Out of Africa: Part 7 (Continued - D) – African Worship & Community Needs

On my recent trip to Africa, I disciplined myself to keep a daily journal of what transpired and how I felt about it. These entries are from that journal.

Sunday, October 23, 2005 – Experience #5 – An Evening of Conversation

After a very long and intense day, we shared dinner then retired to the “lounge” area for some time to talk. Simon Ole Masi was with us and we were afforded a lengthy time of talking and asking questions. We had been asking him questions all week, but this time we were a bit more intense. We asked questions and picked his brain for about two hours. Our first line of questioning was related to some of the cultural aspects of the various tribes in the area. Here are some highlights of what we learned.

As I have mentioned previously, the Masai are known for several things. They have an incredible running and leaping ability. They also have an astonishing ability to throw their spears with amazing accuracy over great lengths. If my memory is correct they can throw their spears about 100 yards with accuracy that can be measured in inches at times.

There are several items you will notice immediately upon meeting a Masai. You will notice their incredible ear piercing and you will notice that they have had the two bottom center teeth removed. That was two points of questioning that we had to pursue because it is so obvious.

The two lower front teeth in the center of the mouth are removed very soon after they come in replacing what we call “baby teeth” in America. Our first question was pretty obvious: “Why?”

There are two basic reasons, the first is medicinal and the second is appearance related. In times of tribal war, a warrior can be shot with a poisonous arrow and could be in convulsions with clinched teeth. (Tribal warfare ended a few years prior to our arrival here.) By having the two teeth removed, medicine can be inserted into the mouth of the victim even though their teeth are clinched and they are in convulsions. The second reason is that the Masai simply consider a full mouth of teeth to be unattractive. (Before becoming too critical, stop and think of some of the things we do to our bodies and the clothing we endure simply to appear attractive.)

The manner in which the teeth are removed sounds excruciatingly painful. The young boy (who is between six and nine years of age) will be taken in front of the entire village in a very public ceremony to have the teeth removed. He will be given a stick to bite down on and a knife is taken to cut the teeth out. As difficult as that sounds, here is the harder part. The young male (on a rare occasion female) is not allowed to cry or shed a tear. The child has been raised their entire life, and watched this take place on numerous occasions, to know that crying is not an option. If the boy sheds tears, he has forever disgraced his family. They will be known as “the family of the boy who cried.” That is incredible pressure to be on a young boy, but it is engrained in them from birth as a rite of passage.

Richard, the World Vision Area Development Project Director told us that his tribe removes five teeth, and they are knocked out! Ouch!! His tribe is also known for their dress. They believe you should be sure to dress good even if you do not have adequate housing or food. We told him that there are groups in America who also have priorities that lead to similar decisions. It may be clothing, housing, the vehicle you drive, or the gadgets you choose to own, but the principle is the same. It is a matter of priorities.

Piercings are pretty incredible with the Masai. Both genders have multiple ear piercings. The first piercing occurs in the upper portion of the ear in the cartilage area. A hot “poker” will be used and a stick will be inserted in to assure the hole remains open. The hole that ultimately is there is about the size of a toothpick or a little larger.

Later, I cannot recall exactly when, the lower portions of the ear are pierced on some individuals. It is not across the board, so it does not seem to be as culturally mandatory. It seems to be reserved for warriors and a few others. This meaty area will be pierced in the same manner as the upper portion. The difference is that as they get older, larger and larger sticks are inserted into the area until at an older age, the meaty portion of the ear will in some cases hang down almost to the shoulder. I saw one man who pulled this portion above his ear. During dances, necklaces and beads are hung in those portions of the ear and they swing them as they rock back and forth during dances.

I mentioned to them that my two daughters both had several piercings. One had a nose piercing the other had a lip piercing. They looked at me and said, “The lip and nose?! Oh man that must really hurt.” I chuckled and thought; it is all about what your culture tells you is acceptable.

So much for piercing and teeth, next entry we'll talk about their manner of circumcision and FGM and the education we received in a painful cultural learning experience. (Please refrain from posting your jokes and comments. After reading, the next entry the humor will fade quickly.)