INTRODUCTION

The Maasai (sometimes spelled “Masai”) are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of Southeast Africa, and their distinctive customs and dress. The Maasai speak Maa Maa), a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family that is related to Dinka and Nuer.

ORIGIN

According to their own oral history, the Maasai originated from the lower Nile valley north of Lake Turkana (Northwest Kenya) and began migrating south around the 15th century, arriving in a long trunk of land stretching from what is now northern Kenya to what is now central Tanzania between the 17th and late 18th century. The Maasai territory reached its largest size in the mid-19th century, and covered almost all of the Great Rift Valley and adjacent lands from Mount Marsabit in the north to Dodoma in the south. At this time the Maasai, as well as the larger Nilotic group they were part of, raised cattle as far east as the Tanga coast in Tanganyika (now mainland Tanzania)

LANGUAGES

The Maasai speak Maa Maa), a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family that is related to Dinka and Nuer. They are also educated in the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English.

RELIGION AND BELIFS

The Maasai believe in one God, whom they call Ngai. Ngai is neither male nor female, but seems to have several different aspects. For instance, there is the saying Naamoni aiyai, which means “The She to whom I pray”. There are two main manifestations of Ngai: Ngai Narok which is good and benevolent and is black; and Ngai Na-nyokie, which is angry and red, like the British. For a story which has them as separate god.

GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP

The community has its own way of organization whereby the elder men are at the top of the hierarchy, then elder women, morans and finally the girls. Passage from one age set from the moran to young adult is marked by slaughtering of a cow as an offering to the Gods. They have a ‘council of elders”, which makes decisions as to which tribe will graze where and when, to avoid over-grazing and the destruction of the land.

MUSIC, SONGS AND DANCES

Samburu like the Maasai are well known for their dances. Music was done in different occasions like circumcision, marriage, to entertain guest and to worship their warriors. Today samburu people have formed group of dances in major national parks to entertain tourist for income

TRADITIONAL CUISINE

Traditionally, the Maasai rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle for protein and caloric needs. People drink blood on special occasions. It is given to a circumcised person (o/esipolioi), a woman who has given birth (entomononi) and the sick (oltamueyiai). Also, on a regular basis drunk elders, ilamerak, use the blood to alleviate intoxication and hangovers. Blood is very rich in protein and is good for the immune system. However. Its use in the traditional diet is waning due to the reduction of livestock numbers traditionally; the Maasai rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle for protein and caloric needs. People drink blood on special occasions. It is given to a circumcised person (o/esipolioi), a woman who has given birth (entomononi) and the sick (oltamueyiai). Also, on a regular basis drunken elders, ilamerak, use the blood to alleviate intoxication and hangovers. Blood is very rich in protein and is good for the immune system. However, its use in the traditional diet is waning due to the reduction of livestock numbers.

ECONONOMIC ACTIVITIES

The Maasai economy is increasingly dependent on the market economy. Livestock products are sold to other groups in Kenya for the purchase of beads, clothing and grains. Cows and goats are also sold for uniform and school fees for children. It is now common to see young Maasai men and women in major towns and cities of Kenya selling, not just goats and cows, but also beads, cell phones, charcoal, grain among other items. The entrepreneurial spirit is something new in our society.

HOUSING

Masai homes are traditionally built by the women, constructed of branches woven together with grass and smeared with cow dung on the walls. The homes are built in a large circle that serves to protect an inner kraal, where the cattle and goats lay for the night. The entire perimeter is fenced with sharp, thorny branches that protect both the Masai and their cattle from marauding hyenas, leopards, and lions.

CLOTHING

Their dress is wonderfully colorful. Women commonly adorn themselves with great circular plate like beaded collars and headbands of many colors. Arms and ankles may be wound tightly with thick strands of copper coils. Both men and women often elongate their ear lobes by fashioning them with heavy earrings and beaded ornaments. Ocher, a red mineral ground to a fine powder, is frequently mixed with cow fat and artfully applied to the body

FACTS AND FIGURES

The Maasai population has been reported as numbering 841,622 in Kenya in the 2009 census, compared to 377,089 in the 1989 census.

Citation: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/maasai _people, www.kenya-information-guide.com/maasai-tribe