CULTURAL TOURISM
Along with lions and elephants, the Maasai have become a symbol of Tanzania and a necessary component of the tourists' "authentic" experience.
FAKE BOMAS
As we were driving through Ngorongoro Crater, I noticed a collection of five or six bomas, which are traditional mud and straw huts of the Maasai. We had just been discussing how human settlements are not permitted within the park borders, including the park policy of shooting trespassers. I questioned how there were Maasai bomas within the park. Our academic director informed me that the mud huts were constructed for the tourists. Maasai from nearby areas travel to the park in the mornings and pretend to inhabit the bomas. Tourists are excited to see an "authentic" Maasai boma, pay Maasai for the visit, and buy souvenir jewelry. The Maasai must be out of the park by sundown to avoid trespassing charges.
In his work, “The Maasai and The Lion KIng: Authenticity, Nationalism, and Globalization in African Tourism” Edward Bruner also comments on the fake Maasai bomas in Kenya. He states that the idea is for the Maasai to conform to the prefixed identity that tourists have constructed. Eric Wolf presents in his writing “People Without History” this notion of perceiving a group of people as timeless and ahistorical. The Maasai of Eastern Africa fit this description in that tourists wish to experience these people without an understanding or real interest in their actual lives in the present time.
Understanding the purpose fake bomas an accepting them can be influenced based on how they are interpreted. As Wolf writes, in order to understand a people we must understand their history and context. Noel Salazar adds that "Maasai are often represented as an extension of wildlife" and the bomas within the park further enhance the image of the Maasai's coexistence with wildlife. In actuality, the National Parks and their policies are a major cause of conflict for the neighboring people, such as the Maasai, which contradicts this image of coexistence. Because tourists are often searching for authenticity, they may find these falsehoods to be a betrayal. However, tourists already have a preset, romantic idea of what the Maasai should be and therefore have constructed the context in which they interpret their surroundings. In truth, all cultures are real and authentic. The staging and portrayal of the Maasai identity to fulfill the tourist desires is a very real part of the Maasai identity. There is not an authentic Maasai culture that is merely being imitated or staged, but it is all Maasai culture, continually changing based on the world that they live in.
In his work, “The Maasai and The Lion KIng: Authenticity, Nationalism, and Globalization in African Tourism” Edward Bruner also comments on the fake Maasai bomas in Kenya. He states that the idea is for the Maasai to conform to the prefixed identity that tourists have constructed. Eric Wolf presents in his writing “People Without History” this notion of perceiving a group of people as timeless and ahistorical. The Maasai of Eastern Africa fit this description in that tourists wish to experience these people without an understanding or real interest in their actual lives in the present time.
Understanding the purpose fake bomas an accepting them can be influenced based on how they are interpreted. As Wolf writes, in order to understand a people we must understand their history and context. Noel Salazar adds that "Maasai are often represented as an extension of wildlife" and the bomas within the park further enhance the image of the Maasai's coexistence with wildlife. In actuality, the National Parks and their policies are a major cause of conflict for the neighboring people, such as the Maasai, which contradicts this image of coexistence. Because tourists are often searching for authenticity, they may find these falsehoods to be a betrayal. However, tourists already have a preset, romantic idea of what the Maasai should be and therefore have constructed the context in which they interpret their surroundings. In truth, all cultures are real and authentic. The staging and portrayal of the Maasai identity to fulfill the tourist desires is a very real part of the Maasai identity. There is not an authentic Maasai culture that is merely being imitated or staged, but it is all Maasai culture, continually changing based on the world that they live in.
"TAKE MY PITCHA"
Driving outside of Lake Manyara National Park, we saw what appeared to be young Maasai warriors standing along side the road. They were recognizable as young Maasai because they were wearing black robes with their faces painted in white and black. This apparel signifies that the young warrior had just undergone a ritual circumcision. They wear the white face paint and black robes during the healing process when they are making the transition from boy to man. If you were to stop your safari car on the side of the road, you would find the young warriors running up to your window exclaiming "Take my pitcha! Take my pitcha!" If you oblige their request you would receive an instant demand for money. There is a charge for each picture taken of the Maasai. The interesting thing about these roadside warriors is that few, if any, are actual Maasai warriors in the healing process of the circumcision. Tanzanians (Maasai and Non-Maasai) don these outfits because they know that they are visually striking and tourists will want to photograph them. Noel Salazar writes how varying villages will try to promote "Maasainess" as a way to capitalize on the tourists' desires. They attempt to resemble the tourists conception of the classic African native to fit into the tourists' quest for an "authentic" experience.
Katherine Snyder promotes the economically benefits for the Maasai from the tourism industry. These transactions highlight the financial benefits the tourist dollar brings for the Maasai and other Tanzanians. While the Maasai identity is being used as a cultural icon and tourist commodity, most of the natives are not able to benefit financially. Tourists want to take pictures of the symbols that evoke the Tanzania they've envisioned long prior their arrival. Although the tourist may feel betrayed to know that the photograph may not be of a young warrior, or even a Maasai at all, Tanzanians should be able to somehow benefit from these important cultural symbols that will be hanging in someone's living room a few weeks later.
Katherine Snyder promotes the economically benefits for the Maasai from the tourism industry. These transactions highlight the financial benefits the tourist dollar brings for the Maasai and other Tanzanians. While the Maasai identity is being used as a cultural icon and tourist commodity, most of the natives are not able to benefit financially. Tourists want to take pictures of the symbols that evoke the Tanzania they've envisioned long prior their arrival. Although the tourist may feel betrayed to know that the photograph may not be of a young warrior, or even a Maasai at all, Tanzanians should be able to somehow benefit from these important cultural symbols that will be hanging in someone's living room a few weeks later.