Project Description

This project is a collaboration between the Ecosa Institute, Prescott College, and the Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition. For several years, Mary Poole, who teaches Cultural and Regional Studies at Prescott College, has been working with the Maasai people, indigenous pastoralists who co-exist with wildlife within diverse ecosystems they have occupied for centuries. Students in her class learn by contributing to solutions to current issues, under the direction of Maasai leadership and activists, specifically those working under the umbrella of the Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition. Students learn from Maasai teachers about their culture: the consensus-based justice system, communal family and political structures, and shared economy. Students explore how the Maasai, through grassroots activism, address issues such as education, land disputes (including privatization), voting rights, and environmental conservation.

The Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition has now accquired 10 acres of land that they wish to develop as a point of intersection for community, researchers, and tourists. Research at the center will focus on Maasai approaches to human-wildlife conflict, the political economy of tourism and tourism reform, and the impact of land rights on community. Additionally, the center will provide an opportunity for visitors to observe the complex relationship between indigenous cultures and educational models in Maasailand, and Maasai efforts to design and provide culturally literate education.

The Ecosa students were asked to design a master plan in order to create a vision for the future Maasai Resource Center. Following are exerpts from their final proposal. You may also download their entire project book.

Conceptual Site Plan

Zoning Diagram

Classroom ConceptDormitory ConceptRestaurant Concept