I recall while in secondary at Ilboru, Arusha
where numbers of Maasai children was high, fights among us boys due to teasing
were frequent. Mostly they were resolved verbally, but at times ended in
dramatic formal duels. When one of these clashes occurred we would cluster
around a circle to watch. One of the memorable ones was between a Hehe teenager
and a Maasai. Hehe boys were few at Ilboru as they were from a far away Iringa region
while Maasai being the majority tended to be cocky and proud. You did not mess
with Maasai (or Waarusha), this was their homeland. The word for non- Maasai person
“Ol Meeki” was freely used (just like we Chaggas had “Kyasaka” for a similar
description).
On this late afternoon
the Hehe warrior, unsmiling and valiant faced his adversary supported by a
frenzied and partisan crowd.
