Tetlow's career as one of Bermuda's leading artists. It also left her with a burning desire to return to that beautiful continent to portray, in a wider scope, the heritage that lay hidden beyond the tourist circuit.

Not only has she fulfilled that wish but has also become something of an activist in the process. For Mrs. Tetlow has taken up the cause of the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania, whom she believes are now yet another "endangered species.'' Her next solo exhibition to be held, appropriately enough, during Heritage Week, at Heritage House, will feature the people and wild life of Tanzania and will be entitled Elototo -- meaning "journey'' in the Maa language, just as `safari'' means the same in Swahili.

A chance meeting in Nairobi with Mr. Joel Ole Dapash, a Maasai who works with the East African Wildlife Society, led to Mrs. Tetlow setting up an organisation called PACT, aimed at rescuing artefacts and making tape recordings of the Maa language. She has funded this partly through "an unexpected sale'' of one of her paintings in New York, and says that since people have heard of her project, there has been a lot of interest and offers of help.

Her initial fascination with the Maasai tribe had been piqued when her "conventional'' Kenyan safari, as she now calls it, had given her a glimpse of two Maasai villages: "I was intrigued by the beauty and noble bearing of these people, and I wanted to find out more about them.'' When Mr. Jay Bluck, suggested that her next exhibition be devoted to African paintings, she returned twice to East Africa, both times under the umbrella of Mr. Lloyd Webbe, whose company, Unique Safaris, has been running "one of a kind'' excursions since 1986.

"We specialise on the cultural side, instead of just looking at animals,'' said Mr. Webbe, "so we get to villages off the beaten track and no two safaris are ever the same.'' He was able to arrange for Mrs. Tetlow to stay with the Maasai village elder, Saitoti, who, as a personal friend of Mr. Webbe, visited the Island as part of Woman '89. So, after landing in Nairobi, off they went, on a long drive that took them deep into Maasai country, about an hour beyond Tanzania's famous Ngorongoro Crater -- an area so remote, that they were two and a half hours from the nearest vegetable cart.

"As soon as I met the villagers, I was struck by their friendliness and sense of humour,'' says Mrs. Tetlow: "One of the girls helped me put the pegs in my tent and I used a Maa dictionary to talk a bit. I got her name wrong and this amused her so we were great friends after that and everyone would yell `Diana' every time I went to their village.'' Continued on page 20 TRIBAL TRADITION UNDER THREAT Continued on page 19 The Maasai's villages are simple, but practical affairs, well suited to people who are semi-nomadic, following their cattle in search of fresh grazing grounds and water. The huts are made of saplings and cow-dung, then encircled with a protective fence of thorn.

As western `civilisation' encroaches steadily across the continent, their age-old way of life is threatened, with the pastoral herdsmen being forced off their pastures: "There is a lively tourist interest in the Maasai, partly because of their striking appearance and reputation as brave warriors. In fact, they are peace-loving, gentle people. They are one of the few African tribes who have so far managed to cling on to their traditional way of life, which is led along rigid codes of discipline. Maasai tribes near Nairobi have already started to rely on tourist sales for their livelihood and their traditional ways are falling apart.'' The disintegration of the Maasai, who have inhabited East Africa's Rift Valley since the 14th century, began with the colonising British, who took away large areas of their land in the 19th century, confining them on reservations.

Independence in 1963 did nothing to improve the lot of the Maasai, for by then they were already sharing their territory with national parks and game reserves.

Another, more recent problem for the Kenyan Maasai is the decision by the government to privatise land ownership. This could spell disaster for the tribes, for even if they could afford to buy the land that has, in effect, been theirs for centuries, they would be trespassing if cattle were moved to adjacent, privately owned land.

Mr. Dapash, one of the very few educated Maasai, has devoted his life to preserving his people's way of life, at one point even threatening public suicide if a land deal (which can be legalised by a thumb-print and on this occasion, involved a government minister), was given the go-ahead. On that occasion he was victorious and celebrated the event by literally `going native', returning to his original village to live as a warrior.

A request to continue his work with the wild-life organisation brought him back to Nairobi -- and Mrs. Tetlow -- and an opportunity to begin the long job of preserving the Maasai culture before it is too late.

As she sees it, they are engaged in a race against time that will inevitably be lost. The most that can be done now is to make the move towards westernisation less traumatic for the tribes: "Otherwise they will end up in the same position as the American Indians a hundred years ago. If we have learned any lessons from the American Indians and the Aborigines, it is that we should recognise their affinity with the environment and their wisdom.'' Like their counterparts in America and Australia, the Maasai are certainly at one with nature, with what Mrs. Tetlow describes as an "extraordinary'' knowledge of plant medicines and veterinarian practices: "They put cattle on stilts to mend broken legs.'' Mr. Dapash and Mrs. Tetlow are not alone in their fears that as the Maasai land dwindles, they will be forced into towns and cities, with no knowledge of the western way of life. They will become refugees in their own land, their unique talents discarded in the rush to modern city life.

The name of PACT was borrowed from Mr. Webbe, who for some time has been making his own contribution to "endangered'' people by donating part of the proceeds from his company to PAC -- Preserve a Culture: "I organise tours to Africa, America and all over, so I like to try and help any culture that needs assistance.'' The `T' which Mrs. Tetlow added to PAC stands for `taaiserie', which means `tomorrow' in Maa, the idea being that there is a future for the Maasai people.

Already, a Roman Catholic priest has lent a car so that Mr. Dapash can travel about, collecting art work and recording the tribes' stories in a language that had never been written down until the 1950's.

In Bermuda, Archie Brown & Son Ltd. has donated 20 sweaters for the village children who walk several miles early every morning through lion-infested country to get to school.

Heritage House and Mrs. Tetlow's agent, Mr. Peter Cooper have also agreed to donate part of their fees to the Maasai, and next month's exhibition will feature carvings and artefacts made by the Maasai people -- but only on loan.

Afterwards, they will be returned to their rightful place in East Africa.

PAINTING PARTY -- Children from the Maasai village at Albalbal follow artist Mrs. Diana Tetlow as she sets off for another day of painting.

MAASAI WARRIORS -- Their centuries-old way of life is under threat.

CAMERA-SHY -- Three-year old Seiyan stays close to village elder Saitoti's hut, one of the few Maasai roofs thatched with straw instead of mud.