The Maasai people are a famous ethnic group found in northern Tanzania, southern, central, and northern parts of Kenya. The Maasai are renowned, both locally and internationally, for their outstanding rich culture, way of dressing, and their location around national game park areas in East Africa.
For hundreds of years, even before the creation of national game parks and conservation areas, the Maasai people coexisted with wildlife in the Rift Valley region without causing damage to wildlife. Though the Maasai people hunted for game, their hunting never affected the ecosystem of these areas to a larger extent. Being pastoralists, they moved from place to place, grazing their cattle, therefore giving the land enough time to recover.
As of the 2019 census, the Maasai population in Kenya was estimated to be 1,189,522 people, and in the 2011 Tanzanian census, it was estimated to be 800,000 people. The Maasai people were avoided by slave traders during colonial times because they stood against the slave trade and were feared due to their warrior strength.
The Maasai people are subdivided into 22 geographic sectors known as “iloshon” in the Maasai language, with each having its own dialect, appearance, customs, and leadership. Tishkoff et al. examined autosomal DNA of the Maasai for genetic affinities with various populations across Africa.
The Maasai believe in the existence of a supreme being called “Enkai” or “Engai.” The totemic animal of the Maasai people is a lion, and the animal can be killed and used in ceremonies for rites of passage.
From 1883 to 1902, there were epidemic outbreaks of smallpox, rinderpest, and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia that led to the perishing of 90% of Maasai cattle and almost half of the wildlife, as reported by a German lieutenant. From 1897 to 1898, there was an outbreak of drought that further worsened the situation caused by rinderpest.
In the 19th century, the Maasai territory covered almost all of the Great Rift Valley, with some areas including Mount Marsabit and Dodoma. They mainly grazed their cattle in areas of present-day Tanzania, along the Tanga coast. The Maasai people are the southernmost Nilotic speakers. During the slave trade period, outsiders looking for slaves avoided the Maasai warriors because the Maasai people stood against slave trade.
It’s common for the Maasai to have ear piercings and earlobes enlarged by the use of metals, thorns, or a cross-section of elephant tusks. Maasai men practice circumcision as a form of transitioning from being a boy to manhood. The circumcision ritual is normally performed by elders who use very sharp knives and make cattle-hide bandages for the process. These ceremonies typically last about 10 days and involve jubilation with singing, dancing, and flirting.
Young Maasai women also undergo female genital mutilation to transition from being young girls to adults. The Maasai people are renowned for their bravery and courage, even in dangerous situations.
Over the years, the Maasai people have been displaced from their ancestral land due to the establishment of national game parks and game reserves in both Kenya and Tanzania. The life of the Maasai revolves around cattle, with a man’s wealth measured by the number of cattle he owns and the number of children he has.
The Maasai people are pastoralists, and most of their cattle are of the Zebu variety. They mainly rely on their cattle for food, consuming meat, blood, and milk. The Maasai also rear some goats and sheep. Traditionally, the Maasai used to wear cowhide, but in the 1960s, they started to replace it with commercial cotton clothes. They commonly wear red-striped sheets known to them as “shuka.”
The Maasai have vibrant traditional dances, with one song leader known as “Olaranyani” who usually leads a song in a group while women recite lullabies and sing songs praising their sons. Men and elders make all important decisions at home and in society. In the past, the Maasai people did not bury their dead, but only important chiefs were buried because they believed that burial harmed the soil. However, the Maasai people have now intermarried with several tribes and started to adapt to some cultures. Nevertheless, they have not forgotten some of their cultural beliefs and practices.
The Maasai people speak a Nilotic language family known as Maa, related to Dinka, Nuer, and Kalenjin languages. Being nomad pastoralists, Maasai houses are normally temporary, made of mud and twigs. Houses are built by women, while the home fence is built by men.
Most Maasai villages close to national game parks are open for tourism. Therefore, when you travel to East Africa, make sure you visit the Maasai people to learn more about their traditional way of life, enjoy local traditional music and dance, and buy handmade crafts from the local Maasai women to take back home for remembrance or for your loved ones.
