The Maasai

The Maasai stand out – even in an Africa full of tribes. Tall, wrapped in bright shukas, carrying spears or cell phones—or sometimes both. They are known as warriors, but even more as herders.

Maasai are deeply tied to cows.  Cows are sacred to Maasai – giving them milk, blood (they drink it), meat, hides—everything they need. Their religious belief is that God gave all cattle uniquely to them. 

Once feared raiders, they pushed into East Africa in the 1800s searching for grasslands.  But the modern world steadily encroached.  Warriors have become tour guides. Cattle herders send children to Nairobi schools. Cell towers sprouted in the savanna.

Maasai still jump in the warrior’s dance, pierce their ears, and herd cattle. At the same time, they carry smartphones, wear soccer jerseys, and negotiate land rights in courtrooms. Some are turning their grazing lands into conservancies, trading cattle for tourist dollars. Our safari guide, Saruni, was a Maasai in the middle of the transition.  He mostly wore Maasai garb and held to many traditions, yet he seemed “westernized”.  His parents are staunch traditionalists while his children surf the web and game with friends around the world.

Like so many cultures, the Maasai are struggling to maintain their distinctive identity in a modern globalized world.  That feels like trying to hold back the sea.  

Thank you God for the Maasai.

Toodling and Noodling, Stan