The Maasai People in Tanzania

                     
                                                                                                                                     

Of all African people, the Maasai are one of the best known to the western world. They have a reputation of being brave fighters who kept the slave trade at bay and challenged early explorers. 

Yet today they are having to struggle to keep their identity and what remains of their land.

The Maasai live in the semi-arid Rift Valley region of Kenya and Tanzania. 

They own large herds of cattle, sheep and goats, which they follow around seasonally in search of water and grass. Cattle plays a central role in the life of the Maasai as it represents food and power; the more cattle a Maasai has, the richer he is and therefore the more power and influence he will have within his tribe. 

 

Milk is their everyday food, and in times when food is scarce they also draw blood to drink from the neck of a cow or an ox (a procedure from which the animal soon recovers). Cattle are killed for meat only on special occasions. 

 

These days the Maasai have a more mixed diet. As a result of global warming, droughts are becoming severe in East Africa, forcing the Maasai people to seek out alternative livelihoods. Herds are smaller than ever before, and most people can’t live from their cattle alone. The Maasai have increasingly been forced to settle, and many take jobs in towns.

                                                                                                                          maasai men

While the Maasai lifestyle has undergone some changes in the past three decades in particular their strong social traditions remain intact. Maasai men are first and foremost warriors. They protect their tribe, their cattle and their grazing lands. Maasai boys go through a circumcision ceremony at the age of 14 and then traditionally spend up to 8 years looking after livestock far from their villages. They become warriors upon their return to the village to get married. The Maasai women are responsible for all domestic tasks which include making their homes. Houses are made from mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and urine. The women also milk the cows, collect water, cook and look after the children. 

                                                                    maasai women

The Maasai have no chiefs, although each section has a Laibon, or spiritual leader, at its head. They worship one god, Engai, who dwells in all things, but may manifest himself as either kindly or destructive. Many Maasai today, however, belong to various Christian churches.