Background Information
Name: Maasai/Masai is a linguistice term, which refers to the speakers of Eastern Sudanic language, often called Maa, of the Nilo-Saharan language family.
Language: The official language of the Masai was first recorded by missionary Rev. Dr. Johann Ludwig Kraft; it was published using the Roman alphabet with its vowels and consonants in 1854's Vocabulary of the Engutuk Eloik ob. The language is shared within Kenya and is known as the Olmaa language or Ol Maa. F, q, v, x, and z alphabet do not occur in the Masai language. Roughly 900,000 people in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania speak this language. Maasai refers to "one who speaks the Maa language".
Population: The 2009 census revealed that Kenya has a population of 38.6 million people. Kenya's population is currently said to be at slightly over 40 million; CIA World Fact book lists the Kenya population at 41.7 million in July 2011. The Masai make up only 7% of Kenya's population. It is estimated that 1 million of Kenya's population is Masai; however most Masai people do not agree to that being the actual number.
History: The Maasai, at times spelled Masai, of East Africa consists of 5 clans; ilmakesen, il-laiser, il-molelian, il-taarrosero and il-ikumai, although there have been claims of an actual number of 7. The Masai have said that they came from a crater or deep valley known at Endikir-e-Kerio, however it is known that they initially came from the North likely from the region of the Nile Valley in Sudan, northwest of Lake Turkana. Not until the 1830's were the Masai a collective nation, yet their reputation proceeded them as fierce warriors whose livelihood consists of livestock/cattle, hence the need for strong warriors to obtain territory for pasturing and additional cattle. During the 19th century their herds were destroyed due to a cattle virus obtained called Rinderpest and drought. Treaties or colonial agreements in 1904 and 1911 with the European Government moved the Masai out of the northern lands of Laikipia. The Masai livelihood today consists of cattle and benefit by way of the national parks in which a small percentage of money generated from them provide schools, health centers and construction dams. The national parks and reserves were initially the Masai's territory and are now Kenya's tourism sector.
The Masai
have had to adjust as time passes and as the world continues to develop into
the modern societies that you see around us today. Although, the world may be
changing, the Masai have done their best to stay true to their culture and
traditional practices. They used to be foragers but now have evolved and
assumed the responsibility of caring for their own herds of cattle, sheep and
goats. The Masai warriors protect the cattle from predators such as wild lions.
These cattle are extremely important to the Masai because the tribe depend on
the cattle for their food and daily living. The Masai travel throughout their
territory in order to let the land grow after occupying it over time with their
cattle. You can tell that through this evolvement, the Masai are becoming more
of an urban society more so than their past foraging history. This tribe has
also faced difficulties such as when their animals were dieing from a rampant
spread of diseases. Not only were diseases going around but a massive drought
occurred and lasted for years. This wiped out half of the Masai and their
cattle. Immediately following these tragedies, over 60% of the Masai’s
territory in Kenya was taken away by British and Kenyan governments for further
development in the territory. Now that a vast majority of their land has been
turn into a touristy spot, some Masai now have modern day jobs working as a
tour guide or in the surrounding national parks. As time has passed on by, the
area that the Masai inhabit has been offered job employment by government and
also opportunities to hunt. These are some of the major changes and adjustments that the Masai tribe have to overcome in order keep up with todays modern development.
The Masai
are known to always be wearing the color red. There are a few reasons for this
being the color of the tribe. One reason is that lions supposedly fear that
color. Another reason originates back when the Masai roamed the deserted lands
and where there was little if any water. The Masai would smear iron oxide
powder (which is red) on their bodies and faces to absorb sweat. The powder
would also protect the Masai from the sun. Due to this powder and the sweating,
eventually their clothing would become red as well. As typical clothing became
available, they chose to keep red as their color. While women would typically
maintain short or shaven heads, the warriors would have long red-died hair.
While reflecting on the Masai culture I noticed that the Masai culture has been the epitome of adaptation as time has progressed and changed their way of living. The Masai have stayed true to their roots as much as possible but modern day culture has made this tribe become more modern to assimilate to today’s lifestyle. Although they are able to hunt in certain areas of their territory, they are also presented with modernized jobs. Their culture has become so notable that they are now a tourist location. The fact that they have had to gone from hunters in the wild to tour guides for the surrounding area. The fact that the Masai still dress completely in red, still follow their practices on coming into adulthood and also their extreme love for cattle shows that even though, time may challenge their practices, they can stay true to their culture and can perform their everyday traditions while assimilating to modern day society. I for one am not one for change, I despise change but only recently have I seen that change can be for the good. I like having a set schedule and not worrying about things popping up last minute but as my experiences here at USF to this day, I see that things come up and plans can change. As the Masai have shown me, you can stay true to the things that you hold most dearly to your heart such as their traditions and culture but as time progresses, things will change and it’s up to you to decide if it’s a change for the betterment of oneself and even ones culture.
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