'Cultural ambassador' for the Masai stresses importance of eco-tourism

The Masai people live in east Africa and are known for their warrior skills

By Kelley Colihan
Special to CNN.com

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- About half a million Masai populate the plains of Kenya and Tanzania. They live close to the wildlife, in the heart of Masai Mara, one of east Africa's most well known safari parks. Known for their warrior skills and semi-nomadic ways, the Masai carry out a self-sufficient lifestyle that revolves around livestock, moving with the seasons. And out of Masai Mara, a new warrior is emerging.

John Ole Tome calls himself a cultural ambassador for the Masai. He's never been to school and picked up English, Swahili, a bit of Japanese and Italian from tourists. During a recent trip across the United States, he stopped in Atlanta, Georgia to talk with university students. Ole Tome says drought killed 70% of Masai livestock in Kenya last year -- that, and government corruption are prompting him to speak out-- and urge his people to move beyond being tourist attractions.

"I want the younger generation to follow my system," Ole Tome says. "I want them to open eyes. I want to bring them to the United States and Britain...to be doctors, lawyers, environmental...that is very critical. Sometimes we drink rivers, and they (are) polluted by sewage from the lodges. If it's a Masai manager of that lodge, he know(s) to be very careful because he know(s), I'm going to kill my parents."

Ole Tome says as more traditional lands are being turned into wildlife preserves, and his people could tap into the profits, not by posing for postcards, but by getting involved in eco-tourism. He suggests teaming up with international business partners and having the Kenyan government step in to prevent tourists from disrupting village life.

John Ole Tome says eco-tourism holds the future for the Masai people

"Learning to speak with Japanese or American or British or Italian, I learned that all cultures are very important," says Ole Tome, "and nothing's wrong with them, just different. So I was asking these people, please, if you go to the villages, don't give Masai chewing gums or cigarettes because you are destroying our culture."

"(In) my culture, our history is (not) written. It's just spoken. So you pass on to the next generation, so you have to listen. And if the elder tells you something, you have to listen and carry on for the next generation."

Now, Ole Tome wants the world to listen and learn, about his culture to discover ways to keep it thriving for generations to come.

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Masai Mara National Reserve
Kent School District, Social Studies Resources
  • Masai information

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