The Maasai of East Africa Cattle Peo p l e “Without the land and cattle, there will be no Maasai.” The Maasai are divided into about 12 ‘sections’, or oloshon, Tepilit ole Saitoti which are politically separate and in many ways culturally different and are associated with specific territories. For example, the Kisongo section are mainly found in southern Of all African peoples, the Maasai are one of the best districts of Arusha region in Tanzania, and the Loita in known to the western world. Since they share their Narok district of Kenya. However, the Maasai all speak a territory with one of the greatest collections of common language, Maa. wildlife on earth, they have close contact with visitors who go on safari in East Africa, and their distinctive Cattle dress, weapons and bead jewellery are familiar from The Maasai are above all cattle people; their herds are magazines and travel brochures. They also have a central to their lives. They also keep sheep and goats, and reputation as brave fighters who kept the slave trade donkeys for transport. Milk is their everyday food, and in at bay and challenged early explorers. Yet today they times when food is scarce they also draw blood to drink are having to struggle to keep their identity and what from the neck of a cow or an ox (a procedure from which remains of their land. the animal soon recovers). Cattle are killed for meat only on special occasions. Their old ideal was to live by their cattle The Maasai probably arrived in East Africa from the alone - other foods they could buy - but today they also north (some say the Nile valley) some time in the 15th need to grow grain and other crops. century A.D. Until the 19th century they dominated the grass plains that stretch from lake Victoria They move their herds from one place to another to find fresh Nyanza east almost to the Indian ocean, and from the water sources, and to give the grass a chance to grow again. highlands north of Nairobi south to the Maasai steppe Tra d i t i o n a l l y , this is made possible by a communal land of Tanzania. But in the late 19th century cholera and tenure system in which everyone in a locality shares access to diseases affecting their cattle nearly wiped them out, water and pasture. However, individuals are obliged to and the northern part of their land was taken over by respect private water points and grazing grounds where each European settlers through treaties with the British household cares for its young and sick animals. In times of colonial administration. As a consequence today they drought the Maasai of a given locality will allow others, are confined to a much smaller area in Kajiado and including non-Maasai groups, to enter their lands, because Narok districts of Kenya, and Kiteto, Ngorongoro and they know that at another time they might themselves be in Simanjiro districts of Arusha region in Tanzania. need of access to others’ land to sustain their herds. These men are said to have spiritual powers; they wildlife parks. Six of Kenya and Tan z a n i a ’ s national Background Reading Beckwith, Carol & Ole Saitoti, Tepilit, Maasai, Elm UGANDA can give blessings, heal sickness and foretell the parks alone cover more than 13,000 square KENYA Tree Books, London, 1980. future. The political leadership within each section kilometres of what was once Maasailand. Homewood, Katharine & Rodgers, Alan, Maasai is provided by spokesmen, chosen by the warrior Ecology: pastoralist development and wildlife con - age groups, and others who acquire respect and Attempts have been made by governments to servation in Ngorongoro, Tanzania, Cambridge Nairobi University Press, Cambridge, 1991. LAKE . status as elders, known as ‘Fire Stick Fathers’. ‘develop’ and ‘modernise’ the Maasai. The . Kituyi, Mukhisa, Becoming Kenyans: Socio-economic VICTORIA Narok . justification that they keep too many cattle for the Kajiado Transformation of the Pastoral Maasai, Acts Press, Ngorongoro . Although Maasai society is dominated by men, land has often been used, and various schemes Nairobi, 1990. Ol d o i n y o women play a very important part in the economy have been tried to get them to sell more cattle and Ole Saitoti, Tepilit, The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior: le Engai through caring for livestock. They also act as thus reduce their herds. However, studies have An Autobiography, Andre Deutsch, London, 1986. Spear, Thomas & Waller, Richard (eds), Being Maasai: Simanjiro guardians of important aspects of the age-grade shown that the Maasai are in fact very efficient Ethnicity & Identity in East Africa, James Currey, system and provide a balance of authority in livestock producers, more efficient even than London, 1993. Kiteto INDIAN relations between young and old men. western-style ranchers, and rarely have more Lane, Charles, Ngorongoro Voices ; Indigenous OCEAN animals than they need or the land can carry. Maasai residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania give their views on the proposed TANZANIA The Maasai worship one God, En g a i , who is said to These ‘development’ efforts have also attacked General Management Plan. Available free from FTPP, dwell in all things. He may send prosperity and their system of shared access to land, either by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, happiness, in which case he is called Engai Norok, imposition of collectives (Group Ranches in Ken y a Box 7005, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax: ++46 16 671209. the Black God; but when He is angry and sends and Pastoral Associations in Tanzania) or, Maasai area Email: [email protected] famine and death he is Engai Na-nokie, the Red co n v e r s e l y , by the sub-division of communal God. Black for the Maasai stands for life and ranges into private plots. Whilst this has suited Cattle People © Survival 1998. happiness, because it is the colour of the dark outsiders and a few entrepreneurial Maasai who For copies of other background sheets or more Warriors and elders information about Survival's work contact: clouds which bring the rain on which all life have been able to acquire land for themselves or Maasai society is organised into age groups whose Survival, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, depends. Certain places are regarded as sacred by sell it off, it has often denuded the soil and members pass together through warriorhood to London, EC1M 7ET, United Kingdom. the Maasai: these include Entim e Naimina Enkiyio brought poverty to the majority of Maasai, who Tel: 020 7687 8700 elderhood. All boys of the same generation in a (“forest of the lost child”), Oldoinyo le Engai are left with too little and only the worst land. Fax: 020 7687 8701 locality are circumcised and, later, become warriors at [email protected] (“mountain of God”) and Endoinyo Ormoruwak the same time. In the old days, the warriors were www.survival-international.org The Maasai today are striving to protect their often at war; now they mostly guard the herds (“hill of elders”) where the Ol n g ’ e h e r r ceremony is remaining lands, and have formed a number of against wild animals and help with any other hard or conducted. Tod a y , however, many Maasai belong Survival is a worldwide organisation local community organisations for this purpose. dangerous work. Much of the time, however, they to various Christian churches. supporting tribal peoples. It stands They are, for example, trying to gain legal control spend making themselves look fine, dancing and for their right to decide their own of the sacred sites at Endoinyo Ormoruwak an d courting. Every 15 years or so, all members of the Struggle for the land future and helps them protect their Entim e Naimina Enkiyio to protect them from appropriate pair of age groups throughout During the colonial period from the late 19th lives, lands and human rights. commercial exploitation. Residents of the Maasailand come together at the Ol n g ’ e h e r r ritual to century to the first half of the 20th, the Maasai’s become elders. Their long hair is shaved off and they land was divided between two countries, Ken y a Ngorongoro Conservation Area are also trying to are told 'Now that you are an elder, drop your and Tanganyika (later Tanzania). Since secure their rights to the land which they have weapons and use your head and wisdom instead.' Independence in the 1960s, more and more of inhabited for centuries, and to ensure that they their land has been taken over; for private farms get a fair share of the money raised from this The Maasai have no traditional chiefs, although each and ranches, for government projects or for highly popular tourist attraction. Survival is section has a La i b o n or spiritual leader at its head. supporting the Maasai in their struggle..