The folks at Gladioloa Adventure in Arusha thought Elia would be a good guide to show us around northern Tanzania for 9 days. They were right. Raised by his Maasai grandfather, Elia has a deep understanding of animal behavior, not only spotting lions, leopards, and cheetahs at a distance, but anticipating where they would move so we could position ourselves and wait for them to wander by. His knowledge of the animals and how best to interact/photograph them, combined with his insights into the geology, cultures, and history of the region enriched our experience more than I can say. Plus, he’s an easy guy to be around.
This was very interesting. I am glad Elia discussed the Maasai relationship with predators. When many people think of African hunter-gatherers they often mistake them for African pastoralists and horticulturists. Hunter-gatherers didn't have ten foot spears and didn't raid neighboring groups. Their relationship with predators was also much different. Rather than being enemies, they lived with an understanding of mutual avoidance (although their slightly different temporal niche made this easier). It seems that the domestication of plants and animals not only caused humans to war with each other but also with the animals around them (elephants vs horticulturists and predators vs pastoralists).
This was very interesting. I am glad Elia discussed the Maasai relationship with predators. When many people think of African hunter-gatherers they often mistake them for African pastoralists and horticulturists. Hunter-gatherers didn't have ten foot spears and didn't raid neighboring groups. Their relationship with predators was also much different. Rather than being enemies, they lived with an understanding of mutual avoidance (although their slightly different temporal niche made this easier). It seems that the domestication of plants and animals not only caused humans to war with each other but also with the animals around them (elephants vs horticulturists and predators vs pastoralists).
Thanks for the beautiful “Wassiye” from Habib Koité!