RUNNING OF THE MASAI BULLS!

Now I suppose you’ve had the situation when neighbors come over and stay an hour too long, or a relative shows no signs of leaving?

Well in the Masai village where we spend the day on some of our people safaris, it’s about young bulls and heifers moving in, settling down and showing no inclination to leave. You see, they’ve learnt some important life lessons at an early age – they hate flies and they’ve discovered that flies hate smoke so when a Masai woman sets a fire in her manyatta, a traditional stick and mud home, the young bulls and heifers take up residence!  

The question is: how did the youngsters ever learn that if they’re being harassed by flies, then its time to retreat to a manyatta because flies flee the smoke? And, once the flies start to irate them, the situation becomes like the running of the bulls in Pampolona, albeit at a far slower pace, and nothing will stop them inviting themselves inside. The cows don’t care about the Masai occupants. They move in regardless.

The other attraction, apart from the pit fire, is the collection of uprights that support the manyatta roof. The poles double as great backscratchers and when the whole herd is enjoying a soothing scratch, the manyatta shakes likes its being rocked by an earthquake!  

So, another question: What’s worse – neighbors that won’t go, relatives that stay too long or a herd of willful young cows?

If you would like to see the running of the bull’s Masai style (I suppose its more of a saunter), you can often catch it on our Masai Magic safari. However, you just might find you’re sharing your space with some larger than life friends, who avoid your gaze and who ignore you completely.

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