The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania inhabit the Great Plains as well as the savannahs of Africa and are usually associated with their red robes.
The Maasai are generally tall and are very graceful people. Traditionally their lives are mainly focused on cattle which are their major source of food and highly treasured.
Cattle and children are used as a measure of wealth among the Maasai.
The Maasai are popular for their lifestyle as great warriors as well as pastoralists who for so many hundreds of years roamed across the plains of east Africa in search for water and grazing pastures for their animals.
The Maasai believe that Maasinta – the very first Maasai received cattle as a parting gift from the sky god ‘Ngai’, who then sent them to earth on a piece of leather.
Ever since then, cattle have been considered divine and consecrated and the only thing more precious than cattle is children.
Therefore owning a large herd of cattle and having a big number of children is viewed as a sign of wealth among the Maasai who are generally a polygamous people.
In the past, popular parks like the Maasai Mara, Ngorongoro, Tsavo, Serengeti as well as Amboseli were all in the nomadic range of the Maasai people.
In spite of the various influences from the outside world, the Maasai have struggled to maintain their lifestyle and old age customs and because of this most of the cultural safaris in East African are covered with the magnificent colors of the Maasai people looking after their livestock, performing their traditional adumu dance or even just walking along roads.
Some of the most popular Maasai customs include wearing of the colorful shuka, drinking cow blood, spitting as well as the jumping dance.
The bright colored clothing adorned by the Maasai is referred to as shuka. Red is believed to be a sacred colored and portrays blood and is considered the fundamental color for all shuka.
Red also protects the Maasai from wild animals. Orange shows hospitality, warmth plus friendship, blue represents the sky which provides rain for the cattle.
Green shows nourishment as well as production and yellow represents growth and fertility. Combined, all these beautiful bright colors are the essence of the Maasai and differentiate them from other tribes across the East African region.
The adamu is the traditional Maasai jumping dance and it is performed as part of the legendary initiation ceremony which takes place when young adults are ushered into manhood.
It is accompanied by a traditional song while men in pairs take an opportunity to compete between each other to find out who can jump higher. This custom is carried out to portray courage, manual ability and strength.
It is a vital part of the celebration when boys become eligible bachelors. The man who jumps the highest is considered the most attractive by the women and gets the best bride.
Saliva is generally considered as personal and not to be seen in public among western traditions however, the Maasai people consider it as a wish of good fortune to be shared among people.
It is very vital for one to spit in their palm before shaking an elder’s hand. It is also a custom to spit on a new born baby’s head to protect him or her from evil spirits. Spitting is very different from drinking the blood of cattle.
The Maasai, are hematophages which implies that they feed on the blood of animals for nourishment. This is slightly ironic since they drink a cow’s blood which they sometimes blend with milk however they refrain to feeding on wild animals.
Surprisingly despite them being renowned cattle keepers, the eating of beef is saved for only special occasions and big ceremonies.
The Maasai have respect for their cows and therefore ensure that the drinking of blood from them does not have any permanent effect on these sacred beloved animals.
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