Africa Top Five: #2 - got blood?
#2 of the Africa Top 5 Most Memorable Moments is a sharp contrast to the beauty and serenity of the courting flamingos. But in its exoticness, it's hard to beat!
The Masai (or Maasai) are a warrior tribe living in Kenya and Tanzania. They live in mud huts and spend most of their time grazing cattle. Their wealth is measured in cows; the more cows you own, the richer you are. They subsist almost entirely on the meat, milk, and blood from their cattle, drinking blood directly from their cows and goats. Our guide arranged for us to watch the blood-drinking ritual.
Five or six Maasai men wrangle a cow and hold it in place. The blood will be taken from the jugular vein of the neck, so a tourniquet is tied above this vein.
One of the warriors then shoots a very sharp-tipped arrow directly into the jugular vein (above). It was kind of like the way a phlebotomist would insert a needle into a human's arm to do a blood draw.
When the arrow is pulled out, blood gushes out of the vein and is collected in a bucket. It looked like they got at least a gallon of blood from this animal.
When they were done, they smeared a bit of cow dung over the wound to stop the flow, and the cow was released. Just like with a human blood donation, this cow will not be bled again for the next 4-6 weeks.
When they offered us a sip, how could I resist? 
Yes, three or four of us tourists joined them in the blood-drinking.
Photos of me taken by Ian
I know I'm looking kind of bug-eyed in these photos, but it actually wasn't that bad. It was very thin and bland. It tasted just like human blood. (Not that I'm in the habit of drinking human blood. But if you've ever cut your lip or had a tooth bleed, you know the taste). There was actually very little taste as I was drinking it, but for several minutes afterwards I had strong blood aftertaste.
If you saw Survivor Africa a couple seasons ago, you might recall that this was one of the challenges on that show. So this was good practice for when I get on Survivor...
The blood-drinking was followed by some milk porridge (above), with fresh milk straight from a cow being boiled together with (I think?) some cornmeal. It tasted a little better than the blood, but it was very hot, so I didn't drink too much of it. Sometimes, the Masai mix the milk and the blood together to make a blood milkshake.
OK. Go ahead. Bring on the EEEEWWWWWWW THAT'S DISGUSTING I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT comments....
I have lots more to say about the Masai, in future entries. Such as why they are a feminist's nightmare...
TOP FIVE AFRICAN MOMENTS
Bet you haven't heard anything lately from the other three guzzling
tourists.
OMG! You look brainwashed. Never in a million yeares.
Basia - I applaud you for trying this ritual and I admire you for not being
afraid to try just about anything! You are a true adventurer.
Dale: Hmmmm...you've got a point there. Ian? Vicky? Siddarth? Where
are you guys??
Hi Basia...I haven't posted in awhile, but this brought me out of
seclusion. I think you are a true adventurer also, but I still have to
say.....EEEEWWWWWWW THAT'S DISGUSTING I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT.
Basia, well actually no. I have tried stranger things in China but when I
lived in Kenya drinking the blood (even mixed with milk) didn't attract me.
The swarming termites didn't either. I just wanted deviled eggs. Possibly
because everything else was strange enough as it was. The Masai huts
though I thought were cozy. Your pictures though are great!!
Hi Basia, you are very brave indeed... really brave (I think the idea of
drinking blood hasn't sunk in my brain yet hahhaha) and thanks for the pics
hey! I thought you were a vegetarian!!!
Basia, couldn't resist commenting here. Siddarth is acting weird...not sure
if the blood had something to do with it or it's just him :-).
Can't believe less than a week ago, we were taking all this in, in Masai
lands. Arrrghhhh back to the jungle...concrete, that is Dallas.
How are you?
Amy: It was worth it to bring you out of lurking.... ;o)
This does not help the case to have your nephew and niece travel with you!
But seriously, I can reconcile the grossness factor (after all the bacon
and eggs I made this morning would be considered gross in some cultures)
but I can't reconcile the health and safety factor. Didn't the scientist in
you wonder about the health effects of drinking blood--from a biological or
physiological or some kind of logical standpoint?
Eva: Oh dear. Does this mean you won't ever let Alex or Chrissy go
on a safari with me?? But..but..I would never force THEM to drink blood. It
would be their own decision....;o)
How ridiculously creul. I hope some day the same happens to you :)
I've lived with the massai and the samburu for the past four months, this
is not a practice that i reccomend to anyone looking at this. This is an
excellent way to contract parasites and bacteria that our western bodies
havn't been bred or conditioned to handle. Its very dangerous. The
massai's aren't exactly "warrior's" either. If they had what it took to
become warriors they would join the army to feed and house their family
while providing themselves with enough money to start a family of their
own. The kenyan millitary is all volunteer and one of the highest paid
jobs in the country for uneducated individuals. The politicians in kenya
hate neighboring tribes as much as the native pastorialists. These men
aren't warriors. They are nomads. The Massai are a very proud people
not only proud of their tribe but also of their country. You can bet that
every single man of age in your picture voted in their recent election.
They also don't all live in mud huts, Many of the prominent politicians
are Massai. Its probably the most prevelent tribe in the country. Don't
be surprised if you see exchange students in the US claiming to be Massai
as well. I fear you are showing a small window of a large culture for
something that may be confused for animalistic. The massai have the exact
potential to be educated as anyone else.
Your going to catch something from drinking the blood.
Vance and Mandy: And you base your "this is dangerous" statement on
what, exactly? Medical or scientific proof? Or your own unfounded fears and
ignorance? As far as I am aware, there has not been a single instance of a
tourist getting sick from drinking Masai cow blood. (Feel free to Google
it and prove me wrong). So unless you can point me to specific instances
where drinking cow blood got a tourist sick, I think you should be careful
about spreading your own unfounded fear to others.
If you did it to excess you would get an acquired iron overload syndrome,
which may result in chronic fatigue, arthritis, impotence, amenorrhea,
jaundice, abdominal pain, weight loss, dyspnea, chest pain, dysrhythmias,
hyperglycemia, hypothyroidism, splenic enlargement, and liver inflammation.
In addition, iron is a pro-oxidant. Therefore, it tends to lead to cancer
(as opposed to the anti-oxidants found in fruits & vegetables).