pride, and are shocked to know that none of the women on this trip have been circumcised (or are unmarried and in their 20s). In an attempt to curtail this practice, the clinic holds education sessions for traditional birthing attendants whose duty also includes the performance of this rite. These seminars inform them of the dangers and disadvantages of female circumcision and provided with alternatives (piercing or light scarring, but no removal). The doctor emphasized that these seminars were not indoctrination session where the TBAs were TOLD this was wrong, but rather given information and allowed to make decisions for them based on their own deductions. This strategy is widely believed to work better in stopping female circumcision than more didactic approaches.
While the community has been slow to change their beliefs on female circumcision, it has showed a great deal of acceptance for change in male circumcisions. The clinic offers to circumcise the boy in a sterile environment with an accompanying tetanus shot. There are still witnesses to ensure that the boy shows no pain (maintaining the ceremony and symbolism), but the clean medical implements diminish the risks of infection and HIV/AIDS transmission. As many as 70% of male circumcisions in the area are now preformed by the clinic. The difference in the acceptance remains a mystery for me.
-Amani my friends.
