Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Brief history of the Masai
MASAI - KENYA
East African nomadic people speaking the Masai Sudanic language. The Masai (or Maasai) traditionally herded their cattle freely across the highlands of Kenya. Probably at the height of their power in the mid-19th century, they suffered from the British colonization of Africa and the resultant ecological and political changes. Rinderpest, an infectious febrile disease, apparently accompanied the British, decimating the cattle herds that supplied the Masai with milk and blood; famine and then smallpox followed. The weakened Masai attacked rather than cooperated with the new rulers. In 1904 and 1912-13 the British government relocated the Masai population to distant southern Kenya and Tanzania, where they now live.
Masai males are rigidly classed by age into boys, warriors, and elders. Girls often have their marriages negotiated by their fathers before they are born. Both boys and girls undergo circumcision ceremonies. Older women enjoy the same status as male elders. The Masai, most of whom are nomadic throughout the year, live in kraals, small clusters of cow-dung huts constructed by the women. Today the Masai number approximately 250,000. They remain a pastoral people.
The Maasai
I was fortunate on this trip to be able to spend time photographing two of the indigenous peoples of Kenya: the Maasai, and their close cousins, the Samburu. To Westerners, the Maasai are perhaps the best-known of the native African tribes of Kenya. Traditionally nomadic pastoralists, they developed a reputation as fierce warriors and lion killers, as they competed for grazing land with those great predators of the savannah. Their legendary vertical leaping ability was developed as a way of intimidating the big cats, who perceived in them not just men but men approaching ten feet tall.
The Maasai settled in Kenya about 1,000 years ago, moving south from Lake Turkana into the fertile lands of the Great Rift Valley. The British moved them into the more arid savannah regions of the south, but even there the Maasai have maintained their traditional nomadic way of life.
The Maasai graze their cattle over vast distances, and live in temporary villages, or manyattas, of huts surrounded by a thorn fence for protection. Their diet consists primarily of milk, some meat, and blood drawn from their cattle.
Today the Maasai have adapted to tourism, and have found ways to benefit from the influx of people into Kenya's game reserves. Villages in close proximity to the reserves will charge tourists an admission fee to take pictures, and also insist on selling trinkets, some of which are of distinctly dubious local origin. In our case, however, the experience was mutually beneficial, and as we spent time getting to know them as people, we found them warm and friendly, and eager to show their way of life to visitors from America.
The Maasai Culture
The Maasai are a distinctly patriarchal society, and the lives of males are punctuated by ritual. At the time of circumcision, around 12-15 years, males are initiated as moran, or young warriors. As moran, they wander from village to village, keep watch over the livestock, and defend the tribe against enemies. They remain warriors for about 15 years, until around age 30 they pass through another set of rituals, enuoto, which confers elder status on the men, who may then marry and have children.
While the men care for the livestock, the Maasai women do much of the work in the manyatta: caring for and teaching the children, building the huts, and making clothing.
East African nomadic people speaking the Masai Sudanic language. The Masai (or Maasai) traditionally herded their cattle freely across the highlands of Kenya. Probably at the height of their power in the mid-19th century, they suffered from the British colonization of Africa and the resultant ecological and political changes. Rinderpest, an infectious febrile disease, apparently accompanied the British, decimating the cattle herds that supplied the Masai with milk and blood; famine and then smallpox followed. The weakened Masai attacked rather than cooperated with the new rulers. In 1904 and 1912-13 the British government relocated the Masai population to distant southern Kenya and Tanzania, where they now live.
Masai males are rigidly classed by age into boys, warriors, and elders. Girls often have their marriages negotiated by their fathers before they are born. Both boys and girls undergo circumcision ceremonies. Older women enjoy the same status as male elders. The Masai, most of whom are nomadic throughout the year, live in kraals, small clusters of cow-dung huts constructed by the women. Today the Masai number approximately 250,000. They remain a pastoral people.
The Maasai
I was fortunate on this trip to be able to spend time photographing two of the indigenous peoples of Kenya: the Maasai, and their close cousins, the Samburu. To Westerners, the Maasai are perhaps the best-known of the native African tribes of Kenya. Traditionally nomadic pastoralists, they developed a reputation as fierce warriors and lion killers, as they competed for grazing land with those great predators of the savannah. Their legendary vertical leaping ability was developed as a way of intimidating the big cats, who perceived in them not just men but men approaching ten feet tall.
The Maasai settled in Kenya about 1,000 years ago, moving south from Lake Turkana into the fertile lands of the Great Rift Valley. The British moved them into the more arid savannah regions of the south, but even there the Maasai have maintained their traditional nomadic way of life.
The Maasai graze their cattle over vast distances, and live in temporary villages, or manyattas, of huts surrounded by a thorn fence for protection. Their diet consists primarily of milk, some meat, and blood drawn from their cattle.
Today the Maasai have adapted to tourism, and have found ways to benefit from the influx of people into Kenya's game reserves. Villages in close proximity to the reserves will charge tourists an admission fee to take pictures, and also insist on selling trinkets, some of which are of distinctly dubious local origin. In our case, however, the experience was mutually beneficial, and as we spent time getting to know them as people, we found them warm and friendly, and eager to show their way of life to visitors from America.
The Maasai Culture
The Maasai are a distinctly patriarchal society, and the lives of males are punctuated by ritual. At the time of circumcision, around 12-15 years, males are initiated as moran, or young warriors. As moran, they wander from village to village, keep watch over the livestock, and defend the tribe against enemies. They remain warriors for about 15 years, until around age 30 they pass through another set of rituals, enuoto, which confers elder status on the men, who may then marry and have children.
While the men care for the livestock, the Maasai women do much of the work in the manyatta: caring for and teaching the children, building the huts, and making clothing.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Flash back to summer 2006
3 Days before we leave
It is just three days before we will be leaving Houston and head off to Kenya for another great time of ministry with some incredible people. As pictured above, we will be working along side the Masai people during this trip. We met these wonderful ladies last August, and it was such a special time for all of us. They walked two different times from their village several hours away just to be with us. Now we are going to their village to minister and share with them. We will also be working with a local hospital with only 70 beds to care for more than 200 patients. We will have time to spend with the AIDS widows at the Homecare Center in Nairobi where we help feed them, provide for homes and help them to just survive. We will also be involved one Saturday in one of our feeding programs for over 300 children that are part of only 20 families in the Kibera slum. You may recall the Kibera slum where we minister to the AIDS widows and orphans, an area of 1,000,000 in 600 acres. That's 1,700 people per acre. It is an unbelievable sight when you are walking in the mist of all of these people, 70% of whom are HIV positive. With no electricity, running water, or bathrooms, life is hard for families of 10-12 people living in a 10 x 10 mud hut. Education is hard to access in this area. There is public education, but you still have to pay for your books and uniform or you can't go to school. Jobs are also hard to come by with 70% unemployment in Nairobi . Thousands of people walk into town each day to see if they can find some sort of work for the survival of their family. For all practical purposes, life seems hopeless, but when you get to meet the people, see their hearts and how they want to provide for their children and family members, we are reminded of Jesus' heart for these people, which is true hope, and we are compelled to do what we can to help. As Judy Mbugua, our wonderful leader in Africa, tells us we might not be able to do it all, but we do what we can. And it does make a difference.
So we are asking you to pray with us for the next two weeks as we minister in Kenya to those with great spiritual and physical needs. As much as we desire to serve and encourage the people in Kenya, we know from experience that they will teach and bless us in incredible ways as well.
Pray for our team: Breanna, Hannah, Brittney, Phil, Samantha, Josiah, Madison, Ethan, Diane and John. We would really appreciate it.
Check our blog daily to get further updates on our trip. God bless and we will see you when we return.
So we are asking you to pray with us for the next two weeks as we minister in Kenya to those with great spiritual and physical needs. As much as we desire to serve and encourage the people in Kenya, we know from experience that they will teach and bless us in incredible ways as well.
Pray for our team: Breanna, Hannah, Brittney, Phil, Samantha, Josiah, Madison, Ethan, Diane and John. We would really appreciate it.
Check our blog daily to get further updates on our trip. God bless and we will see you when we return.
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