Keeping Tradition Alive

There are more than 3000 different tribal groups in Africa. East Africa alone (which comprises only 5 countries) has over 300 tribes. Of all of Africa’s tribes, probably the most famous is the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania. Although the 450,000 Maasai comprise less than 5% of the population of these two countries, they have become for many the quintessential symbol of tribal Africa.

While other tribes may be larger or may have played a bigger role in African history, the Maasai have resisted pressure from the outside world to assimilate. They have worked hard to maintain their ethnic identity and traditional lifestyle. Their distinct customs and attire make them memorable in the minds of many.

The Maasai are nomadic pastoralists: they do not have permanent villages or homes but move around seasonally to find the best grazing lands for their cattle.

Huge herds of cattle are essential to the Maasai way of life. The number of cattle a man owns determines his wealth and nourishes his family. According to Maasai beliefs, God gave all cattle on Earth to the Maasai tribe. This belief caused them to invade other tribes and steal cattle, which they believe to be rightfully theirs. This practice gave the Maasai a reputation as fierce warriors.

As a traditionally nomadic people, Maasai homes are simple, and built of readily available materials: sticks, grass, mud, and cow dung. The sticks make up the framework, and a combination of mud, ash, and cow dung is used to make the walls. (Cow dung is odorless when dry)

The homes are small, usually about 9 feet by 15 feet and less than 5 feet high. These small homes include a sleeping area, cooking area, and even space for young livestock.

Maasai villages consist of a number of these homes with a cattle corral in the center.

Both the corral and the entire village are surrounded by a circular fence made of the thorny branches of the acacia tree.

These thorny branches keep both the livestock and the Maasai themselves safe from predators.

The Maasai are known for their distinct dress and jewelry.

Traditionally, the Maasai wore clothes made of animal skin (cow hides). However, once commercial cloth became more readily available in the 1960’s, animal skins were replaced with the shuka. The shuka is a colorful piece of cloth (traditionally red checked).

Market Selling Shukas

Usually several shukas are worn – one wrapped around the body and one over each shoulder. This brightly colored attire makes it easy to spot a Maasai tribesman across the East African savannah.

Traditional cow hide sandals have also been replaced by more modern materials – used car tires.

Maasai jewelry used to be made of local materials: clay, shells, ivory, seeds, horn and bone. However, after European contact, brightly colored glass beads became available and are widely used today to make necklaces, anklets, bracelets, earrings, and headdresses. This colorful beadwork combined with the colorful attire, give the Maasai a memorable look!

The piercing and stretching of earlobes is another Maasai tradition. Various materials are used to stretch the earlobes: twigs, stones, bones, and even empty film canisters. Today ear-stretching is more common among Maasai women who wear beaded ornaments in the stretched ear lobe creating another unforgettable look.

The Maasai are also known for their unique diet. As with so many other aspects of their life, it revolves around livestock. The traditional Maasai diet consists of the occasional meat of cows or goats. For special occasions, the jugular vein of a cow is pierced and about 2 liters of blood is collected. This blood is mixed with milk (to prevent coagulation) and served as a protein-rich drink. (The cut in the cow’s neck is plugged with a mixture of mud and dung and heals quickly. Each cow can be bled twice per year without ill effects.) Surprisingly, despite this high-fat diet, most Maasai are very thin and healthy. A recent study of 400 male Maasai men found no evidence of heart disease and a cholesterol level that is half of the average American!

The Maasai territory, at its peak in the mid-1800’s, covered nearly all of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya and Tanzania. Starting in 1904, the British (who ruled much of East Africa at the time) began to evict Maasai from their lands to make room for British settlers and farmers. Later in the last century, more Maasai land was taken to create national parks and wildlife reserves. Today, despite heavy pressure from the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments, the Maasai refuse to adopt a sedentary lifestyle and are demanding (and receiving) grazing rights in many of the national parks in both countries.

Indeed, the Maasai aversion to eating wild game and birds and taking care of their grazing lands has been credited with preserving the area and giving Kenya and Tanzania some of the finest game parks in Africa! Oxfam recently declared that the Maasai lifestyle should be embraced for its environmentally-friendly ability to farm in harsh, low-water areas.

Maasai Village in Northern Tanzania

Many of the Maasai fiercely cling to their traditional way of life, but some modern influences can’t be resisted.

Traditional Dress, Modern Method of Communication

Maintaining a traditional lifestyle and turning your back on modern conveniences can’t be easy. But I’m not sure “easy” is always a good thing. I wouldn’t choose to live as a Maasai, but I respect them for living as they choose and not as the rest of the world dictates!

Follow @reneestreet