At Home in the Savanna

 

My name is Dopal. I’m eleven years old and I live in 1)Tanzania, in the heart of the African 2)savanna. I’m a Masai. Masais are 3)nomads who travel all over with their animals, looking for 4)pasture. Our most wonderful and valuable possession is our herd.

 

I’ve never been to school. My father teaches me everything I have to know. He explains to me how to lead our herd. My own animals are in the middle of the herd. Every Masai gets a cow, a lamb, and a goat the day he’s born. Our most beautiful goat belongs to my father. Her name is Olliye. I love her, even though she’s not always easy to handle.

 

Olliye is going to have a baby very soon. My father knows Olliye is my favorite, but he always reminds me that we must love all our animals as if they were our children. My father knows all about nature. He shows me some cheetah tracks. Our herds have lots of predators like 5)hyenas, lions, and 6)leopards. A Masai has to be ready to risk his life for his herd. A shepherd must always listen for different sounds and watch to make sure the animals walking behind don’t get lost.

 

All Masais have their own animals, even the girls. They become their 7)dowry when they get married. The animals are also used in trade for food in the market. My people have always been shepherds. We’re not farmers. For us, the earth is 8)sacred, and we mustn’t hurt it by planting things.

 

Like all boys, I dream of becoming a 9)warrior. A warrior has to be strong and intelligent. He’s the one who defends the herd against wild beasts. He sometimes travels long distances to bring back lost animals, and he also watches over our safety. Masais go through three stages: childhood, warrior, and elder. I’ll be a warrior from thirteen to twenty-five years old, before I become an elder like my father. Then I can get married and have children.我叫多培尔，十一岁了，住在坦桑尼亚热带草原的中心。我是马赛人。马赛人是赶着牧群四处寻找牧地的游牧民族。我们最宝贵的财产就是我们的牧群。

 

我从没上过学。我爸爸教会我所应该知道的一切。他告诉我怎样引导牧群。我自己的牲口在牧群中间。每个马赛人在出生的那天都会得到一只母牛、羊羔或山羊。我们最漂亮的一只母山羊就是我爸爸的。它叫奥莱亚。我喜欢它，虽然它有时候不太听指挥。奥莱亚很快就要当妈妈了。爸爸知道我最喜欢奥莱亚，他总是提醒我说我们要爱护所有的动物，就好像爱护自己的孩子一样。我爸爸知道自然界的一切事情。他教我看豹子留下的踪迹。我们的牧群有许多天敌，如鬣狗、狮子和美洲豹。马赛人要时刻准备着为牧群而牺牲。放牧人必须时刻留神着各种声音，并看管好跟在身后的牧群，保证没有一只丢失。

 

所有的马赛人都有自己的牲口，女孩也有。她们结婚时，牲口就成了她们的嫁妆。牲口还可以用来在市场上换食物。我的族人都是牧人，没有农夫。在我们眼里，土地是神圣的，不可以在上面种植东西伤害它。

 

和所有的男孩一样，我梦想成为一名武士。武士必须强壮而机智。他守卫牧群不受野兽的袭击。有时他会跋涉遥远的路程找回失散的牲口，他还保卫着人们的安全。马赛人一生有三个阶段：儿童时代、武士时代和成年时代。从十三岁到二十五岁这段期间，我会成为一名武士，然后成为像爸爸一样的成人。然后我就结婚生孩子。