The Masai people are famous with tourists visiting East Africa because they live in areas surrounding national parks and renowned for their outstanding way of traditional dress code.
Masai are pastoralists whose lives are majorly centered around cattle keeping, they majorly depend on their cattle for food and having many cattle is a sign of prestige, the more cattle and children a man owns, the more richer and respect he will gain. They herd cows, sheep and goats.
Masai diet is mainly composed of milk, meat, blood and honey. However, new foods have been introduced to their cuisines in the recent years. The Masai also consume a lot of wild fruits.
The Masai people
According the 2019 census, there are about 800,000 Masai in Tanzania and 1,189, 522 living in Kenya.
The Masai belong to Nilotic ethnic groups inhabiting Tanzania and Kenya. The Masai are closely related to the Dinka, Kalenjin, Samburu and Nuer people. They speak Maa language.
One of the things that make the Masai people significant is their traditional way of dressing, the women are usually adorned in beautiful glass beads as well as men who wear checkered sheets also known as Shukas. The dressing can determine ones gender, age and relationship status.
Before being introduced to other religions, the Masai people believed in a god known as “Enkai” represented into two colors that is black and red.
The Masai are subdivided into two societies represented with totems of Orok Kiteng (black cow) and Oodo Mongi (Red cow) . They are further subdivided into 5 clans.
Children are initiated into adulthood in Masai clans through genital mutilation among females and male circumcision. The right of passage to adulthood during initiation ceremonies is done by elders.
The Masai depend on plants and trees to extract medicine used for treatment of different ailments.
Tourists interested in culture can visit Masai villages. Learn more about their ways of live and perhaps get entertains with their traditional music and drama. Tourists can also engage in their day to day activities. Like cattle grazing, making fire, cunning milk, cooking, dancing and so much more.
Support the local Masai communities while on a trip by buying their beautiful handmade crafts to take back home for remembrance or souvenirs to your loved ones.
