One night I want over to Mark and Terry Jenson's apartment for dinner. Mark and Terry volunteer at Tumaini. What they do is go out to villages and teach the villages how to be better farmers. Where to plant their crops and what crops will grow best in the area. They also work for the Ag institute at the U of M. Well, so they go it to different villages often. I really wanted to go with them sometime. They told me I could go out to a Massi village with the Image group from MN. I jumped at the chance because I have always been fascinated with the Massi Tribe.
I found out the reason that the Image group was gong is because this tribe's chief has six wives and he is sick and tired of all of them asking him for money. They wanted money for things like food and medicine for their children. He decided that he would allow them and other women in the tribe to have their own livestock. The problem now is that the women didn't know how to take care of livestock.
I was so excited to go since I grew up on a farm and have been around livestock all my life. They mostly had chickens, cows, and goats. I told Terry that I used to show goats in 4-H and I would be interested in helping out.
Well, finally the day came. I had to get up early and meet the group at the Lutheran Center. Then we all boarded the buss and we were off. It was really fun getting to know the members of the group. They were all from Minnesota. It was also very interesting because Terry exaggerated when my knowledge about goats. When I met everyone they were like "Oh, you're the goat girl". Lol I was like um, sure I used to show them, but I'm not really an expert! Lol
It was me the Image group, some interpreters, and a vet. Andy was the vet. He is originally from London, England until he heard that Iringa and the surrounding areas needed a vet. He goes to villages often and helps them with their livestock and other things.
Ok now let me give you a little background information on the Massi tribe. They used to be nomads that would just travel everywhere with their livestock. It is very normal that the man have more than one wife. They are a really unique tribe. Also, because they generally travel so much other tribes don't really like them because often their livestock eat other tribes' crops. This tribe usually does not respect their women very much. They are just there to have sex with, take care of the kids and to cook the men food. In fact they are an often ostracized because they circumcise their men, not only the men but the women also. They do this it to make it painful when their women have sex and to deter them from being sexually promiscuous.
It was a great opportunity for me to go with them. We got there and the women were so happy to see us. The Image group also had bought the women some chickens and goats a couple of months ago. They also have raised money to send some of the younger girls off to school to get an education. A lot of other men in the tribe were upset with the Chief. They were worried that the women would get an education and then leave the tribe to get jobs and they didn't like that their women would have their own money.
We started with the chickens. It was much too hot and sunny to just sit under the sun so we moved to some trees for cover. We didn't know it but the men were using the trees for shade so they could take a nap. I think they were kind of irritated that they had to move. Andy then asked a women how the chickens were doing. The lady said that they were dying. They would stop drinking and would almost lose their equilibrium because their necks were always cocked to one side. Andy knew what it was right away. I guess it is a common disease in the area. He assigned two women to administer eye drops to the chickens once a month. The women were so happy to have Andy there to help them.
Then we went to the school building to talk to the group about clean water. The Massi have a very high rate of children mortality. It is mostly because they get water from the Ruaha River and it is not very safe to drink. We brought a bunch of empty water bottles and showed the women how to use them to clean the water.
It is actually very simple and resourceful. Most of the time the locals don't buy water bottles; if they do they end up just burning them with the other garbage. But, if you fill them 3/4ths the way full, shake them to aerate the water and put them on a tin roof for about 24 hours the UV light from the sun kills all the bacteria and parasites. Then it is totally safe to drink. It is also free of you have a water source. There may be particles in the water but then if you use some fabric to strain it out you are sitting pretty.
Then we moved back outside to look at their goats. They all looked really healthy. The main thing that we focused on with them was the condition of their hooves. Since the rainy season is rapidly approaching it is important that they take good care of their hooves. In the rainy season they are more susceptible to infection. Andy gave them some solution that the women should use to soak the goats hooves for one min. The solution just coats the hooves for protection.
Then Andy and the Image group asked if the women had any questions. The women said yes, but let's go in the school so that the men don't hear us. We moved in to the school and the women had many questions. They were all answered. The Image group gave the women bags full of things that would help them take care of their children they also gave some of the women mosquito nets.
It was such a great day. It had been a while since I had gotten out of Iringa and I love going out to different villages. The Massi are such a unique and interesting tribe. It was really a great opportunity for me to see them living their daily lives. There are some Massi around Iringa, but mostly they are in their shops selling jewelry. That is one of the things that the Massi are known for is their jewelry.
Here in Tanzania people are generally judged by their wealth. So, the women frequently wear every piece of jewelry they own. This makes them look like they have a lot of money. Generally Massi women and men wear more jewelry then other tribes.
Here is another adventure story from Tanzania. It always amazes me how many different cultures this place has and how unique it is. It also makes me sad because they all urn to be more like the U.S. Yes, when it comes to respecting women more, but I'm worried that eventually this place will loose everything that makes it unique because they want to be more like America.
Jennifer (J.C.) Olson
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