A semi-nomadic people living in Kenya and Tanzania. According to certain sources 1-1.5 million Maasai live in eastern Africa, e. g. 850 thousand by the census of Kenya in 2009, but the exact number is hard to tell because of their migrant way of life.
Men carry spears or daggers with them, but as it is a taboo to ‘stab’ the land, they must not cultivate it, so they live by herding cattle, goats, sheep, carrying water and guarding the tribe. Although today not the enemy, but only wild animals are the ones they protect their society against. Women raise children, and when not collecting food or firewood they spend most of their time in and around the rammed earth houses made by themselves. The Maasai migrate, as soon as herbage becomes bald they move along. They rarely eat meat, having cottage cheese, cheese, wild fruits and a speciality, the animal’s blood mixed into its milk instead.
Many Maasais now guide tourists or work as security guards at safari parks. Few of them even move into the towns to find a job. In big tourist centres of Kenya, locals can be seen who wear typical Maasai clothing and jewellery just for fashion or to make a living – they are scornfully called plastic Maasais by the Maasai.
Recently both the Tanzanian and the Kenyan government have tried to help adaption and assimilation of the Maasai into society, but they have failed. On the other hand, there are projects which, being rather important in the age of climate change, copy the ability of the Maasai to transform waste, semi-desert territories into fertile herbage.
Several Maasai tribes have a good relationship with the tourists: they even welcome visitors. Wealth is indicated by the number of cattle and children. Girls are taught by women how to cook, to make their houses and how to look after the family. Boys are let play until their teenage years, but then they are to go through a serious and rather painful initiation ceremony. They are ritually beaten, their skin ripped with a dagger at many times, still they are not allowed to show their pain as that is regarded to be the sign if weakness. Boys leave their village for a few months to small huts further away. After their full recovery they are only allowed to wear black clothes for months. Circumcising is a conventional ceremony for both sexes. By tradition boys are supposed to kill a lion before their circumcising. The latter is now prohibited throughout Africa, however authorities tend to look away when they come across a traditional lion hunt.
Young warriors are to choose a wife from circumcised women as by their belief the ones not circumcised are not mature enough to be taken seriously. The traditional and now even illegal ceremony has been replaced at many places by singing and dancing. The Maasai live in polyandry: a woman marries not only her husband, but the entire age group. Men are expected to give up their bed to a visiting age-mate guest.
The basis of Maasai music is human voices: a chorus of vocalists sing harmonies while a song leader sings the melody. At initiations besides singing a typical jumping dance is performed. Maasai clothing, hairstyle and jewellery all reveal their wearer’s social status. Nubile women’s hair is cut apart from one string which symbolises the start of new life, their head is shaven.