Money Money Money! Think about something you really really want! Share your idea with a partner or the class. Think about something you really really want! Share your idea with a partner or the class.

What are some different ways you can get enough money to buy what you want?

How would you buy something if your currency was not valuable or recognized?

There are some parts of the world that recognize a different type of currency or store of value.

Meet the Masai Nomadic Tribe of Kenya

Masai The Masai are a nomadic tribe located in Kenya and Northern Tanzania. The Masai value their traditional beliefs and choose to continue to live a traditional Masai lifestyle.

For the nomadic Masai, cattle is the most valuable and important thing they own. Traditionally they don’t grow crops or do much hunting. Their entire way of life is around their cattle. Cows are literally their bread and butter.

Masai Because of their importance, the Masai use cattle as their form of currency and wealth or store of value. On average, each individual of the Masai tribe owns around 15 head of cattle, which makes these people among the wealthiest in Kenya, if a measure of value was placed on their herds. Cattle change hands for any major transaction, specifically when a warrior seeks to marry. He must pay a bride price in cattle.

Meet Shilling Shilling is a Masai who traveled 25 miles through the barren desert of Laikpia to a local market. It is here he will trade his prize cows in order to pay for his son’s upcoming school tuition. It took a lot of negotiating but in the end Shilling was able to trade two cows for enough shillings to pay for tuition. Now he must make the long journey back home.

Economic Problem Herds of cattle require large amounts of land in order to get the pasture and water they need. Large chunks of the Masai land are being taken by the Kenyan government to create National Parks and Game Preserves to meet the rising demands of tourists. So With less land the Masai have less room to roam their cattle. How does this effect the economic future of the Masai tribe? What happens to their store of value?

Pretend you just moved to another part of the world where your currency is not valuable. You need to buy food for your family to survive. What is something that can hold a store of value that you can use to buy food? Share your idea with a partner or the class. Write about your idea in your reflection log. Be sure to explain why your item is holds a store of value. Explain how this item is important in your world and how it will be a benefit to somebody else. Pretend you just moved to another part of the world where your currency is not valuable. You need to buy food for your family to survive. What is something that can hold a store of value that you can use to buy food? Share your idea with a partner or the class. Write about your idea in your reflection log. Be sure to explain why your item is holds a store of value. Explain how this item is important in your world and how it will be a benefit to somebody else. What Would You Do?