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Culture of the Masai

The Masai People have a reputation of being fierce warriors. Warriorhood prepares the young males to be responsible people both for themselves and for their community. Known for their bravery and courage, typically the Masai worriors are never seen without their sharply honed spears. They protect the homestead, maintain water sources for the community, and protect the livestock from wild animals and theft. It is true that when they surrounded a marauding lion, they crossed on it and speared it to death.

Their nomadic way of life led to no attachments to possessions, and togetherness banded by the age sets of those who underwent circumcision ritual together. When a young man reaches junior adulthood he has the freedom to have sex with the wives of other elders, his comrades, if he so wishes. Likewise, a Masai woman belongs to the entire age-set and sexual jealousy does not exist.

Farming: The Maasai keep zebu as their primary cattle. They also farm cows, sheep and goats, and occasionally chickens. Because of the wet and dry seasons, as opposed to summer and winter, men often have to graze their herds far from their settlements to find water and vegetation.
The cattle eat from the sparse vegetation in the area, whilst the people eat rice, dairy products, beans and ugali- a maize-based product. The Maasai do not eat their animals except on special occasions, they only trade them for crops, as they do not grow crops themselves. However, the Maasai drink the blood of their animals to get important nutrients for their bodies, although they are careful not to kill the cattle, as their wealth is measured in the number of animals they keep.

People and the cattle get their water from the same sources - waterholes, wells and other natural sources such as rivers although do not drink from the ‘soda lakes’ which are polluted by volcanic ash.

To find enough vegetation, and in order to profit from the relief rain in the high mountain ranges of Kenya, the Maasai move their cattle to higher terrain - mostly above 2000 metres - throughout the dry season. In the wet season, they then return to sub 2000 metres, as there is enough water to go around. They also have to move around a lot, as it takes the vegetation longer to recover with the dry, hot climate.

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.

Masai 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 their small children. Children are taught to respect their elders, and they quickly learn the ways of Masai family life. Young girls are taught to care for domestic duties and boys are instructed in the care and protection of livestock.

Parents pass on to their children knowledge of traditional medicines and instruct them about Masai rituals and traditions that touch every aspect of Masai life. Youths learn the customs and ceremonies that will mark their passage from childhood to adulthood learning rituals that deal with sickness, bad fortune, marriage, and death.

Homestead: 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.

Dressing: Their dress is wonderfully colorful. Women commonly adorn themselves with great circular platelike 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.

History and Beliefs of the Masai

History
The Masai live in the vast open spaces of East Africa's Great Rift Valley. Located in the countries of Kenya and Tanzania, Their lifestyle reflects the harsh environment in which they live, with unpredictable rainfall and difficult agricultural conditions.The community has been one of the symbols of Kenya. They are the famous colorful people who have managed to hold on to their traditional way of life till present time. Together with Samburu, the Masai are members of the Nilotic tribal group, both of them cattle herders.
They came from Sudan and occupied the central Kenya, best parts for their huge cattle herds. These herds have been their measure of wealth which usually accumulates to adverse economic consequences. The bigger the herd size, the richer the owner is. They have been living side by side with wildlife and sharing pastures.

Beliefs
For centuries they have continued to believe that all the cattle in the world belong to them and were given to them by Enkai, the God. This belief stems from the legend that in the beginning God had three sons and that to each he gave one gift. The first son received an arrow for hunting, the second received a hoe for cultivating, and the third son received a stick for herding cattle. This last son, it is said, became the father of the Masai nation. A fact that has been a source of trouble with other neighboring communities by generating inter-tribal conflicts. The young Masai morans (warrior) job is to protect the cattle of their fathers and to capture those of other communities, because in their folklore God gave them all the cattle.

In the Masai community, the size of a man's herd and the number of his children determine his status and importance. The very survival of the Masai depends upon the health and strength of their herds. Family members bond emotionally with their cattle. Cattle are often branded and marked with long curving lines and intricate patterns that are designed to enhance the animal's beauty. Songs are sung describing physical beauty of certain herd and affection for them. Large curved-horned bulls are specially prized, and a young calf is tenderly cared for and fussed over as though it were a newborn child.

Rarely do the Masai slaughter their cattle for food instead sheep and goats are commonly kept for eating. When one of the cattle is killed, every part of the animal is utilized. Horns are used for containers; hooves and bones are fashioned into ornaments; and hides are cured for shoes, clothing, bed coverings, and ropes.