Home stay concept is a unique product that is involving the host
community and the discerning community. It involves staying with a
family in their home which allows the visitor a unique insight into the
lifestyles and culture of host people. The aim of these programs is to
bring people of different cultural social background together to learn
from one another and share their experiences to mutual benefit of the
community and nature. It is a safe way to meet people and make friends
easily. Staying with your hosts will be in a sense like having personal
guides and through them you will get to see and learn the traditional
and activities you might not get to see otherwise on a typical vacation
as a tourist.
Visitors are to expect treatment like a member of
the family and be included in the day-to-day life of the people in the
home and the community.
Home stay program is a different concept from Timeshare, condominium, or resort villas.
Timeshares:
Timeshare is whereby a person or a group of people
buys a home and they share it on small time slices of it to
individuals. They have a slice share of time when they have to occupy
that house, say two weeks per year, and maybe during your time share you
can:
- Use that time to occupy that house.
- Rent it out to someone else to use your time
- Give it as a gift to a friend or a family member
- Exchange with the other owners/group member
Condominium:
Condominium
living combines the principles of single family ownership with
ownership in common with all other unit owners in the building. In a
high-rise building, for example, you own your own unit, but you and your
neighbors own the hallways, grounds and parking areas together.
Resort Villas:
A
resort villa is an upper-class house. It's a luxurious, upper-class
country, beach or town homes. It's a private of detached suburban
dwelling.
All this type of housing units is available in Kenya but
they are not the ideal houses. They are touristier than home stays
concept. The model is different in that I help you stay with a host
community in their homes rather than a vacation homes described above.
Home Stay Communities in Kenya- a Cultural experience.
Maasai
What makes this tribe famous is the fact they had
retained many of their traditional ways even though Kenya is becoming
more modern and industrialized. Yes, some members of the Masai tribe
have moved out of their homeland and into urban areas. A good portion
have remained and kept their customs.
Here are some interesting facts and traditions of the Masai tribe that you will enjoy while having a home stay with them:
They live off their cattle almost exclusively; Masai men may have more than one wife.
Masai women build their houses out of sticks and grass, and then
cover it with a mixture of cow dung and mud. The men put a thick wall of
dried thorn-tree branches around the circle of houses to prevent wild
animals from coming into the village. The women do bead necklaces,
headdresses, gourds, and dresses. The young Masai children sometimes
play a game where they place rocks on a sleeping rhinoceros. When a
Masai boy leaves boyhood, he enters the morani or warrior class. He is
expected to be brave enough to spear a lion. The ceremony for boys
entering the morani is held every seven years. The Masai eat custard
made from the blood of their cattle. The blood is mixed with milk and
curdled to make the custard. They are arguably the most sort tribe in
Kenya due to their unique culture.
Kikuyu
They are organized
into a clan. Each clan is mad up of people of the same age group. They
also have a council of elders which used to pass low and order {justice}
in the community. They are predominantly agriculturalist though they
are also traders and keep cattle.
You will have to engage in various activities.
You will have to engage in various activities.
Herding, farming, cultural dances and rites, trade among others. You will learn their way of life in a simple immersion method.
Mijikenda
This
is the Kenyan coastal tribes. a cluster of nine closely related people
who share a common linguistic and cultural heritage, but who have become
differentiated through separate settlement over the years. They have a
rich history and even were the ones who interacted with the Arabs and
Swahilis in the first place when they visited the east African coast.
They migrated and established themselves in area between Kilifi Creek
and the Shimba Hills. The Digo and the Segeju were the first to leave
Shungwaya, followed by the Pokomo, Taita, Ribe-Kauma, Giriama, Chonyi
and Jibana. They travelled together as far as the Tana River, where the
Pokomo settled, leaving the rest to continue to Mt. Mwengea. An account
of their culture reveals a lot in common with the Swahilis and thus
their culture and that of Swahili is almost the same.
Turkana
The Turkana are a Nilotic people of Kenya.
The
Turkana are noted for raising camels and weaving baskets. Livestock is
an important aspect of Turkana culture. Goats, camels, donkeys, and
sheep are the primary herd stock utilized by the Turkana people. In this
society, livestock functions not only as a milk and meat producer, but
as form of currency used for bride-price negotiations and dowries.
Often, a young man will be given a single goat or sheep with which to
start a herd, and he will accumulate more via animal husbandry. It is
not uncommon for Turkana men to lead polygamist lifestyles, since
livestock wealth will determine the number to marry.
This tribe is unique and like Maasai they have kept their traditions intact.
These
among other tribes give one a sense of belonging while at their homes
stays. You will learn their intricate cultural practices and even enjoy
and join in them. The cultural significance is so strong in Africa that
every action or dead is governed by a strong attachment with the
culture. Some visitor have been so much embodied by the African culture
that they have abandoned their parental home, name and belonging to came
and live in Africa.
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