Portraits in a #Maasai boma - a traditional settlement with a cattle enclosure.
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The Maasai live mostly in Kenya and Tanzania, though they originated further north in Sudan; some maintain traditional lifestyles, living semi-nomadically and herding cattle, while others have left for urban centers and pursued other jobs there.
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Though Westerners may look at a boma such as this and conclude the Maasai are poor, they are in fact some of the richest people in Tanzania. The chief of the boma we visited owned 800 cattle (which, of course, can also reproduce). Each cow nets $400-$500. How many people do you know that have approximately $320,000 liquidity sitting around in their accounts? And keep in mind, that amount in Tanzania gets you 20x what it does in the US.
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No matter where they live, it’s clear the Maasai are extraordinarily proud people. Of the 120+ tribes in Tanzania, they are the most likely to mention their heritage within the first three sentences they utter. The marks on the mens’ cheeks, reminiscent of cattle branding, identify them as Maasai. The women’s jewelry does the same. Warriors have the unique hairstyle shown in the second to last photo.
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More photos from the #boma are coming up.
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#travel #wanderlust #portraits #photography #natgeo #maasai #africa #tanzania #village #kilimanjaro #travelstoke #traveldeeper #guardiantravelsnaps #women #men #cntraveler #tanzania🇹🇿
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