Masái

MASAI KENIA AND TANZANIA Masái They live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are a nomadic population, 750.000 people, who live from grazing, being the livestock their main wealth, cows, goats and mainly veneers. They are part of the Nilotic tribes, they came probably about the year 1.500 Kenya from the Nile Valley and the Sudan, and a little later settled in northern Tanzania today. They speak “maa” which is a nylotic language in addition to swahili and most English. They extend mainly along the border separating Kenya from Tanzania, although driven by governments from many areas, for tourist purposes, they have been forced into many displacements. More than in small villages, they live in groups of huts called “shoes”, in reality circles of mud huts, branches and straw, so that they can surround the cattle so that they do not escape. They have often changed locations traditionally looking for new pastures for livestock, sometimes burning their houses or leaving them if they had hope of returning. Their current displacements and settlements are currently due to political reasons. Initially, at the beginning of the century with the British who expropriated the 40% of their land to be given to ranchers. And decades later they were driven out of their fertile pastures between the Meru and Kilimanjaro mountains as well as the Ngorongoro. Most of their lands were converted into national parks in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania, such as Amboseli Park, Samburu and Ngorongoro and Serengeti respectively among many others. His religion is monotheistic. His god is a rain god Ngai. For them the rain is sacred, just like the pastures and cattle, which are the basis of their lives. The “Laibon” is the intermediary between the divinity, Ngai, and the Masai society. A species of prophet and fortune teller predicts the future, practices rites to ensure rain and fertility, presides over ceremonies and in the event of conflicts acts as judge. Although they have a lot of cattle, they eat very little meat, they eat mainly vegetables and milk, also butter that they make from milk. They only take animal blood in some special rites and when it comes to strengthening some sick person, contrary to the bulls that circulate in many books and magazines. They are known to be good warriors and have been so throughout the centuries. They begin to fight and steal cattle from a very young age, twelve or fourteen years old, once they are started to belong to the group of “Moran or Moran”, young warriors. Male initiation ends with circumcision or ablation of the foreskin. From this moment on they are allowed to marry, but they are forbidden to hunt a lion, it is currently forbidden. The girls also receive an initiation where they are trained with the knowledge that a woman has to have and that ends with the ablation of the clitoris and the minor lips. From this moment on, he's going to live at the groom's table. Both initiations end with great celebrations. Although it is not very common a man can have several wives and a woman can receive her lovers. Both men and women tend to dilate the lower wing of the ear, forming a hole that can measure quite a few centimeters, is a sign of beauty that often adorns with numerous beads. Contrary to most of the African peoples who worship forefathers Masái They don't want to talk about the dead, they think it'll bring bad luck and that a house gets contaminated if a person dies inside. For this reason, the dead or sick person is expelled from the village and taken in the middle of the countryside where he will be devoured by hyenas and other animals. Very rarely are they buried, only when it comes to an important character, a boss or a Laibon. They are buried at a shallow depth and covered with stones, with their heads looking towards their house. Believers will add stones when they pass by. Their artistic production is limited to objects that are easily transportable and do not require the use of large tools or specialized tools for their manufacture. Being also a warrior and hunter people, men make spears and showy shields with varied polychromes. Women also necklaces, bracelets and small jewelry. And they both wear colorful dresses. Women tend to adorn themselves with numerous necklaces and a wide necklace on their neck, which forms a kind of platform and which stands out in a showy way in the dances they offer to tourists, because after all the expropriations of land they have suffered, and being neighbors of large national parks, one of their ways of life for many of them is to make exhibitions before the numerous tourists who come to the place and selling their artistic jewelry beads. Today the people Masái It has become one of the most representative attractions in Africa.