Tim and Lara Beth's Kenya Page

People: Maasai

Probably among the best known and most easily recognized of Kenya's people, the Maasai are a pastoral people whose name was derived from their language, Maa. Actually a combination of Nilotic and Cushitic peoples, the Maasai originated northwest of Lake Turkana. They spread down through the Rift Valley, which provided fertile grasslands for their cattle. Their northern grazing lands were on the shoulder of Mount Kenya. (Both of Mount Kenya's peaks are named after Maasai laibon (ritual leaders) of the nineteenth century.) By the 19th century they had established themselves as warriors and were feared for raids deep into the territory of neighboring tribes. By the end of the 19th century, however, the Maasai were divided by internal conflict and further weakened by huge losses of cattle to rinderpest and drought. Outside Nakuru for instance, a 19th century battle took place between Maasai factions at Menengai ("place of the corpses" in Maa).

Five clans (or seven, depending on which source you use) constitute the Maasai. They are il-makesen, il-aiser, il-molelian, il-taarrosero, and il-ikumai. Each clan is further divided into sections distinguished by their cattle brands.

The enkang, which is a semi-permanent settlement, comprises the basic Maasai unit. It usually consists of several families in ten to twenty huts who care for their stock together. The entire settlement is surrounded by a thorn fence, which serves both to keep cattle in and unwelcome visitors out. The warriors occupy an i-manyat, which is often composed of about fifty huts and all the members of one age group in a district live there.

Milk, either fresh or curdled, is the basic Maasai food and is often mixed with blood tapped from a cow's jugular. It is generally stored and carried in long, decorated gourds. Because of the value of cattle to the Maasai, most meat is obtained from sheep and goats. Wild animal meat is generally forbidden, although eland and buffalo meat is allowed.

Authority among the Maasai is based on age-group and age-set. Prior to circumcision a natural leader (olaiguenani) is chosen to lead his age-group until old age. This responsibility, shared with a few select others, involves providing leadership through a series of complex rituals. If questions arise concerning the rituals, the ritual expert (oloiboni) has the final say.

Like many other tribes, Maasai youth are not circumcised until mature. Every twelve to fifteen years a new age-set is initiated together. The young warriors (il-murran) go through a period of initiation which lasts for some time. Warriors are not permitted to drink milk in their parents' huts or to eat meat in the i-manyat. Meat is provided for the warriors by killing oxen away from the settlements. The warriors carry the traditional long-bladed stabbing spears and buffalo-hide shields with their black, red, and white designs to mark their status. Eventually, the warrior age-set is replaced by their juniors and goes through a special ceremony (eunoto) to reach senior status.

In order to "open the way" for the initiation of an age-set, a young warrior of repute with leadership qualities and no physical blemish is chosen. After being approved by the oloiboni, a bullock is slaughtered and the chosen leader (the olotuno) drinks the blood from the animal's neck first. The eunoto's four days of rituals takes place in the enkang o sinkira, an enclosure and ceremonial hut built specifically for the occasion. Each warrior has his head shaved by his mother while sitting on the same cowhide on which he was circumcised. His head is then decorated. The olotuno may select any girl he chooses for his wife at the end of the ceremony. This marks the next stage for his age-set (the new senior warriors), because they are now permitted to marry. After going through further rituals, the restrictions on drinking milk and eating meat are lifted.

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