Jewish Israeli Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks tells the story of the most extraordinary trip of her life
A bumpy, rough road, adorned with breathtaking scenery and laced with the occasional spotting of Africa’s famous wildlife is what we experienced as we made our way into the heartland of Maasai Land. The difficult nine hours trip was expertly negotiated by our very skilled driver, Ben of Maasai adventure safaris k ltd.
Our destination this time was: The Samburu tribe – one of the two sub-tribes of the Maasai. The other is Njemps. You may wonder what a Jewish Israeli woman is doing in such a remote place that is seen by very few outsiders.
Several months ago I was approached by a friend of the Maasai community. She shared with me that as Kenya was about to celebrate its Independence Jubilee, the Maasai expressed a wish to invite an Israeli person in order to receive blessings from Israel and the Jewish people.
It was with great enthusiasm mingled with a large dose of uncertainty that I accepted the invitation. I had heard about the Maasai tribe, seen their pictures of beautiful men and women adorned with colorful outfits and magnificent jewelry. Of course I had also heard about their jumping skill and was always intrigued by their ability to adhere to their old traditions and customs despite all the changes that took place in their environment.
On the other hand, I knew no one there. All the correspondence prior to my departure had been with people I never met, friends from the virtual world of Face Book and Gmail. I did not know who or what to expect. In retrospect, it took much courage to just embark that plane towards the unknown. I am glad I did!
Why the Massai wanted a guest from Israel is probably another question many of you would ask. Historically and spiritually, the Maasai have long considered themselves one of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, or Israelites. In fact the name Maasai already appears in Chronicles I Chapter 9 verse 12 : ” Adaiah son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Maasai son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer.”
One experience that keeps bringing a smile to my face is the recollection of me standing in front of one Maasai group or another and telling them how happy I was to be with who some of us consider our long lost brothers and sisters. I could just see their faces as their eyes examined me, my light complexion, blond highlighted hair and green eyes and silently saying “you don’t say….”
One of the items and customs that the Jews and Maasai seem to share in common is the use of the Shofar. The Shofar, usually made of a Ram’s horn is blown on special occasions, mainly celebrations, wars and yes, Jubilees. The Massai also do not mix milk and meat. Neither do they eat the sciatic nerve per the commandment prescribed in Genesis 32, 26-33.
Though now Christians, mostly Pentecostal, Israel is always in the Maasai’s daily prayers. They bless Israel at ever service and at any opportunity. Always.
On one of my visits to their communities, I spent the night in the same room with two elderly Maasai ladies. At the break of dawn, I was awakened by their soft, sweet voices of their melodious prayers. I do not speak Maasai but three words that I heard over and over again clearly explained to me the nature of their utterances: “Yesu, Israel, Maasai.” They were praying to their messiah asking him to keep Israel and the Maasai safe and strong.
I spent a whole week with the Maasai in their various communities always teaching them about Israel and the Jewish people. The conditions were hardly ever ideal. Some of the places we visited did not have running water or electricity. The very hospitable Maasai hosts always served their traditional Kenyan tea and some of their typical food. I tried to remain as polite as possible and accepted their kind hospitality even though I did not always know what it was I was served or not always certain about the level of sanitation practiced by my kind hosts. Even during those rare occasions, in which we spent the night in a hotel, were far from the zero or one star hotels scattered in our western communities. Hot waters were a rarity especially on those cold nights when you needed a nice warm shower so badly after a day of driving on the dusty roads inhaling the fumes of the cars ahead of us.
Oh, and then there were the mosquitoes, you know, those little flying creatures that can be very dangerous and infect you with some unfamiliar diseases such as Malaria which have long been eradicated from our own western universe.
And did I tell you about the hyenas, especially about the one that attacked and killed one of the Samburu residents a few years ago? But the hyenas and leopards only come at night to hunt for the cattle, I was reassured by one of my hosts.
The time that I spent in their midst of the Maasai and the love, the warmth and the heartwarming welcome that surrounded me will forever remain engraved in my memory. It offset all the hardships, the difficult and sometimes western deprived environment and conveniences that we are so used to.
Will I go back there again?
Most definitely!
http://www.d-intl.com/why-the-maasai-people-love-israel/?lang=en
Topic: Why the Maasai people love Israel (Read 704 times)