Astonishing Life Of Maasi Tribe That Inspires

The Maasai are semi-nomadic, an African tribe living in southern Kenya, very close to Amboseli
and on the border with Tanzania. They happen to be here for almost 400 years. The Maasai
love and care for their livestock. Due to their distinct traditions, customs, and dress and their
residence near many national parks of East Africa, the Maasai are among the foremost African
ethnic groups and are known internationally because of their links to the national parks and
reserves.

MAASAI’S SOCIETY,THEIR GOD AND THEIR LANGUAGE

The Maasai society is firmly patriarchal in nature, with elders. The Maasai men were sometimes joined by retired elders, determining most major matters for the tribes. The Maasai people are monotheistic and believe in one omniscient god, and their God is named Engai or Enkai. Their God isn’t represented by any human-like structure or shape. Instead, Their God is represented by two colors – red and black.

The red god brings lightning which can start wildfires, or strike humans dead and the black god brings rain and thunder to replenish the grazing land. The Maasai speak Maa, a language from the Nile valley region. As the Maasai moved about from Northern Africa through Kenya and Tanzania, their language spread and is now used as a second language by many other groups. Maa is a spoken language only and there is no written script.

THE MAASAI’S CEREMONIES

There are many ceremonies in Maasai culture and tradition which includes Enkipaata (the first
boy’s initiation ceremony), Emuratta (circumcision ceremony which is done in both men and
women after puberty), Eudoto/En kigerunoto oo-inkiyiaa (ear lobe ceremony), Enkiama
(marriage ceremony), Eunoto (warrior shaving ceremony), Eokoto e-kule (milk drinking
ceremony), Enkang oo-nkiri (meat-eating ceremony), Olngesherr (junior elder ceremony),
Ilkipirat (leg fire mark ceremony).

THE MAASAI’S TRADITIONAL DRESS

Most of the Maasai people wear the color red because it symbolizes their culture and they
believe, it scares the wild animals away. Most men wear a Shuka (a cotton plaid fabric, in
the form of a blanket, of bright red and blue colors). The women wear clothes that are most
elegant and decorated with beads. The men wear beaded bands on their wrists, ankles, waists, and necks. Each color of bead represents something, red represents bravery and strength, blue
represents the color of the sky and rain, white represents the color of a cow’s milk and purity,
green represents plants and wealth, orange and yellow represents hospitality and black
represents the hardships of the people.

THE MAASAI’S BELIEF

In the Maasai tribal community, people’s lifestyle concentrates on their cattle which make up the primary source of food. Amongst the Maasai and several other African ethnic groups, the
measure of a man’s wealth is measured in terms of children and cattle. According to the Maasai community of tribes, a man who has plenty of cattle but not many children is considered to be poor and vice versa.

A Maasai myth says that God afforded them all the cattle on earth, resulting in the belief that resulting from other tribes is a matter of claiming what is rightfully theirs, a practice that has now become much less common. For Maasai people living a traditional way of life, the end of life is virtual without a formal funeral ceremony, and the dead are left out in the fields for scavengers. Burial has in the past been reserved for great chiefs only since it is believed by the Maasai that burial is harmful to the soil.

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