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

This photographic essay explores the Maasai people of east Africa and their remarkable success in adapting to overgrazing issues in ways that balance both tradition and modernization. Based upon Reynolds' visit with a tribe in the northern part of Kenya, the narrative is divided into three parts. The first offers an informative introduction to the members of the tribe and their various roles, the second explores the natural world in which they live, and the third highlights the tribe's success in adapting to change in environmentally friendly ways that help to ensure the continuation of their culture. The accessible text offers a solid if not deep introduction to the Maasai people, and Reynolds' sharp photographs provide plenty of visual information in striking portraits of tribe members as well as landscape and animal images. Reynolds combines documentary chronicle ("Ole Kiyaa's young son, Washon, brings a stool for his father to sit on while he plays") with general factual tidbits ("Maasai children respect their elders and appreciate the work they do for the family"), adding an immediacy to the cultural information that will appeal to young readers. While the text remains largely detached, the author's note argues that the Maasai people's success in finding sustainable ways to deal with overgrazing due to the loss of land, such as beekeeping, farming, and tourism, could serve as a model for the rest of the modern world. A glossary is included.