English 101mcelroy compare and contrast rough draft march 22, 2011 maasai culture v. The maasai tribe is the most authentic ethnic tribe of kenya. Kenyas maasai people have a distinct culture distinct clothes and and habits that make them stand out among people. Maasai people speak the maa language, which is related to dinka and nuer. In common with the wildlife with which they coexist, the maasai need a lot of land.
The pastoral maasai occupy arid and semiarid rangelands in southern kenya and northern tanzania, collectively known as maasailand. Cultural globalization, a phenomenon by which the experience of everyday life, as influenced by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, reflects a standardization of cultural expressions around the world. They speak the maa language from the nilotic ethnic group from their origin in north africa, the nile region. Moreover, the huts of the maasai are built from dried cattle dung. We are being pushed into a culture of dependency, while in the past we used to organise ourselves so well. For all inquiries regarding maasai association please email us at. I have checked the maasai music and culture article for information that could be merged into maasai or put here. Propelled by the efficiency or appeal of wireless communications, electronic commerce, popular culture, and international travel. The maasai people used to rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle, but only on special occasions. The laibon or spiritual leader acts as the liaison between the maasai and god, named enkai or engai, as well as the source of maasai herblore. Therefore, the facts have been studied critically and with caution. This is still very strong in the maasai culture and it is very difficult for women to voice their opinions. English and kiswahili maasai society has several ceremonies to mark the passage of various stages in life maasai. Pdf this article reflects on implications of a brief ethnographic field trip to visit a remote maasai clan in northern kenya.
I have just changed it to a redirect to maasais culture section. They are one of the very few tribes who have retained most of their traditions, lifestyle and lore. The way of the maasai sort of moving every 9 years because the huts we build from cow dung only last that long, jack explained. A culture teeming with history, tradition and controversy, the maasai are one of africas most iconic tribes. Despite education, civilization and western cultural influences, the maasai people have clung to their traditional way. The author, approaching the inquiry from an interest in.
According to linguistic research, the maa language is hermetic and not one of the numerous bantu languages on the african continent. Maasai culture power, authority and influence essay sample. From the traditional music and cultures of kenya, a multimedia encyclopaedia dedicated to all kenyan tribes, including music and dance, history, culture, society, religion and beliefs, rituals and daily life, fables, legends, riddles and proverbs. If this could be reestablished, by showing to the maasai the economic value of the presence of wildlife in their land, the future of the land, of the wildlife and of the maasai people will be assured. See this revision in case anyone wants to merge more text to the main article as i am too lazy to do it all now. The maasai people are monotheistic, and their god is named engai or enkai. By choosing campi ya kanzi for your kenya safari youll actively protect them and help the maasai community. The effects of globalisation, technology and governance are just as apparent in maasai lives as they are elsewhere. The lifestyle of the maasai is oriented toward their herds of cattle, although sheep and goats play an important part in their diet, especially during the dry season, when milk is scarce. We are committed to helping the maasai decide their destiny. Kakuta ole maimai is the founder and managing director of maasai association. Maasai culture is unique and their customs are sometimes thought of as controversial.
Their redchecked shukas and elaborate jewellery are a picture of beauty and ageold traditions. Maasai culture, like any other culture, is a dynamic phenomenon that evolves to adapt to new circumstances and includes a set of values and practices that is associated with a particular way of life. At times of great challenge modern maasai pray nkai ai oi pasinai my god given at sinai. The maasai tribe has maintained its proud culture since it moved into kenya from egypt and ethiopia in the 17th and 18th centuries. The maasai and the lions transcript other young men who dont yet have their lion names are called by the general name of moran. Among kenyas maasai, traditional ways are falling to climate change. Maasai not masai is the correct spelling of this noble tribe. In addition to the maa language, maasai speak official languages of kenya and tanzania. Participant observation of day to day life, in depth interviews and focus group. Preamble as you depart from the kenya airport for the outside world, you will notice the big billboards advertising mobile phones with a maasai man balancing on one leg, and in full moraan gear, looking greater than the greatest. Just like the maasai in tanzania, the maasai in kenya are being pressured by their government to modernize and stay in permanent settlements, which makes it difficult to sustain their cattle herding lifestyles. Here are 5 things you need to know to get a clearer picture of these fascinating people. Photographs of the maasai are frequently at the center of tourist guidebooks, as well as documentary films about east africa and its wildlife. The maasai culture is very different to my australian culture.
Ceremonies are an expression of maasai culture and selfdetermination. Although the farming is practiced only in a part of the tribe, we interviewed them about their past traditional lifestyle, the reason to start. Diet is a significant thing in every culture, especially the maasai people. They are now dependant on food produced in other areas.
Further south, pastoral maasai divided into a number of different sections. Furthermore, we are not allowed to organise forums to help our people deal with this encroachment. Documentation of maasai culture field work september december 2016 jennifer sharp and laangakwa twati. Except for some elders living in rural areas, most maasai people speak the official languages of kenya and tanzania, swahili and english. The maasai are cattle and goat herders, their economy almost exclusively based on their animal stock, from which they take most of their food. Maasai are a nomadic community in kenya still upholding traditional and has a high rate of child undernutrition. Most maasai also speak swahili, the lingua franca of east africa. George monbiots book, however, used in the chapter of former. A glimpse into the culture of the maasai the maasai sometimes spelled masai people compose one of the many diverse tribes of africa, occupying much of southern kenya and northern tanzania. The maasai were the dominating tribe at beginning of 20th century. Following is where a boys life begin in the maasai society. Associate professor, university of new hampshire, usa the maasai are a wellknown ethnic group around the world.
They are rites of passage, and every maasai child is eager to go through these vital stages of life. By choosing campi ya kanzi for your kenya safari youll actively protect them. Wherever you go on the east african safari circuit of southern kenya and northern tanzania, the maasai people are a nearconstant presence. Among kenyas maasai, traditional ways are falling to. The masai tribe is a popular and unique tribe because they have preserved their culture for quite too long compared to other tribes. The way of the maasai sort of the good men project. In central kenya, pastoral maasai fought, traded with, and married.
In spite of their reputation as fierce warriors, maasai culture revolves around their cattle. Maa around 1 million hard to take census of 16 sections of people 3. The maasai have many dances5 for different events their lives. The maasai maasai a traditional tribe undergoing change the maasai are traditional, seminomadic pastoralists in east africa. Began in the north and migrated south 17th and 18th century accumulated most ofpopulation as they migrated to present daylocations 4. The reason could be that the information came from different maasai villages with different ways of life and the authors may have had different opinions and ideas about the maasai and their culture. Maasai agriculture and land use change by andrew conroy, ph.
To understand and document maasai culture in its current form, data was collected under four themes. Maasai tribe masai people of kenya history and culture. We are being turned into beggers in our own territory, and we wonder whether we will. One of their spiritual beliefs is that their rain god ngai gave all cattle to the maasai people, and therefore anyone else who possesses cattle must have stolen them from the maasai. Maasai culture maasai society is firmly patriarchal in nature, with elder maasai men sometimes joined by retired elders, determining most major matters for the maasai tribes. A culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people, it is the widening of the mind and spirit, culture is the pattern of human knowledge, belief and behaviour along with attitudes, values, goals and practices within ones family or social group.
In the 1550s they moved down along the nile from sudan and egypt and brought with them knowledge on agriculture and cattle breeding. Get an answer for how would you describe the role of masai women as depicted in the documentary film masai women. As seminomads, they live between southern kenya and northern tanzania. Maasai culture power, authority and influence essay. The maasai has received the most written recognition of all the tribes of this region of africa and prove to be very interesting to study. At loitokitok in rift valley province, the maasai, who are nomadic herdsmen whose diet had traditionally been only beef, have started farming recently. We, maasai, still have much of our culture, customs, and tradition as we did thousands of years ago. The maasai are named as being amongst the hebrew priests in chronicles and the samburu are called the korr, or kore, and are listed in following verses of the same bible chapter as singers and gatekeepers. Young children find time to join in games such as playing tag, but adults find little time for sports or play. Consideration of cultural practices is a precondition for ensuring appropriate dietary practices.
American culture in the tribal villages of eastern africa the maasai marriages are arranged by the elders without ever first consulting the bride or the mother of the bride to be. Influence of culture on dietary practices of children. Because the maa society does not have a clear written history, it is difficult to say precisely where it originated. Maasai have never been afraid of adapting to modernization, but now it threatens their traditions. Rinderpest, an animal disease, killed almost all their cattle and many wild animals. However, information on the influence of culture on. In a culture emphasizing procreation and sexual relations as an integral part of everyday life and success in society, the maasai of northern tanzania face a difficult task when confronting hivaids. The maasai tribe culture and tradition is distinctive. While maasai may take part in soccer, volleyball, and basketball in school or other settings, their own culture has little that resembles western organized sports. They are also famous for their unique culture and mode of dressing. Maasai culture maasai society is patriarchical in nature with the elders deciding most matters for each maasai group. The maasai culture and traditions maasai wilderness. This livelihood diversification has complex origins and profound implications for maasai social organization, culture, and demography, and ultimately for their health and well being and for the local and regional environment.
Kenya recognizes over fifty tribes of native people. This migrational wave experienced a peak during the 18th century. This is exactly what maasai wilderness conservation trust does. In the past, the maasai and the wildlife simply lived together, in balance. Although often perceived as a traditional society, maasai culture, like all culture, is dynamic and changing. They long to have recognition and dream about the day that it will be their turn to bring home the lion trophy. There are estimated to be 1 million maasai living between these countries, though it is hard to find an exact count in rural areas. They came to dominate the rift valley as far south as central tanzania. I see my first maasai on the drive from matema to iringa in tanzania bedecked in the blood red robes synonymous with the tribe, hes hard to miss as he ambles along the road, seemingly oblivious to the traffic flashing past. Over the past four decades, maasai pastoralists in tanzania have adopted agriculture, integrating it with their traditional pastoralism. Although women are still discriminated against, the stereotypes of women obeying and being inferior to men are decreasing, and regularly being challenged in our society.
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