Our morning began with a travelling lecture to the home and farm of Daniel and Elizabeth, a local couple who were going to teach us about the Iraqw tribe to which they belonged. This was one of 128 tribes situated within Tanzania. We arrived at their home to see a circle of chairs prepared for us in the front yard and sat down intently to hear what Daniel had to say. He used a stick, or merse, to speak to us, as this must be used to formally talk. As he said, "a stick is more valuable than a home," since it enables one to be heard and share their ideas.
We heard about the great importance of children and having families, as your property and assets are nothing if not to be enjoyed by people. "First is people, second is land, and all else will come," Daniel said. If a woman is not able to have a child, it is common for the family to adopt, and to make the child your own, the child must drink the mother's blood. Women are actually highly regarded by the Iraqw, and Daniel said that due to the fact that they bear and care for the next generation, they are more highly valued than men. He talked about how divorce and marriage works (with a demonstration of traditional dance at the event shown; he called students up to try on hand-made goat leather skirts and dance with him by holding hands and leaping up and down like jumping beans), how traditional goat leather garments are made, Tanzania's history pre and post British rule, his gas system made of cow dung and water for cooking and electricity, and much more. Daniel was an older man (74 to be exact) and had twelve children. He was quite the character and kept the students laughing the entire time with his banter and lively demonstrations.
Arguably the coolest part of the visit was the tour of his home. While Daniel did have a regular Tanzanian hut to reside in, he had also taken the time in the 90's to build a traditional Iraqw house. These homes are made of entirely wood, grasses, mud and rocks, and are underground. From the outside, the wooden house built underneath a small grassy hill looked exactly like a hobbit hole. The reason that these homes are underground is for protection from the Maasai, another Tanzanian tribe. It is belief of the Maasai that all cows on earth belong to them, which causes conflict between the two tribes as the Maasai often come in the middle of the night to steal the cows of the Iraqw. These underground houses allow for the protection of the people and cattle underneath the same roof. The house sported a grass-thatched roof and was supported by numerous wooden beams. Pieces of horizontal wood sectioned off different rooms of the house, including the livestock area, bedrooms, a master bedroom, and kitchen (three stones on the ground to make fires and cook food on). Daniel said he had lived in one of these houses for 20 years growing up. He had some students walk on top of the house, and from the inside you could hear audible stomping on the roof--this is how you knew the Maasai were coming. Suddenly, he uncovered a collection of several spears, wooden sticks and clubs that had been concealed within the wooden roof beams of the house. We went outside and he taught us how to throw them as you would towards your enemies, chucking the spears several yards away with ease.
After a subsequent tour of his other home and gas production setup, many students purchased his wood carvings, picture frames and jewelry. I myself could not resist a sitting giraffe figurine and was glad to support him.
Later in the afternoon, SFS students went to take on community service projects. SFS regularly asks the community what they would appreciate having done, and based on this feedback, students are given a list of options that they can choose from. Out of a trash cleanup in Rhotia, planting of trees at a tree nursery, and the renovation of the Ako Primary School by re-cementing the classroom floors, I was given the tree nursery project. A short walk down the main road in Rhotia and we had arrived to a setup on the side of the road complete with numerous saplings and other plants. Students were given rotating jobs of watering the plants, sweeping the ground to collect debris for compost, filling pots with soil, and planting saplings. I found it peaceful to dig out little holes in the pots and carefully place the baby roots inside, and the time passed surprisingly quickly. I feel grateful to have been able to help the environment, and most importantly the community in their efforts to make a difference.
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