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In the beginning of “The Women's Olamal: the Organisation of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony” directed by Melissa Llewelyn-Davies we are first introduced by a woman explaining how their culture works. We are told that cattle and men are the dominating factors when it comes to the whole family. We are also told that having children is very important to the man, if the woman has yet to give birth then that is very bad. If she never has children, she will be alone and the cattle will be given to the other wives’ sons once the father passes away, leaving that woman with nothing.

The woman then forms Olamal groups to sing, dance and to collect money when people donate and bless each other to give birth. They believe the ceremonies will improve their ability to conceive a child. As the film continues, we see a little glimpse of the women gathered in a field chanting and bouncing with each other to another shot of a male group sitting around a small table. We then see a man pull out what seems to be a coin purse to donate money. As we advance through the film, we see many side stories to get a better capture of the village. Which we are told that If fighting were to happen then the ceremony that will be performed will be formed up a bad light which none of the woman would like. A ceremony is approaching but there is talk that a man in Tanzania is looking for a payment so the ceremony cannot happen if this is the case.

But the woman does travel to the ceremony site and once they arrive, they still have yet to get information about the delegation from the man in Tanzania. But nonetheless the still go about with the ceremony but first they eat in a field and chant. As we go further in the film the men that had slaughtered the cows so the woman can eat have started an argument with the woman in the field. Nothing of violence only verbal, which could cause harm still. The fight does seem to advance and then men try to get the women to sit down. But the chanting does get to be more, other old each other and take a stance towards the men when this normally is not done.

As the women get to another village they are chanting when they arrive and they seem to be blessing the woman who are kneeling down. The are having what seems to be water out onto their face and they dry off their hands. After this they do travel to another village, the ceremony will happen the next day so we are shown the woman again traveling. Once they are at the village, we see two woman making garlands. Garlands give a woman more ability to conceive if they are captured. We are then brought to huge huddle of woman fighting over the garland showing that they are desperate to conceive a baby. The next day the most important day we are shown cattle that will be killed by the men. Many of the woman are chanting as the accept milk from a cow to give them further blessings. From one of the back stories in the end we are told that the woman had given a very good blessing. They had encountered things that are not at every Olamal. We are actually told by the end of the film that this blessing was different compared to the other blessings. Within this blessing there had been 3 different components; They had frons from the Otukai tree, there were heiter from where the women had came under and there were honeycombs which they had knelt on when they drank. This made the blessing different and wonderful in the Olamal's eyes.

This article is about a film that was directed 1985 by Melissa Llewelyn-Davies called, The Women's Olamal: The Organization of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony. The main focus within the film is to bless the woman so her fertility is at a higher rate. Fertility is crucial within this society; it determines if the woman will be alone or not in their life. There are many obstacles though when it does come to this society. There are many tensions between the men and woman.

Within the film of the Maasai villagers we are actually given information that Llwelyn-Davies had actually been speaking their language and knows it fluently. She was posed a villager but was never shown within the film. What we had also learned that is Melissa had followed the fertility ritual for 5 months since 1973. I believe the biggest content gap that the film oversees is that the fertility ritual happens ever fours years that is directed by the senior men of the village.

Llwelyn-Davies is an anthropologist who is well known for her television and entertainment involvement. Not only she had directed The Women's Olamal: The organization of the Maasai Fertility Ceremony but we see he involvment within the films: Two Mothers, Te Prophet's Village, Two Ways of Justice etc. I would have to say her most known work would have to be the The Women's Olamal: The organization of the Maasai Fertility Ceremony

Kasfir, S.L. (1986), Diary of a Maasai Village. 1984. 5 videotapes produced and directed by Chris Curling and Melissa Llewelyn‐Davies: The Women's Olamal: The Organisation of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony. 1984. Directed by Melissa Llewelyn‐Davies. American Anthropologist, 88: 1037-1040. doi:10.1525/aa.1986.88.4.02a00980

"The Women's Olamal: The Organization of a Maasai Fertility Ceremony." , directed by Melissa Llewelyn-Davies. , produced by British Broadcasting Corporation. , Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1985. Alexander Street, https://video-alexanderstreet-com.libraries.rutgers.edu/watch/the-women-s-olamal-the-organization-of-a-maasai-fertility-ceremon