The Masai Tribe

The Masaai Tribe

The Masaai Tribe belongs to the Nilotic ethnic group, they are among the five native tribes in Kenya currently they occupy the Southern parts of Kenya and the Northern parts of Tanzania. The Masaai Tribe leave along the Rift valley mostly in Semi desert areas where they practice nomads  life style. They believed to have an estimated population of one million people leaving in both Kenya and Tanzania occupying an estimated total area of 160,000 square kilometers.

The Masaai Tribe communities are among the few of the tribes who have retained and conserved their traditions very well. The Masaai local communities are divided in to 16 local communities or sections which is also called Iloshon which include the following: Ilpurko, Iloitai, Ildamat, Kore, Ilkisonko, Ilwuasinkishu, ILmatatapato, Ilkankere,  Ilmoitanik, Parakuyu, Ilarusa, Iloodokilani, Isiria, Iloitokitoki, Ilkeekonyokie,  Iloitai.

The Masaai Tribe have a unique culture and settlement pattern leaving in circular fashions mostly gazette with local timber like a Kraal. The ladies do most of the donkey work at home live fencing of the home using local materials which not even a chicken can pass through. The homes have one entry point some times called the only one single gate with all other parts covered with the Acacia thorns. The men do the security work land fencing of kraals with huge Acacia thorns are placed around the kraals which prevent lions and other animals from attacking the livestock both at day time and at night.

They mostly practice division of labor at home like men make Kraals and women construct houses which are called Inkajijik in maasai language is made using sticks, mud, cow dung and thatched with grass. Women do all the domestic work and some even help in milking the cows while the men called the maasai warriors always provide protection for the community.

The Masaai Tribe diet mostly depends on their meat from the cows, Milk and blood which is extracted freshly from the cows which is done mostly during the big occasions like circumcision, after a woman giving birth locally known as (entomononi).  Its just of recent that the Maasai people have started involving in agriculture like planting of Maize, rice and sweet potatoes for home consumption.

The maasai are semi nomadic tribe who leave in communal land management system, they practice pastoral form of raring cattle where they seasonally move from one area to another looking for pasture and water for their animals, the men sometimes can move for the whole month without coming back home.