Attended a luncheon today where the honored guest told the story of this Maasai greeting. I was interested to learn more and found this excerpt of a sermon that included a little about the greeting and what it signifies in Maasai culture.
Masai Greeting
A sermon delivered to Live Oak U U Church of Austin
December 31, 2000
By Mary K. Isaacs and Martin Bryant.
Kasserian Ingera!
Among the tribes of Africa, few have warriors traditionally more fearsome or more cunning than the Masai of Kenya. It is perhaps surprising, then, to learn the traditional greeting among Masai warriors. One warrior would always say to another, “Kasserian Ingera,” which, in Swahili, means, “How are the children?”
It is still the traditional greeting among the Masai, acknowledging the high value of the Masai for the well-being of children. Even modern Masai with no children of their own always give the traditional answer, “All the children are well,” meaning, of course, that peace and safety prevail – that the priorities of protecting the young and powerless are in place, that Masai society has not forgotten its reason for being and its responsibilities. “All the children are well” means that life is good. It means that the daily struggles of existence do not preclude proper care for the young.
This story, I think, is moving, illustrating a society that values its children so highly that a reminder of them is part of every greeting. The story is also sobering – the fact that it’s surprising illustrates how very far our own culture is from valuing children in this way.
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