Who are the Maasai?

"It takes one day to destroy a house; to build  a new house will take months and perhaps years. If we abandon our way of life to construct a new one, it will take thousands of years".

~Maasai belief.

 

The Maasai people of East Africa live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands. The Maasai occupy a total land area of 160,000 square kilometers with a population of approximately one half million people. Their lifestyle and culture greatly reflect the harsh environment in which they live, with unpredictable rainfall and difficult agricultural conditions as well as dangerous wild animals. Maasai are known also as the famous colorful people who have managed to hold on to their traditional way of life until present time.

Maasai men have a reputation of being fierce warriors in order to live in the harsh conditions of the Rift Valley. One of their well known traditions is their amazing jumping contests. Being the best jumper makes you a strong man and also something the women look for in a suitable husband. Anyone who has had the honor of witnessing the men's deep lion-like chant and dance understands the immense awe of this rich tradition.

 

 Maasai women are in charge of taking care of the entire home which includes milking cows, fetching water and firewood, preparing food for the entire family, repairing their homes, milking the cows and tending to the children. The women are truly at the heart of the family as well as the community. One of our greatest joys is working side by side with the women of the villages we serve, which is usually done with beautiful Maasai women's song.

 

Grandparents and elders are highly respected and honored as they are the teachers that pass on rich knowledge of traditional medicines, beliefs, rituals and traditions that touch every aspect of Maasai life. 

The dress of the Maasai is wonderfully colorful. Women commonly adorn themselves with great circular plate like beaded collars and head bands of many colors. Arms and ankles may be wound with thick strands of copper coils and beaded jewelry. Men are usually adorned in bright red blankets and cloth. 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 face and body. While driving from the city to the Rift Valley we often know we are almost home in the Maasai Mara when we can see the figures of red in the distance. It is an amazing sight.

We have been the guests of several Maasai villages and hospitality is definitely their forte. Guests are always given the best food, drink, entertainment with stories and song, and the best beds. Manyattas (a Maasai home) is built by the women with sticks, mud and cow dung, with a hearth in the center. Beds are a hammock like out of rawhide, finished with fine blankets. One of our favorite nights while in Africa was the one we spent in a manyatta surrounded by African sounds. 

The Maasai culture is so rich and beautiful, there's too much to describe in one post or one story so we will continue to post more and more information. We hope to bring more information of this ancient people to light so that the culture can be preserved, honored, and respected.

 

"A man does not know when he is well off; it is only when he is poor that he remembers the days of plenty."  
~Maasai Proverb 

 Please donate to help continue our work

www.TabibuAfrica.org 

Donate to help continue our work