The Traditional Warrior Dance

Sunday, March 19, 2017

For tonight's sundowner we were treated to a traditional warrior dance.  This dance is done during special ceremonies such as a wedding for the warriors to find a mate.  I'm not sure how serious it is, I was told it was something like the bride catching the bouquet...just because she catches it it doesn't mean she's necessarily gonna be the next one married.  It was quite entertaining, but a nightmare for me to shoot.  Super bright light and their backs were constantly against the sun, which means harsh shadows on their faces.  Ugh.  Oh, did  I tell you I broke my flash?  Yup.  On the first game drive.  It fell off my camera, three feet on to the rocky pavement.  No flash for me tonight.  Fun.

Oh in case you were wondering, today was kind of a rest day for us.  After the village we had the whole day to relax and enjoy the lodge.  It was a much needed break.  I think everyone was a bit tired and still jetlagged.

To get to the dance we walked about 15 minutes down the riverbed to the staging area.  

The warriors wasted no time getting into their groove

This is Laurie.  She was also staying at Sasaab with her boyfriend Mark Boyd.  He's a conservationist with the Safari Collection and also does a lot of work with the community.  You can listen to an interview here.  It's quite interesting

The girls anxiously line up

After the girls get comfortable they join in with the warriors

Once the sun goes down they build a fire and the party continues!