archaeology

24SPRING 2015Walking with the MaasaiJohn Hastings-ThomsonFrom childhood I have been aware that I had a great-greatunclewho was an African explorer. He had been the firstwhite man to cross Maasai territory and come out alive, andhe had a waterfall and a gazelle named after him. It was anambition to follow in his footsteps, and when three years agoI learnt that a Kenyan was keen to organize a walk followingpart of Thomson’s Maasai Land Expedition, I wanted to takepart.The man concerned, Ezekiel Katato, turned out to be aMaasai elder from a village Thomson passed through duringhis third expedition. Ezekiel had learnt about Thomson atschool. It became his ambition to organize a walk coveringthe section of the expedition that passed through his homearea, from the edge of Amboseli National Park to his village,Kilonito, a distance of about 75 miles.At the end of May I arrived in Nairobi to join a group ofDutch members of MasterPeace, whose support had madethe walk possible. It was an amazing experience; Ezekiel isan excellent organizer. A group of around 60 people fromHolland, Japan and Britain guided by young Maasai menand women took part, with a full support team ensuringsmooth passage over the six days of the walk and a gamedrive in Amboseli. We visited several schools during the walkand camped in the grounds of four of them. This gave usthe opportunity to spend time with the children, and it issomething I would like to do more of in future.The Maasai proved to be extremely friendly and hospitable,and it was a privilege to walk with them through theirenvironment. So far the Maasai have managed to preservemany of their traditions. Many of the young Maasaiaccompanying the walk were at college or university, but werestill actively involved with their villages and their culture.Ezekiel is Executive Director of Across Maasai LandInitiative (amlikenya.org), a non-profit organization workingto promote and support maximum utilization of locallyavailable resources and assets for sustainable livelihoods ofthe Maasai people in Kenya. One of the main thrusts of theirwork is girls’ education, to attempt to break the cycle ofearly arranged marriages and to help women become moreproactive in their culture.Ezekiel aims to develop the walk as a way of increasingawareness of Maasai culture and encouraging tourismthrough the links with Joseph Thomson’s travels in Maasailand. He sees this initiative as Maasai-led, but with theencouragement of the Thomson family and supporters.Ezekiel’s respect for Thomson is demonstrated by a sign heplaced on the walk route. The spelling might not be 100% butthat doesn’t detract from the sentiment. This is a wonderfulexample of a local organization trying to improve their worldthemselves. It is one I will do my best to support.The walk was so successful that it is being repeated on12th-20th November 2015, and I will be taking part again.There will be more emphasis on spending time in the Maasaivillages and in the schools with the children, although therewill still be quite a bit of walking between the villages andalso with the Maasai and their animals. Anyone interestedin taking part can contactEzekiel direct throughthe walk website (www.throughmaasailand.org), or email me(hastingsthomson@btinternet.com) and I willemail you a leaflet about thewalk and answer any queriesyou might have.“…a wonderfulexample of a localorganizationtrying to improvetheir worldthemselves.”