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Masai Warriors

November 4th, 2007 by James

The Masai who beat Japanese magician Mr. Marik in a challenge a few weeks ago were so amazing that they were asked back to Japan to perform more feats of Masai super vision. Here is a clip of a vision test they were given on the savana before their second trip to Japan:

The staff hold up pictures of animals at a distance of 2 kilometers. The Masai easily identify a zebra, but can they identify a panda, an animal they have probably never seen? They don’t know what it’s called, but they can describe it’s appearance well enough to prove they can actually see it!

Their next task was far more difficult. Panels with pictures of animals on them were placed along the course of the Fujiyama roller coaster at Fuji-Q Highland Amusement park, and the Masai were asked to spot them:

Could the Masai do it? Yep.

Coming tomorrow: Round II of Masai vs. Mr Malik



Related Posts:
 

Masai in Japan: Another Magic Challenge

Masai Tribesmen Defeat Japanese Magician

Best of Japan Probe 2007 – September to December


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7 Comments »

Comment by NPC
2007-11-05 07:45:30

I’m going to point out the obvious here and say this could all easily be rigged for the enjoyment of the Japanese audience…
Not that I’m doubting the Masai or anything.

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Comment by D-san
2007-11-05 08:29:00

I doubt they would waste the time and money on bringing these guys from Africa just to rig this though. They could have just found some Japanese guys to do it then.

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Comment by NPC
2007-11-05 14:28:32

Good point :P

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Comment by The Overthinker
2007-11-05 11:05:48

I’ve seen a show very like this (showing the Masai eyesight) a few years back. I don’t think it’s rigged as such, though they may have done a few practise runs with the rollercoaster or only shown the hits. The show I did see talked about how their eyesight was adapted for serious distance vision, but at the cost of close-up vision: reading for long periods causes eyestrain etc, as the muscles are not used to such close focus.

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Comment by mysonabsalom
2007-11-05 14:21:56

I’m sure this has, uh, some cultural value in teaching the viewing audience about, um, the difference between Japanese and other cultures? I’m sure its NOT exploitation though…

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Comment by Chris
2007-11-05 18:51:12

videos reminded of “Blacksploitation”

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