Only the Mountains Do Not Move: A Maasai Story of Culture and Conservation

by Jan Reynolds, Jan Reynolds (Illustrator)

Overview

A photographic essay about contemporary Maasai—the changes in lifestyle, land, and farming practices they face and how they are adapting to those changes.

Nobody can say he is settled

anywhere forever;

it is only the mountains

which do not move from their places.

So goes a Maasai proverb, and so goes the lives of the Maasai in Africa. For hundreds of years they have moved with their herds of cattle and goats across thousands of miles in Kenya and Tanzania.

Today the Maasai face new challenges. Their traditional way of life is threatened, lands are overgrazed, and wildlife is in danger. Maasai tribes are meeting these obstacles head-on-adapting their lives and agricultural practices while keeping their vibrant, close-knit culture alive.

Award-winning author-photographer Jan Reynolds presents a striking glimpse of these dynamic people. Only the Mountains Do Not Move shows one Maasai tribe's remarkable ability to forge a delicate balance between the richness of the past and the needs of the future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600608445
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	131,787
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jan Reynolds is an award-winning author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. All seven books in her Vanishing Cultures series of photo-essays for children were recognized as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and she is also the author of Celebrate! Connections Among Cultures; Only the Mountains Do Not Move, and The Lion Queens of India. Reynolds holds the world record for women's high altitude skiing, was part of the first expedition to circumnavigate Mount Everest, and performed a solo crossing of the Himalayas. She lives with her family in Stowe, Vermont. Please visit her on the web at janreynolds.com.

Jan Reynolds is an award-winning author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. All seven books in her Vanishing Cultures series of photo-essays for children were recognized as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and she is also the author of Celebrate! Connections Among Cultures; Only the Mountains Do Not Move, and The Lion Queens of India. Reynolds holds the world record for women's high altitude skiing, was part of the first expedition to circumnavigate Mount Everest, and performed a solo crossing of the Himalayas. She lives with her family in Stowe, Vermont. Please visit her on the web at janreynolds.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A thought-provoking look at a culture that is peaceful and industrious, and which holds onto tradition while facing the future." — Publishers Weekly

"A revealing look at a vibrant and distinct culture." — Kirkus Reviews

"Maasai sayings, appearing in large, colorful type and explained in the text, introduce each of the book's topical sections. With many clear color photos and an appended glossary with pronunciation, this is an excellent addition to classroom units on Africa today." — Booklist

"This joyous story of the dance between tradition and change has a welcome place in any library. The dazzling smiles - aided by a special tree branch used as a natural antiseptic toothbrush - raise important questions for American readers about where true joy comes from. . . Highly recommended." — LibraryThing

"Throughout the text, Maasai proverbs are combined with photographs to show a thoughtful people seeking to move forward without losing their sense of self-worth. The text and the brilliantly sunlit photographs detail the older ways and newer paths." — Chicago Tribune

Green Earth Book Award Shortlist - The Nature Generation

From the Publisher

Gr 3–6—Traditionally the Maasai lived a nomadic life as herders in East Africa. Moving their goats and cows to graze in different areas, members of the tribe existed in harmony with animals such as giraffes and elephants. However, severe droughts and the establishment of wildlife preserves have reduced available grazing lands. Reynolds documents the ways in which members of the Il Ngwesi tribe in Kenya have responded. Her text and excellent-quality photos introduce the daily lives of men, women, and children. She shows how traditional roles and ceremonies exist alongside adaptations such as growing crops, cultivating wild bees, and guiding tourists to see animals in natural habitats. Although the Maasai proverbs Reynolds includes hint at a positive outcome, the people face ongoing challenges from environmental and political forces. This thought-provoking photo essay reveals a culture in the midst of change.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

School Library Journal

Reynolds’s compelling portrait of Maasai culture centers on the Il Ngwesi tribe in Kenya. Through straightforward descriptions (“The Maasai do not count their animals. They know each one by sight”) and large, color photographs, readers learn intimate details of the Il Ngwesi people—for example, that they sleep on wooden beds covered in animal skins, and that all members of the tribe, including children, have chores to do before playing games or making brightly beaded jewelry. Reynolds also discusses the Maasai’s dependence upon their animals and the effects of climate change and restricted land use on their way of life. A thought-provoking look at a culture that is peaceful and industrious, and which holds onto tradition while facing the future. Ages 6–11. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Six Maasai proverbs complement glimpses into the daily life of a Maasai community in a compact and fascinating portrait of this nomadic people and their changing world.

Reynolds describes in photographs and text how, in an area about the size of Oregon, the Maasai herd goats and cows as they have traditionally done and also increasingly adapt to changes in the environment and availability of grazing land and water. Farming and beekeeping are shown as examples of new Maasai ways of subsistence that may help restore health to the land that supports wild animals. The Maasai's respect and care for wild animals—they do not hunt them for food—and for the environment comes through clearly. The straightforward and economical text explains the construction of the huts, the use and importance of the livestock and the responsibilities, games and social traditions of girls and of boys within the group. The dozens of photographs inside and on the cover are excellent, with only two—peering inside anenjaki, or hut—a bit dim. An author's note discusses in a more personal voice the importance of Maasai storytelling and explains the effect that wildlife preserves—where not even leopards are truly wild—have on the natural order that the Maasai seek to restore.

A revealing look at a vibrant and distinct culture. (author's note, glossary, source notes)(Nonfiction. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews