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THE PASTORALIST MAASAI
By: Mwanzo L. Millinga
Tanzania is
estimated to have a total of 125 – 130 ethnic groups, which fall into four
categories of Bantu, Cushite, Nilo-Hamite and San. While there are more ethnic
groups that identify themselves as indigenous peoples, four groups have been
organizing themselves around the concept of indigenous peoples. The four groups
are the hunter-gatherer; Akie and Hadzabe,
and the pastoralist; Barabaig and
Maasai.
Population estimates, put the Maasai in Tanzania at
430,000, the Datoga group to which the Barabaig belongs at 87,978, the Hadzabe
at 1,000 and the Akie (Ndorobo) at 5,268.
The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in northern Tanzania and Kenya. They are among African ethnic groups, due to their
distinctive customs and tradition. They speak Maa, a Nilo-Saharan language and
official languages of Tanzania and Kenya: Swahili and English.
The Tanzanian
government has instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their
traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have adhered to their
ancestors’ customs and practices such as the age set system of social organization and circumcision as the right of
passage into adulthood for boys.
Every year The UN
celebrates International Day of the worlds Indigenous People on 9th
August.
(Source: www.iwgia.org )
Dusk:
Maasai women, at Mti Mmmoja village, Monduli, converse as they wait for their
cows returning from pastures. One of the strongest components of culture is its
ability to share through interacting with other people.
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Be Current:
A Maasai man listening to the radio to keep up to date with the news.
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A watercourse:
A Maasai man awaits his cows at a water point in Orkesument, in Simanjiro. A
coordinated rehabilitation and construction of water dams for humans and
livestock in pastoralists’ communities, has remained inadequate.
A Long Wait:
In exchange for cash a Maasai man waits for buyers of his cows at Lokii market
in Arusha.
Spoors:
Revelation of the various means of transport that are used to reach Lokii market
where, cows and other different goods, including food, are sold.
Tapping the Blood:
When a cow is slaughtered, the blood, as raw it is, becomes a precious drink!
The Mirror:
In addition to walking, the Maasai use bicycles for most movements within and
between communities. Nowadays, motorcycles and cars have become more popular
too.
Red Pot:
For food, the Maasai live almost entirely off of their cattle, drinking their
milk and blood, and eating meat occasionally and sleeping on their skin!
A sweet drink:
Sipping from dripping vein.
A Colored Mouth:
Just had a mouthful of cow’s blood.
A Watching Dog:
Waiting to survive from the left over.
Painful Endurance:
Newly circumcised boys are kept indoors for about 28 days to heal and then are
taken out for big celebrations. The practice has been entrenched in Maasai
society as a rite of passage, into adulthood.
That Small Window:
The Maasai plaster cow-dung over the entire wooden structure of their houses. This
simple form of housing is demonstrative of the Maasai’s conservative lifestyle.
Sooted Roof: A roof of a round Maasai house as seen
from inside.
The Ambience:
A Maasai woman and son illuminated by the door natural light.
The Cross:
A faithful Maasai woman in her house.
The Earrings:
A silhouetted Maasai woman at sunset.
Back light:
A Maasai woman entering a house.
Half Moon:
A Maasai boy standing at the house main door staring.
Rubber Sandals I:
At Lokii market in Arusha.
Rubber Sandals II:
“Viatu ile gari imeshidwa kumaliza,” which translates as, “Shoes that a car has
failed to finish.”
Jumping High:
A dancing warrior jumps high into the sky as a way of showing masculinity too. Maasai women love demonstrative
athletes.
Boma:
A view of a Maasai boma and a way of hanging laundry.
A Wooden Leg:
The Maasai are renowned for a conservative culture that makes proper use of
anything in their surroundings.
A Baby Wrap:
Maasai women usually carry their babies by wrapping them on their backs.
A Bracelet:
A bracelet is washed shortly before wearing it on special circumcision ceremonies.
A Sunday best I:
A Maasai woman dressed for special occasion where his son was circumcised.
A Sunday best II:
A Maasai man dressed for a special occasion
where his son was circumcised.
A Shave I:
A woman shaves her husband as they prepare to attend a circumcision celebration.
A Shave II:
A woman shaves her husband as they prepare to attend a circumcision cerebration.
Lokalio:
A Maasai girl decorated in “lokalio powder” to look traditionally beautiful at
a circumcision celebration.
The gourd:
The Maasai use calabashes to store milk and other beverages.
A Siesta:
A boy takes a day’s nap on a cow’s skin. The Maasai use animal skins as
mattresses.
A Breakfast:
Maasai men drinking morning porridge mixed with milk to start the day.
The Door:
The Maasai build their houses low with a dug down floor that increases the
inside height but looks very low from outside.
A Plough:
To the Maasai land is a collective asset that defines identity by
distinguishing the extent of ethnic territory from others and supports their livelihood.
Land rights and use originally was universally for pastoralism, but this trend
has changed over the years.
Necklaces:
A young Maasai proud of her outfit and accessories.
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The First Steps:
Learning to stride out. The Maasai practice methods to impart traditional knowledge
through generations. Poor school participation has resulted in widespread
illiteracy denying them an enabling resource for social development. Illiteracy
in this context has gone hand in hand with resistance to cultural
transformation from blind insistence that the tribe subsists in livestock and
blocks children from going to school.
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Water:
For the Maasai, cattle are what make the good life, and milk and meat
are the best foods. This is made possible by a communal land tenure system in
which everyone in an area shares access to water and pasture.
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