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As Dopoi founder Meitamei Olol Dapash says, “In the balance our ancestors found with the natural environment, people shared the land with elephants, giraffes, rhinoceros, and other majestic wildlife. We see ourselves as custodians of the land, which to us is a sacred, living entity. The land contains our history; it is the keeper of our memories and culture, and protector of our forefathers’ bones. The Maasai believe the land is entrusted to the living for safekeeping, to be passed on to future generations.”

In the face of these challenges, the tourism industry holds great hope for the Maasai community. As more Maasai youth are trained and employed in the industry as field guides, staff, and managers, wages remain in the community and those with jobs can live in their home communities rather than migrating to cities for work. Women’s beading cooperatives and other local businesses are beginning to share in some small corners of profits of tourism. More tourists come to Maasailand looking for genuine connection and education about Maasai culture. For all of these reasons, ecologically sustainable Indigenous based tourism is an important part of the future vision of Maasailand, thus, Dopoi Center was a vital step in building a new model of tourism in Kenya.