The Life of Maasai Community
Being solely semi-nomadic and pastoral, the tribe live solely off the land and move to new areas after depopulating their surroundings. Until Europeans arrived, Maasai almost owned most of the fertile lands in Kenya. To be born as a male in the Maasai tribe means to be born into one of the world’s largest great warrior cultures. The tribal warriors are celebrated often through rituals and ceremonies.
The culture is mainly patriarchal in nature, the result of which most women live a life of cultural oppression and poverty. Mostly denied the Right to Education, Maasai women only follow the rules of tradition. Despite all, a sense of sisterhood and positivity engulfs Maasai women. Being monotheistic, they worship one god- Engai or Enkai.
Maasai tribe mostly wears a red dress, known as “Shuka”, along with beaded jewelry. They co-exist with wildlife, Maasai tribe refers to their homes as large areas of land. Their shelters are loosely constructed and semi-permanent.
Pastoralism in Africa
Pastoralism and pastoral livestock production are very important to the livelihood and economy of Africa’s semi-arid areas. Due to long-term climate change, around 7,000 years ago; it spread throughout Northern Africa as an adaptation to the constantly changing and unpredictable arid climate. Pastoralism in Africa is practiced in 43 percent of the landmass.
More than 22 million Africans rely on some type of pastoral activity for a living. Among them are Bedouins, Berbers, Maasai, Somali, Boran, and Turkana. Today, the bulk of them live in semi-arid grasslands or dry deserts, where rainfed agriculture is difficult. They raise cattle, camels, goats, sheep, and donkeys, and sell milk, meat, skins, and wool. Some augment their meager and uncertain earnings from pastoralism through commerce and transportation, while others combine mobile lifestyle activity with agriculture.
The lives of African pastoralists changed tremendously over colonial and post-colonial times. From the late 19th century, the British colonial government in east Africa started expanding land under cultivation. As cultivation expanded, pasturelands turned to cultivated fields and this brought a number of problems for the pastoralists and their lives became tough.
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