Masai Woman

The Masai ~ of Africa’s many tribes & cultures, the Masai (also spelt Maasai), perhaps more so than any other, have captured the imagination of writers & adventurers. They are a minority tribe & have protected their culture against the pressures of the modern age. The Masai are part of a larger grouping of peoples who speak the Maa language & live in southern Kenya & northern Tanzania. They remain attached to their pastoral traditions & live in Masailand in the thorn-branch surrounded homestead called the “enkang”. Junior elders are careful to show respect to their senior elders. All important decisions affecting the community are taken by the senior elders in their council of elders, the “enkiguena”. Status is based on the wisdom of the elder & not on wealth. The Masai believe in one God “Enkai” & they pray to him daily for rain & prosperity. For spiritual guidance they revere the “laibon” who are the traditional healers of the tribe. Traditional Dress ~the red plaid fabric draped over their shoulders is called a “shuka”. Both men & woman wear beaded decorations & sport enlarged earlobes. Only married women are allowed to wear ear ornaments in their lobes. Before marriage, a single girl may decorate only the upper ear which is pierced with a large hole & beading fastened to the ear. Married women also wear an “Nborro” which are long blue beaded necklaces, & also decorate their earlobes with long beaded flaps. Mothers of warriors wear “surutia” which are coiled metal medallions. A narrow decorated leather belt supports the hide scabbard of the short sword carried by the moran. Two things are valued by the Masai above all else: children & cattle. In the Maa language spoken by the Masai, the common greeting “Keserian ingera? Keserian ingishu?” means “How are the children? How are the cattle?” Parents devote a great deal of time to caring for young children. A close bond exists between Masai mothers & their infants. Babies are often adorned with bead necklaces & waistbands, mirroring the ornate beads & necklaces worn by their mothers. Cattle ownership takes centre stage & each animal in the cattle herd is known individually & nurtured accordingly. At times, young animals are housed within the dwellings at night to protect them from the cold. A household head of moderate wealth will own a herd of 50 cattle & a favourite bull may be decorated with elaborate markings. In the Maa language there are over 30 nouns that describe cattle according to their colouration & horn shape. The passage from one age group to the next is very important in Masai culture & is marked by ceremony & ritual occurring every 7 years. These ceremonies last for days & unite the tribe in feasting, drinking their livestock’s blood & spraying honey beer on one another in blessings. The members of an “age-set” or age group remain bonded together for life. In Masai society circumcision is a ritual that signifies the passing of childhood & establishes the first age-set, usually at 12 years of age. Once boys have been circumcised, they graduate to the esteemed ranks of the “moran”, new recruits to the rank of warrior. The ceremony is planned two months in advance whilst the women build houses in the “manyatta” a settlement built to accommodate the moran & their attendants. The ceremony, called “The Horn of the Ox”, culminates in chasing an ox through the manyatta, each boy attempting to grab it by the horns. At dusk on the evening before the circumcision ceremony mothers shave their son’s heads & at dawn the next morning they are numbed with cold river water & circumcised. Circumcision is performed without any anaesthetic, if a boy flinches during his circumcision he will not be allowed to graduate to warrior & is branded a coward throughout his life. The ox is slaughtered & blood is ceremoniously extracted from its neck, mixed with milk or honey beer, & given to the circumcised boy to drink. Several days of feasting, drinking & jubilation follow the circumcision. Tanzanian Masai boys follow their circumcision by wearing black shukas as opposed to red shukas & decorate their faces with white chalk. For several months after the ceremony, the circumcised boys paint their faces white, & wear ostrich feather headdresses. Towards the end of the period of healing, & before they are accepted as junior warriors “ilkeliani”, the boys prepare circular headdresses decorated with stuffed birds hunted during their sojourn in the bush. With the passing of childhood, the young “ilkeliani” graduate to the esteemed ranks of the “moran”. The young “morani” begins to grow his hair & regularly applies red ochre. Ear lobes are adorned with colourful beads & a special neckband is worn. After some time, the junior warriors join the senior warriors to form a single unit in the “manyatta” & the moran return from the bush to receive a jubilant welcome. The moran share a close kinship & everything is shared. Warriors, according to traditional law, may never eat alone & are always found together in groups. During the years spent in the manyatta, the moran grow their hair & devote much time to plaiting it, & adorning it with beads & medallions. At close of day, the moran often dance the “adumu” jumping dance of the Masai. The dance, as well as the songs that accompany it, recall legendary cattle raids, battles, & the deeds of brave men. Eunoto ~ a weeklong ceremony marking graduation from senior warrior to junior elder after 7 years. In full regalia, the warriors gather in the hills & begin their procession to the manyatta, the warrior at the head of the procession blows a wind instrument, made from the horn of a greater kudu, alerting everyone to the “eunoto”. The most privileged years of their lives are over & the warriors display much emotion, weeping openly, convulsing in seizures & foaming at the mouth. After the eunoto the morans have their heads shaved by their mothers & smeared with red ochre, the men then gather together to sing & dance. During the eunoto ceremony, several oxen are slaughtered & ceremonial feasting takes place. The eunoto ceremony attracts large crowds with much singing & dancing. Masai men take part in the “adumu” dance by forming a circle & singing deep rhythmic songs, one or two of the men dance in the centre of the circle, leaping up & down, their bodies held rigid & their faces set in fierce concentration. After the eunoto ceremony the junior elders are allowed to marry & gifts are taken to a prospective brides parents. Once the offer of marriage has been accepted, the prospective groom will offer as many gifts as he can afford. On the day of the wedding, the bride’s family put on their finest necklaces & paint their faces with red ochre. The young bride is dressed in the softest skins & finest jewellery by her mother, & as she leaves the enkang the bride is blessed by her father. Expressing great sorrow, the bride leaves the familiar comforts of her enkang behind. The young bride is escorted by the groom & his best man to her new home where she is welcomed by the women. The bride then enters her future mother-in-law’s dwelling & remains there until the wedding. The Homestead ~ a traditional Masai homestead is within the circular “enkang” settlement, guarded by a thorn branch hedge. Masai women construct the low dwelling around the perimeter of the settlement, allowing space in the centre for cattle to be penned at night. A Masai elder may have several wives. His first wife constructs a dwelling to the right of the entrance of the enkang, the second wife to the left. Apart from being responsible for building & maintaining the dwellings, Masai women milk the cows & gather firewood. Beadwork ~ is an important part of Masai culture & Masai women set aside time every day to meet & work on beaded jewellery. The jewellery they create is not only beautiful but also has important cultural significance. The beadwork an individual wears will signify their age & social status. Generally individuals of high social standing will wear more colourful and intricate jewellery. The most popular necklace worn by Masai women is a large flat disc that surrounds the neck, which is made up of rows of beads threaded onto wire, secured & spaced with cowhide strips. The colours used in the beadwork are not only selected for their beauty, they are also symbolic & have important meanings understood by the tribe. Often these meanings have an association with cattle, which is the Masai's main food source & for which they have a deep connection. Below is a list of the main colours used in Masai beadwork & the meanings associated with each: • Red ~ stands for bravery, unity, & blood. Red is the colour of cow’s blood & cow’s blood is always symbolic in Masai ceremonial rituals. • Blue ~ represents God & the heavens. Rain falls from the blue sky which provides water for the cattle. • Green ~ symbolizes prosperity & fertility of the land. Cattle graze on the green grass of the land. • Orange ~ Symbolizes hospitality. The association with cattle is that visitors are served cow’s milk from orange gourds. • Yellow ~ like orange yellow also symbolizes hospitality. The animal skins on visitor’s beds are yellow. • White ~ represents peace, purity, & health. The association with health comes from white cow’s milk which the tribe drinks to stay healthy. • Black ~ represents the people & the struggles they must endure.