Masai—A Unique and Colorful People

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN KENYA

THE high-pitched song of a young Masai (Maasai) boy resonated over the valley, carried far by the heavy, moisture-laden air of the dawn. As the morning sun rose higher, the boy’s lilting voice rose in intensity, much like that of a songbird straining its voice in the first light of sunrise.

I listened as the rising sun revealed the Masai herdboy standing among his father’s cattle. Draped in a long red cloth that partially covered his body, he stood storklike on one leg, leaning upon the shaft of his spear and singing to his contented herd. Let me tell you more about the unique Masai people.

Welcome to Masai Country

The Masai, a colorful pastoral people, live in the vast open spaces of East Africa’s Great Rift Valley. Located in the countries of Kenya and Tanzania, the Masai are survivors of a past era, living much the way their ancestors did centuries ago. Unconcerned about the passing of time, their lives are governed by the rising and setting of the sun and the ever-changing seasons.

The skills of the Masai include their ability to survive in the harsh environment and rugged landscape of the Rift Valley. Walking with long loping strides, they travel great distances in search of green pastures and water sources for their cattle. They tend their cattle among the herds of wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, and other plains animals that share their homeland.

A Cattle People

The Masai believe that all the cattle on the earth belong to them. This belief stems from the legend that in the beginning God had three sons and that to each he gave one gift. The first son received an arrow for hunting, the second received a hoe for cultivating, and the third son received a stick for herding cattle. This last son, it is said, became the father of the Masai nation. Even though other tribes possess cattle, the Masai believe that these animals essentially belong to them.

 In the Masai community, the size of a man’s herd and the number of his children determine his status and importance. Indeed, a man with fewer than 50 head of cattle is considered poor. With the help of his many children and wives, a Masai man eventually hopes to accumulate a large herd that can number up to a thousand animals.

Masai family members bond emotionally with their cattle. Each animal has a distinctive voice and temperament that is well-known by the family. Cattle are often branded and marked with long curving lines and intricate patterns that are designed to enhance the animal’s beauty. Songs are sung that describe the physical beauty of certain members of the herd and express affection for them. Bulls with large curved horns are especially prized, and a young calf is tenderly cared for and fussed over as though it were a newborn child.

Masai homes are traditionally built by the women and are constructed of branches woven together with grass and then plastered and sealed with cow dung. Rounded and oblong in shape, the homes are built in a large circle that serves to protect an inner kraal, where the cattle bed down for the night. The entire perimeter is fenced with sharp, thorny branches that protect both the Masai and their cattle from marauding hyenas, leopards, and lions.

The very survival of the Masai depends upon the health and strength of their herds. The animal’s milk is consumed, and cow dung is used to cover and seal their homes. Rarely do the Masai slaughter their cattle for food; a few sheep and goats are commonly kept for eating. But when one of the cattle is killed, every part of the animal is utilized. Horns are used for containers; hooves and bones are fashioned into ornaments; and hides are cured for shoes, clothing, bed coverings, and ropes.

Colorful and Unique

Tall and slender with fine physical features, the Masai are a handsome people. Their dress is wonderfully colorful. Cloth dyed in vivid shades of red and blue is wrapped loosely over their lithe bodies. Women commonly adorn themselves with great circular platelike beaded collars and headbands of many colors. Arms and ankles may be wound tightly with thick strands of copper coils. Both men and  women often elongate their ear lobes by fashioning them with heavy earrings and beaded ornaments. Ocher, a red mineral ground to a fine powder, is frequently mixed with cow fat and artfully applied to the body.

One evening, by the light of the fire, I watch as a group of Masai gather together to dance. Standing in a circle, they move in rhythm. As the pace of the dance intensifies, the heavy beaded collars of the girls thump rhythmically up and down on their shoulders. Then, one by one, Masai warriors take turns stepping into the center of the circle, where they perform a series of spectacular vertical jumps, leaping high into the air. Dancing may continue far into the night until all are exhausted.

Masai Family Life

Throughout the hot day, I sit with a group of Masai women under the shade of an acacia tree, watching them sew elaborate beadwork onto cured leather skins. Laughing and talking among themselves, they take little notice of the weaverbirds chattering above their heads, sewing their nests with dried strings of grass. As the day passes, the women busy themselves with fetching water and firewood, repairing their homes, and tending their small children.

When the setting sun begins to loosen its grip on the land, the herdsmen start to return with their cattle. Slowly the herd plods homeward, their hooves raising a cloud of red dust that is illuminated by the horizontal shafts of the sun’s waning amber light. When the women see the dust cloud from afar, they immediately leave their work to prepare for the approaching herd.

Once the cattle are inside the safety of the kraal, the men walk among their animals, stroking the horns of the bulls and admiring their beauty. A  small boy squirts a thin stream of warm milk into his mouth from a cow’s udder and is instantly scolded by his mother. Young girls, who move in and out of the crowded maze of horns and hooves, deftly milk the cows, filling their long gourd containers to overflowing.

In the evening we all huddle around the fire that dispels the chill in the air. There is the smell of smoke and roasted meat as well as the strong bovine scent of the nearby herd. An older man sits and tells stories of Masai history and of the past heroic deeds of Masai warriors. He pauses only when a lion roars in the distance, and then unconcerned he continues weaving his elaborate tale to the delight of his audience. Finally, one by one, all disappear into the darkness of their domed earthen homes to sleep. Except for the shallow breathing of the sleeping cattle, the night is silent, consumed by the darkness and remoteness of the open bush.

Masai Childhood

By sunrise the village is alive with activity. Small children, wearing only beaded waistbands and necklaces, play in the cool morning air. Their laughter is a comforting sound to the Masai, who dearly love their children and depend upon their offspring for their future hopes and their very survival.

Raising children is a communal affair—any older person in the community may discipline and chastise a disobedient child. Children are taught to respect their elders, and they quickly learn the ways of Masai family life. Their early years are carefree, but as they grow older, young girls are taught to care for domestic duties and boys are instructed in the care and protection of livestock. Parents pass on to their children knowledge of traditional medicines and instruct them about Masai rituals and traditions that touch every aspect of Masai life.

Entering Into Adulthood

As they grow older, youths learn the customs and ceremonies that will mark their passage from childhood to adulthood. Among the rituals learned are those that deal with sickness, bad fortune, marriage, and death. The Masai believe that failing to follow these ceremonies will result in their being cursed.

Masai parents may arrange a daughter’s marriage while she is still an infant. The girl is promised to a man who possesses enough cattle to pay the bride-price demanded by her father. Often, she will be married to a man much older than herself and will take her place among the other wives in his household.

As young boys in the Masai community grow older, they associate closely with other male youths of their own generation. The special relationship that they enjoy with these age-mates may last a lifetime. Together they will pass from being inexperienced boys to being warriors. As warriors they will accept the responsibilities of protecting the homestead, maintaining water sources for the community, and protecting the livestock from wild animals and theft. Known for their bravery and courage, typically the Masai are never seen without their sharply honed spears.

When the warriors are 30 or so years of age, they enter into the final step in their passage to maturity. With great excitement and ceremony, they are initiated into elderhood; they will now be permitted to marry. With this respected status, they will concentrate on taking a bride and increasing their herd of cattle, and they will be expected to give advice and mediate disputes.

The Masai and Their Future?

Today the unique customs and culture of the Masai are quickly disappearing. In some areas Masai can no longer roam freely with their cattle to search for new pastures. Vast tracts of land that made up their traditional homeland are being developed for wildlife reserves or for housing and agriculture to accommodate growing populations. Drought and economic hardship are forcing many Masai to sell their beloved cattle in order to survive. As they move to large cities, they encounter the same problems that plague the rest of the modern world surrounding them.

Today Masai communities in East Africa are being reached by the ministry of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Over 6,000 copies of the brochure Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! have been printed in the Masai language. Thus the Masai are being helped to see the difference between baseless superstitions and Bible truth. Indeed, it is heartwarming to see that our Creator, Jehovah God, has given these unique and colorful people an opportunity to be numbered among the many “nations and tribes and peoples and tongues” that will survive the destruction of this troubled system of things.—Revelation 7:9.

[Picture on page 25]

Traditional Masai home

[Picture on page 26]

Masai gather together to dance

[Pictures on page 26]

Two Masai Witnesses