The Maasai- which means in Swahili, the people speaking Maa- are Nilotic people living in the region of the Great Lake, Kenya and Tanzania, near National Parks. They originated from South Sudan. Maasai people settled in Kenya in the 17th century and extended to the present-day Tanzania territories.
They are well-known for being good warriors and cattle rustlers. Indeed, their lifestyle is centred around cattle. A man’s wealth is measured with cattle and children. The more of them he owns, the richer he is. Cattle are also their primary source of food; they eat the meat and the milk. Adding cows to their herd represents a higher economic status.
Regarding their clothing, the bright red, blue or purple cloth idemtifies their ethnic groups. There are 22 different subgroups of Maasai. The beadwork and jellewery that they wear as well as the colors and the material used to produce them also represent their social status.
Maasai people have a patriarchal society and a council of elder men rule the village. Polygamy is also very present. In order to look after the increasing number of cattle, men marry several women. Therefore, the richer the man, the more women he can afford. Women take care of the house and the children. The first wife is considered the most important, while the co-wives share a bond of sisterhood with each other. Each wife has its own hut. The first wife’s hut is located on the right side of the husband’s hut and the second wife's hut is on the left.
Moreover, they have a monotheistic belief system. Their god is named Enkai and he manifests himself in the form of different colors according to his feeling. The most important figure of religion is a laibon in charge of healing, divination and prophecy as well as sometimes politics. The importance of cattle can also be traced to their god; one legend explains that Enkai was living among the human beings until one day he chose to rise to the sky bringing with him all the cattle.
Both girls and boys are subject to a ritual of circumcision to celebrate the passage to adulthood. For girls, circumcision goes hand in hand with marriage as they can only get married when they are circumcised. This cultural practice is also believed to reduce the women’s desire for sex and adultery. While for boys, this tradition is to prove themselves to the community as a grown, brave man and warrior.
Maasai have lived together with the wildlife animals for thousands of years and have always been pastoralists. They resisted the Tanzanian and Kenyan government to adopt sedentary lifestyle. However, these traditions have been difficult to keep due to modern influence and government actions to turn their land into national parks or luxury tourism projects.