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.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Health/Wellness

The Masai use medicinal plants; one such plant is o-rupanti,  pl.i-rupanti is the commiphora tree(Commiphora zimmermannii) and parts of it are used as medicine for children. The roots of the tree are utilized to treat a snake bite; the leaves are infused in water and the liquid form of it is drank for cases of fever. To relieve a toothache the leaf stalks are heated in fire; cooking the bark with mead is said to prevent indigestion. To relieve constipation, abdominal and/or stomach ache the bark is chewed and the juice swallowed. 
There are high figures for disease within the Masai, most Masai men will have two to four wives resulting in a large level of disease. While trading livestock of their animals in addition to that of neighbors and the community at large, large sums of cash is at hand which is used for bar girls and prostitutes in the townships. Sexually transmitted diseases are large in number in many areas with AIDs having affected the Masai at 20% - 30% in comparison to Kenya's national average of 06% to 12%.  In addition to AIDS/HIV+, Tuberculosis (TB)  incidents are high in numbers and mostly untreated. Though at times if treatment requires six months of regular drug therapy to complete recovery the lifestyle of the Masai and the matter of TB becoming resistant to the first generation drugs. Cancer and diabetes has been identified as causing death amount the Masai, previously this was not the case, a change in life styles, use of alcohol and roast meat (diet) has now made this an issue. 
A lot of ailments are cared for directly by medicinal plants within the Masai however there are hospitals and health care centers available as monies provided from the national park and reserves helped to make them available for the Masai. 
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1 comment:

  1. UnknownJuly 21, 2013 at 10:18 PM

    Although the Masai reside in a different region of the world there are similar underlying principles for living and concerns for well being. Instead of focusing on differences I choose to focus on similarities; I feel the similarities outweigh the differences. The Masai use medicinal plants for ailments, I myself have used aloe for burns and scrapes (skincare). I have utilized pickle juice for myself and family for a stomach ache, gargled salt for a soar throat, placed salt on a tooth for a toothache, had my son drink milk for heart burn, prunes/prune juice or whole grain usage for constipation these all being home remedies and not necessarily what is classified as medicine in society.


    Prior to researching and learning of the Masai therein lied activated ignorance on my part but not to the extent of having a cultural relativism mindset as to how they live. A quality shared is adaptation, change is always on the horizon and the Masai have managed to adapt to the modern society in Kenya as an indigenous group by way of a minimal benefit for them in the form of tourism. Ethnocentrism lacks understanding and respect for one's believes on how an indigenous group chooses to live, a interpretive approach.

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