In the aftermath of the 9/11 disaster, to show solidarity with the US, the Masai tribesmen of Kenya gave 14 cows to the US. The cows were presented to William Brencick, deputy head of the US embassy in Nairobi, in a ceremony on June 1, 2002. Brencick called the gift the “highest expression of regard and sympathy.”

“We did what we knew best,” said a Masai elder. “The handkerchief we give to people to wipe their tears with is a cow.”