- Title: KENYA-MAASAI OLYMPICS 'Maasai Olympics' replace lion killings in Kenya
- Date: 13th December 2014
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAASAI OLYMPICS ORGANISER, DANIEL SAMBU, SAYING: "This idea was how can we engage the warriors in a very constructive manner, not to shun the culture but to stop killing lions for their own benefits. That means, we wanted the warriors to use their strength to hunt for trophies, not for lions, and that was where the idea came from."
- Embargoed: 28th December 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAAFTX4OX2VK2T8R39R6FUJ1SO2
- Story Text: With ocher smeared on his cheeks, an intense gaze and a tightly gripped javelin in his right hand, John Keteko, a Maasai, looks ready to hunt lions lurking in the shadow of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro.
But as Keteko hurled the javelin deep into the field, there was no risk of impaling a lion. Instead, his aim was to win a gold medal at the "Maasai Olympics", a biennial event focused on ending Maasais' enduring cultural tradition of killing lions.
Like many other Maasai boys on the cusp of manhood, Keteko no longer believes that following the ancient Maasai ritual of killing a lion is the only way to become a moran, or a warrior.
"Back in the day, people used to kill lions because people did not know the animal's benefits. Now we understand their importance, that's why we don't kill them. We co-exist because we see they have many advantages like, for example, the Olympics that are happening here in Maasai land. It's a huge benefit, it's an example of the help we are getting here," said Maasai moran John Keteko.
Atop the vast Maasai community land straddled by the Tsavo and Amboseli national parks, the historic battle between Maasais and lions nearly ended about a decade ago when lions were brought to the brink of extinction.
Across Africa, lion population has shrunk from 100,000 a few decades ago to about 25-30,000 today, conservation groups say.
Hunted by young Maasai men and poisoned by herders fed up with predators eating their cows and goats, the lion population dwindled to less than 10 in the Aboseli-Tsavo ecosystem by 2003, said conservationist Tom Hill.
The problem was partly alleviated by a predator compensation fund, set up by Hill's conservation charity The Big Life, incentivising farmers to stop poisoning lions.
But young men determined to become warriors and win the hearts of Maasai girls kept hunting.
Then in 2008, Hill said a group of Maasai elders turned up at his ranch and told him they wanted "to stop lion hunting as part of the culture" of Maasai warriors.
"That was a stunning thing to hear," Texas-born Hill said. "That was never even said out loud before."
Perched under the flat-top acacia tortilis tree, a traditional Maasai meeting place, Hill and the "cultural fathers" of the warriors thrashed out some ideas.
"They said, 'Don't most boys compete for girlfriends in the world through sports?' I said 'yes'.
Hill added: "That was the beginning of the Maasai Olympics."
On Saturday (December 13) scores of young Maasais representing four manyattas - a barrack for warriors aged about 16-25 - competed against each other for prestige, bragging rights and a prized breeding bull for their manyatta.
Besides javelin, events medlying the Olympic tradition and Maasai culture included the hurling of the rungu - a warrior clubstick mostly used to scare off jackals - at a ring-like target some 30 meters away.
The iconic Maasai jumping dance, accompanied by rhythmic chanting as young boys leap and near-lavitate in the air, had become the "Maasai High Jump".
The event's organizer said the idea came about as the number of lions was decreasing and an urgent solution was needed.
"This idea was how can we engage the warriors in a very constructive manner, not to shun the culture but to stop killing lions for their own benefits. That means, we wanted the warriors to use their strength to hunt for trophies, not for lions, and that was where the idea came from," said Daniel Sambu, Maasai Olympics organiser.
When 800m race was over, Maasai girls joined the celebration, their jingling ornaments dangling from golf ball-sized holes in their earlobes.
Fiercely proud and historically insular -- as colonial power Britain would testify -- the Maasais only started embracing elements of Western culture a few decades ago.
Today, most Maasais wear Western clothes and even those sporting traditional shukas are likely to have mobile phones next to their rungu. Many warriors have Facebook profiles.
During this period of change, new generations have sought jobs and lifestyles that other tribes in Kenya take for granted. For many, a nomadic lifestyle is no longer enough.
With this has come an understanding that conservation may be the best way to benefit from the wilderness and wildlife that surrounds them.
Daniel Sambu reinforced the point to the warriors when he used the example of David Rudisha, who became famous not by killing lions but for his running skills.
This point has been hammered home over the last two days by Rudisha himself, Kenya's Olympic champion and the world's most famous Maasai.
The Maasais will be the biggest losers if the lion becomes extinct, the 800m World record holder kept telling the throng of Maasai youth who are entering the job market where tourism-related work is their best bet for employment.
"I will be very happy to see that we have some more Maasai coming in the sport, because we understand that so far we are still very few coming from Kenya, and this is a very good initiative because we are trying to teach and educate them about conservation as well as sports," said David Rudisha.
After dominating the 800m field in 2012, including the stunning Olympic final victory where he broke the World Record, Rudisha missed much of 2013 through injury and this year was beaten at least twice by Botswana's Nijel Amos, who trailed second behind him in the London Games. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None