Maasai

‘God gave us cattle and grass' - the Maasai
Photographs by Peter Siebert

A people synonymous with East Africa, the tall, proud Maasai, their characteristic toga-like shukkas and their rolling grassland homeland have been romanticised and idealised by umpteen ‘I-had-a-farm-in-Africa' photo-shoots, movies and coffee table books. Remarkably, despite increasing urbanisation all over Africa, many Maasai remain true to their pastoral roots and continue to live their traditional way of life seemingly untouched by the 21st century.

The ancestors of the Maasai (‘speakers of the Maa language') originate along the Nile River in what is now southern Sudan and slowly migrated both east and south to settle in the area straddling the Kenya-Tanzania border, an area that today is known as the Serengeti (if you are in Tanzania) or the Masai-Mara (if you are in Kenya). Here the open grasslands were perfectly suited to their semi-nomadic pastoral lifestyle and by the mid-1800s the Maasai dominated the area and were renowned for their cattle raids far beyond the borders of their territory. These sometimes bloody raids were justified by the belief that God (Enkai) had placed all cattle on earth specifically for the ancient Maasai. This belief and the interconnectedness of a pastoral life devoted to cattle is emphasised by the saying "God gave us cattle and grass. Without grass there are no cattle, and without cattle there are no Maasai".

Blood is thicker than milk ...?

Cattle are hugely important to the Maasai and are treated with the utmost respect, very rarely being slaughtered and then only for ceremonial purposes. Milk is a vital product however and both fresh and curdled milk, stored in long, decorated gourds, is the staple of the Maasai diet. In a culinary feast popularised by the American TV program ‘Survivor', this is sometimes mixed with blood tapped from the jugular of a cow and then drunk. Not for everyone of course, but as integral a part of Maasai culture as the body adornment both men and women pride themselves on. Men, who upon being circumcised at sixteen begin a series of steps up the clan hierarchy, favour earrings, headbands, bead necklaces and braided hair smeared with cow-grease and clay, while women shave their heads and wear colourful copper wire and beaded iron on their necks and arms. Different adornment and hairstyles represent different stages of life and marital status. The elaborate braids of young warriors for example are shaved off when they reach a marriageable age, while married women wear long blue, beaded necklaces.

Wildlife is regarded as sacred by the Maasai, but predators such as lion are a threat to their herds and have traditionally been hunted by groups of warriors or morani. This is one of the rites of passage, enabling a young warrior to display his courage, as characteristic of the culture as its milk and blood diet. In an adrenalin-filled exercise a group of young warriors confront and attempt to kill a stock-killing lion using only their traditional spears and hide shields. A successful hunt is celebrated in a spectacular dance called engilakinoto that culminates in powerful vertical leaps designed to display the strength and exuberance of the warriors. This is a custom that continues to this day, but which is coming into increasing conflict with modern wildlife managers and the laws of Kenya.

Cultural visits

The Maasai culture is comprised of a number of different clans in different parts of Tanzania and Kenya and all andBEYOND lodges in East Africa (Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Grumeti Exeter River Lodge, Klein's Camp and Kichwa Tembo) fall into areas populated by Maasai. The tall warriors and their cattle on the plains are as much a feature as the annual wildebeest migration, but one of the best ways to get to know a part of the culture is to visit a manyatta or village and andBEYOND is proud to be playing a role in areas such as community projects (bee-keeping for example), employment opportunities and sustainable resource utilisation. In a landmark agreement andBEYOND's Klein's Camp in the Ololosokwan region of the Serengeti is leased from Maasai landlords, providing 5000ha exclusive to andBEYOND and its guests and another 20 000ha that are shared between game drives and traditional cattle herding: A win for all concerned.

-Chris Roche-

Posted: Other by CC Africa, Date: 21 November 2006