How the Maasai tribe conducts rituals and rights of passage

The Maasai are one of the most popular and storied African tribes due in part to their proximity to the African great lakes and the colorful customs and clothing. Their villages locations are often located nearing gaming reservations and parks and as a result, are often the first tribes seen by western visitors. Currently the Maasai population is approximately .2M with population growth ranging from 3 percent to 5 percent per year. The Maasai tribe itself inhabits the norther, central, and southern parts of Kenya. The modern day Maasai have adapted their customs and practices over the years, but many of them the standards of the developed world are considered antiquated. One particular right of passage is the circumcision of the young males as a right of passage. To become a warrior, they must go through this treatment without screaming as this is considered a sign of pain. In addition, this process takes roughly three to four months to heal. As a result, it is difficult for men to urinate as the pain is so excruciating. This along with other barbaric customs have been looked down upon from the rest of the world. Even the he Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon these customs. However, although some have changed the Maasai still practice many of the same age-old customs that have been practiced for centuries. Maasai are pastoralist and have resisted the urging of the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. As a nomadic tribe, the Maasai traditional hunt, fish, and raise cattle on their lands. They often travel to hunt with many of the Maasai warriors. Interesting, the Maasai tribe have be staunch advocates against slavery and human trafficking when other tribes embraced it. The Maasai would defend their territories from human traffickers violently and without mercy. As such many slave traders often avoided the Maasai due to their tactics and stance towards human rights.

From a cultural perspective the Maasai live alongside most wild animals and have an aversion to eating game and birds. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, honey and raw blood from cattle. Here, the essentially dietary requirements are often not met with these foods. The needs for protein and essential amino acids are more than adequately satisfied. However, the supply of iron, niacin, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamine and energy are never fully met by a purely milk diet. As result, the Maasai, have slowly transitioned to a grain to their diets. They also have now started to herd sheep, goats, and other prized cattle. In addition, soups and plant-based diets have also been introduced to the Maasai.

As it relates to shelter, the Maasai typically build temporary housing as they are nomadic tribe. As such, their houses were designed not with longevity in mind as they were constantly on the move due to their nomadic nature. Interestingly, the homes of the tribe are typically constructed by women. Here the women build rectangular shaped homes with timber poles as support. The Maasai women then arrange a combination of cow dung, human urine, ash, mud, sticks and grass to make the physical structure. The root is covered in cattle dung to keep it waterproof. These homes are only built as temporary lodgings and often left once the tribe decides to continue its nomad pursuits.

Unfortunately, these nomadic pursuits have heavily diminished due a litany of circumstances. First, the population of the Maasai continues to grow much faster than the national average which is 1 percent to 2 percent per year. As a result, more resources are needed to sustain the tribe. A nomadic lifestyle, because of the constant movement makes it very difficult to sustain over long period of time. As the population has now ballooned to over 1 million there are not enough resources to sustain the constrain movement and the disruption to the ecosystem that it entails. For example, higher levels of cattle have created much more cattle related diseases. These diseases ultimately harm the Maasai’s ability to nourish they population properly. In addition, the available rangelands to utilize has not grown alongside the population. As such a growing population is farming the same rangelands creating diminishing returns for the Maasai people. In addition, other tribes are growing and are now becoming to make settlements of their own. As result, these rival tribes are hunting the habitat, farming the land, and using natural resources, further diminishing the nomadic pursuits of the Maasai. In response the Maasai have steadily shifted their cultural beliefs and nomadic traditions. Now, they have begun farming in a much more substantial manner. They have begun to trade by establishing businesses, selling cattle, and in some instances becoming employed in the private sector.

The social structure of the Maasai is one that is dominated by the male head of household. Their social structure is predicated on rites of passage that regulate everything from their social standing to their ability to marry and have children. The social structure is divided into roles and age sets. Essentially the Maasai follow a system of patriarchy where the father or oldest male is typically the head of the household. In addition, women have little to no power in this system and are often relegated to support roles within the culture. However, women do play in important in building homes, raising children, and gather resources for the rest of the tribe. Maasai must go through 3 distinct phases which brings with them challenges and rituals that many in the developed world consider barbaric. The three stages are as follows:

1. Childhood Stage

2. Warriorhood Stage

3. Senior Warriorhood stage

During each rites of passage phase the Maasai men are to shave their heads. This is to symbolize a new beginning or a new chapter in the future Maasai warrior’s life. This new stage will also come with unique roles and responsibilities not only to the male, but to his counterparts as well. In the childhood stage, little Maasai have no social obligations, however, since their very early age, they are sent to look after lambs and calves in the savannah. During the “puberty celebration”, young Maasai undergo an initiation ritual to be able to gain access to the next stage, which is warriorhood. This stage is critical as passing the trial allows them to be considered adults, thus allowing them to marry and have children. This trial is important as the Maasai only want their strongest warriors bearing children. Here, they believe that only the strong warrior genes should survive and create children. Those who are considered weak or inadequate are not allowed to have sex or to create children for the village. Those who do are severely punished by the Loibon who is the moderator between the Maasai God and the individuals within the village. As such a warrior is considered one of the strongest in the village, able to go through the rites of passage where many have failed. As such his lineage and DNA are allowed to continue in the village. This is the epitome of “Survival of the Fittest” as explained by Darwin. The warrior ritual consists of a circumcision which is performed by the elders. The elders perform this ritual with a sharp knife and no anesthesia as method of testing the young warrior’s strength and endurance. The young Maasai must then bear the pain in silence. Any screams of pain are not tolerated by the elder as it shows dishonor to the young man and his family. The circumcision is actually the final stage of the actual ritual process. To begin a delegation of boys between 14 and 16 years of age, must go on a journey within their lands announcing their next age set. Next the young boys must gather the cattle for seven days in a row. Then after he completes this task, he eligible for the grand prize of circumcision. Once completed the warrior receives gift that include heads of cattle, a heavy spear, a herding staff, a shield and is now considered a man.