Are the Maasai a lost tribe of Israel?

Are the Maasai a lost tribe of Israel? The southernmost Nilotic-speaking peoples are the Maasai. They share linguistic and physical similarities with the Turkana, Kalenjin, and Samburu people. Their far-off past is unknown outside of a plethora of unverified rumors and fantasies put out by frequently idealistic Western academics.

They claim to be one of Israel’s lost tribes. Others said they originated in North Africa. Others, however, think they are the surviving members of the Egyptian civilization. It appears that the last concept is derived from the braided hairstyles of their warriors.

The narrative would be presented in reverse if there was any validity to these claims. It makes more sense to assume that the Maasai people’s forebears served as an inspiration for the Israeli and Egyptian cultures in antiquity.

All that is known is that the Maasai originated in the north, most likely in the Sudanese Nile Valley, northwest of Lake Turkana. It is believed that they migrated southward towards the Great Rift Valley and abandoned this region sometime between the fourteenth and sixteenth century.

According to the Maasai oral histories, they originated in a deep valley or crater located north of Endikir-e-Kerio, also known as the Kerio scarp.

This location has been identified by several researchers as the southeast corner of Lake Turkana; however, certain oral traditions indicate that it might have been much further north, possibly in North Africa or along the Nile Valley. Regardless of the precise site of this fabled crater or valley, it is undeniable that they migrated southward following a dry time.

According to some stories, a bridge was built to allow both people and animals to pass. The bridge crumbled, displacing the other half of the population after half of them had left the dusty pit. Eventually, these people made it out of the valley and into the highlands where they became the modern Somali, Borana, and Rendille peoples.

Eventually, the Maasai crossed into Kenya to the west of Lake Turkana. Through the Rift Valley, whose lush grasses were perfect for their cattle, they swiftly expanded southward.

The Maasai are thought by some academics to be the surviving members of ancient Egyptian civilization.

Around the 17th or 18th century, they arrived in their current Destination in Kenya and Tanzania. The Maasai refer to their singular god, Ngai (often spelt En-kai, Enkai, Engai, or Eng-ai).

Ngai appears to have multiple facets, despite not being either masculine or female. As an example, the proverb “The She to whom I pray” is Naamoni aiyai.

Ngai has two primary manifestations. In his initial incarnation, Ngai Narok appears as a black god who is kind and merciful. In the second incarnation, Ngai who is now known as Ngai Na-nyokie is shown as being irate and crimson, much like the British. As distinct gods, Naomi Kipuri distinguishes between the two forms in her book Oral Literature of the Maasai.

All things are the creation of Ngai. Ngai once possessed all the livestock that inhabited the land and was one with it. But Ngai was no longer among men when the earth and heaven parted ways one day. Ngai, incidentally, also means “sky.”

However, the cattle required the earthly grass for material nutrition, so Ngai sent them down to the Maasai via the aerial roots of the sacred wild fig tree, instructing them to take care of them in order to save them from dying. They still use this myth as a justification to practically deprive nearby tribes of their own livestock.

Any activity that wasn’t pastoral denigrated and degraded Ngai. Not a single Maasai was prepared to break dirt. Ground burials were considered sacrileges as well! For the Maasai, the earth held grass that grew to feed God’s livestock. Grass has taken on a somewhat mystical quality. To symbolize peace, the Maasai hold it in their fist. They also utilize it in ceremonies related to blessings. When someone or an animal is being blessed, they wave a bunch of grass at them.

It should come as no surprise that animals are significant in religious events. Cattle do not allow for initiation, marriage, or the transition from one age group to the next. Their atonement serves as a link between God and humanity. Despite the profound meaning of cows, the Maasai will nevertheless refer to foolish people as sheep or cows.