Masai Warriors

The Masai are a very famous, proud and noble warrior tribe in East Africa, known for their red-clad warriors and bead-covered women.  We had the privelege of visiting a Masai village and meeting a few Masai people during our safari in Tanzania.  They are very impressive people and their culture is a fascinating one.  Their lives center around herding cattle. They live in small settlements of 8-15 huts per kraal. Their settlements are surrounded by a thornbush fence as an added form of protection.  The two-inch long thorns of the thornbush are as sharp as barbed wire and the men are responsible for tying branches together to form the fence. In the evening, the cattle, goats, and other domestic animals are brought inside the kraal for protection against wild animals.

Warriors taking a rest from herding cattle.  Notice their costumes.  They mainly wear red to frighten away the lions.  Their word "jambo" means "hello".

The warriors live in huts made from sticks and cow dung.  The huts take seven months to build by the women of the village. They are built of branches, twigs, grass, and cow dung and urine formed into a plaster and applied to a branch frame. When the mixure dries in the sun it is as strong a cement and does not smell. Generally they cannot stand up inside and the only openings are that of the doorway and a small opening in the roof or wall which allows smoke from a continually smoldering fire inside to escape. The fire is used on which to cook and to keep the family warm during the rainy season. Dried cow dung is used as the fuel for the fire.  Inside, the family sleeps on beds of woven branches cushioned with dry grasses and animal skins. In some huts, small animals are brought into the hut in the evening to help protect them from larger and more dangerous animals as well as the cold.

The Masai tribesmen stood in a line and danced to greet us.  Their swahili word "karibu" means "welcome".  they wore their red beaded warrior cloths, and you can hear the beads clicking as they bob, jump and sing.”

Notice all the handmade beaded jewelry.  Women spend much time doing bead work. They decorate animal hides, gourds, and make beaded jewelry including arm and leg bracelets and amulets.

They stay in an area close to the front door. The only evidence of western man in a Masai hut might be a iron cast fry pan, a tin drinking cup or a piece or two of western clothing.

Click on the picture to see a close-up of her pierced ear (but don't say I didn't warn you!).

This is a Masai boy (left) who has been circumcised recently. Masai live in age-groups of about ten years each. When the boys are ready to become a warrior ("Moran"), all boys of the same age group get circumcision, after which they will dress in black and paint there faces white. They will dress like this for eight to twelve months. After this period they'll become a Moran. The present Morani from the preceeding age-group will now become an elder ("Mzee").

Masai women and girls have a variety of chores besides building the dung huts. They are expected to milk the cows and fetch water, however far that may be (perhaps 36 miles in some cases).

The image most people have of the Masai warrior is one of a tall and lean man clutching a spear in one hand with his red cloth wrapped around his waist or over his shoulders. The life of the traditional Masai revolves entirely around their cattle. They believe God entrusted his cattle to them; consequently, their wealth is measured by the number of cattle they have acquired. As the young Masai boys reach the age of 15, they have their coming-of- age ceremony. This ceremony initiates them into manhood. They make headdresses of ostrich plumes and eagle feathers, shave their heads, are circumcised and become Morani or young warriors. With others of the same age, they then color their skin red and braid their ocher colored hair intricately and set off together to learn survival techniques. Traditionally in order to pass into manhood, they were to hunt a lion with only a spear. However, the government of Kenya has made this practice illegal . The young Masai warriors live together in one boma or circle of huts until they have passed on to manhood (generally 5-7 years). Then they will marry (probably having a number of wives) and continually live together raising their families and tending their cattle.  Basically people of like age live together in bomas. Therefore, the elderly will all be together, but will come to the younger bomas to help teach traditions and skills to their grandchildren. The elderly are responsible for organizing and leading the celebrations and ceremonies.