How has Maasai culture changed?

How has Maasai culture changed?

As many community members and NGO officials articulated, Maasai culture has had to change in the context of modernization and conservation efforts. While some traditions, such as FGM and lion killing, are being phased out, other traditions, such as dress, are able to be maintained in most areas of life.

Where do the Maasai people live today?

The Maasai are an extraordinary people with an even more extraordinary culture. They have lived in areas of Tanzania and Kenya for hundreds of years and graze their precious cattle in both countries even today.

How many wives do Maasai have?

The Maasai village we visited was run by a man who proudly had eight wives. Each wife and the children had by her live in one of the huts constructed from cow dung.

Is the Maasai tribe still alive?

Except for some elders living in rural areas, most Maasai people speak the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. The Maasai population has been reported as numbering 1,189,522 in Kenya in the 2019 census, compared to 377,089 in the 1989 census.

Why are the Maasai going extinct?

The colourful and iconic Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe in East Africa, is threatened with extinction due to climate change. The Maasai culture and barter economy is built upon traditional pastoralism, and now the livestock which sustains their traditional way of life has begun dying off in alarming numbers.

Why do Maasai wear red?

Red is the most important color; symbolizing courage, bravery, and strength. The Maasai also believe that red scares off predators like lions even at long distances. Red also represents unity within the Maasai culture because livestock are slaughtered when communities come together in celebration.

Are the Maasai poor?

The Maasai are one of the most impoverished tribes in East Africa. A noble and dignified people, they have proudly mantained their traditional lifestyle and cultural identity despite pressures of the modern world.

How do the Maasai make money?

Livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep are the primary source of income for the Maasai. Livestock serves as a social utility and plays an important role in the Maasai economy. Livestock are traded for other livestock, cash or livestock products such as milk and siege.

What age do Maasai girls marry?

In the traditional culture of the Masai people, fathers often promise their young daughters in marriage to older men. Most girls are between the ages of twelve and fourteen, with some even younger. Their bodies are not ready for sex and childbirth.

Do Maasai still hunt lions?

The Maasai people have traditionally viewed the killing of lions as a rite of passage. Historically, lion hunts were done by individuals, however, due to reduced lion populations, lion hunts done solo are discouraged by elders. Most hunts are now partaken by groups of 10 warriors.

How tall are Maasai warriors?

6 ft 3 inches
They are considered one of the tallest people in the world with average height of 6 ft 3 inches according to some reports. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, and raw blood from cattle.

What problems do the Maasai face?

One threat to the Maasai has come from from game hunters in the Loliondo region of northern Tanzania. Here, Maasai villages have been burnt to the ground by the authorities, and thousands have brutally evicted to provide a company, Otterlo Business Corporation Ltd (OBC), with more access to land for game hunting.

How did the Maasai people live in the past?

In the past, the Maasai and the wildlife simply lived together, in balance. If this could be re-established, 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. This is exactly what Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust does.

How did communal land tenure affect the Maasai economy?

The demise of communal land tenure created new levels of economic inequality among the Maasai. With greater pressure and competition for access to pasture land, much of the available land has been overgrazed, resulting in a reduction in herd sizes.

How many lions live in the Maasai wilderness?

Lions are a disappearing species: their numbers plunged from 100,000 ten years ago, to about 14,000 today. Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust has pioneered a compensation program, reimbursing livestock killed by lions (and other predators).

How does MWCT help the Maasai people in Kenya?

MWCT’s international team of experts works with the Maasai community on a knowledge-sharing basis to create and implement holistic and comprehensive programs in conservation, health, and education that serve the community, the wilderness, and the wildlife that are so important to us all. Kenya recognizes over fifty tribes of native people.