Maasai By D’kota Barrios

LOCATION Kenya and Northern Tanzania Along the Great Rift Valley Migrated from Nile Valley Region in 1500’s Residence near many game parks of East Africa

LITERATURE Language: Maa Maa is a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family Related to Dink and Nuer All are educated in Swahili and English Very few learn how to read, for education is secondary to cultural duties

HISTORY In the 1800’s, their population was devistated due to years of drought and small pox epidemic. In 1911, Maasai lands in Kenya were reduced by 60% when the British evicted them to make more room for settler ranches. This confined the Maasai to present day Kajiado and Narok districts. Maasai lands were further enclosed for the creation of game parks.

HISTORY continued After their population was devastated, the Kenyan government took 2/3 of their land. After independence, Tanzania implemented a socialist policy of villagization in Maasai areas. This meant that people were physically resettled into boma’s, a circular cluster of homes. In 1976, the government officially resettled the Maasai in Monduli and gave them a maximum of 3 acres of land to each for farming.

CLIMATE East Africa’s climate averages 70-90 degrees. December-March are the warm/dry months April-May produce the most rain June-September are the cooler months

RESOURCES Use rocks and sticks as tools Use cattle dung as cement for the homes Use wooden, hand made spears for hunting Use animal bones for tools and accessories such as earings

ECONOMIC LIFESTYLE Indigenous pastoral society Raising their cattle is the most important thing to their society Live in desert areas Native

DECLINE STATUS Much of their land has been taken by the Kenyan government Small pox wiped out a lot of their population As well as drought Only 400,000 Maasai left

MIGRATION They migrated from the Nile Valley region to The Great Rift Valley in Kenya They owned a lot of land until the government kicked them out They follow wherever the cattle migrate to

GOVERNMENT The elders make up the rules “court of elders” Killing is legal, no punishment In the morning, everybody in the village meets up and the elders tell everybody the schedule for the day The elders assign jobs and decide who will marry who

CLOTHING Red is their favorite color to wear Blue, black, striped, and checkered cloth are often worn They used to use animal hide as clothing, but replaced that with cloth SHUKA is the word for sheets wrapped around the body. Shuka’s are usually red They wear sandals made of cow hide, but more often are bare foot Shuka’s are usually dressed with beaded earrings

MUSIC Consists of a vocalist singing harmonies while a leader sings melodies Women chant lullabies and hum songs to their sons Singing and dancing in Maasai culture is viewed as an act of flirting They use instruments such as drums and horns

ART Women wear many forms of beaded ornaments in their earlobes Thorns, twigs, stones, and tusks are used as piercings Women spend lots of time beading jewelry for friends and family

CUSTOMS Marriages are arranged by the elders without consulting the bride or her family Polygyny is an ideal Most women marry older men They can only marry one time Patriarchal; father’s control is absolute On the day of a wedding, the bride is alocated a herd of cattle When the parents die, the oldest son inherits the residue of fathers cattle

CUSTOMS continued Boys are trained to be warriors by father, uncles, and older brothers A girls childhood is usually dominated by a strict avoidance, even fear, of her father

RELIGION Ngai means God (also sky) Ngai is not male nor female Ngai is the creator of everything and owned all the cattle that Maasai have Ngai sent the Maasai their cattle When sun shines, they believe it is Ngai

EDUCATION Maasai boys are forced to choose between secondary school and cultural education (becoming a warrior) Girls are not allowed to attend school; they spend their time learning their household duties Most young boys choose to become a warrior than go to school

RELATIONSHIPS Girls get married at young age, usually a few days after they hit puberty Girls are always married to older men who usually have other wives Father has all control Maasai society is organized around age-sets. 5 Boy sets: boys, warriors (morans), junior elders, senior elders, elders. 3 Girl sets: girl (ndito), woman (yeyo), koko, (grandmother).

RELATIONSHIPS continued After a girl goes through puberty she becomes a woman After a woman has 4 healthy babies, she becomes a koko Most married women become widows because her husband was so much older than she

CULTURE The Maasai occupy a total of 160,000 square kilometers of land Maasai society is comprised of 16 sections They are a Nilotic ethnic group which means they are inhabitants of the Nile region They are semi-nomadic which means they move usually following the route of the cattle Women are circumsized right after puberty and right before marriage

Maasai Today Are famous for their fearsome reputation as warriors and cattle-rustlers Tourists can actually take a safari tour through parts of their village