Intro to Maasai Tribe in Africa
*The correct pronunciation is Mah-sigh
*They are originally found in Kenya and Tanzania
*Their Population is about 150,000
*They usually speak Maa (Olmaa) language
*They are mostly Traditional beliefs
*They are originally found in Kenya and Tanzania
*Their Population is about 150,000
*They usually speak Maa (Olmaa) language
*They are mostly Traditional beliefs
INTRODUCTION
The Maasai are thought of as the typical cattle herders of Africa,yet they have not always been herders,nor are they all today
Because of population growth,development strategy and the resulting shortage of land,cattle raising is in decline. However,cattle still represent ''the breath of life'' for many maasai when giving the chance they choose herding above all other livelihood. For many western the maasai are Hollywood's "noble savage"-fierce ,proud ,handsome, grateful of bearing,and elegantly tall.
Hair smeared red with ochre they either carry spears or stand on one foot tending cattle. These depictions oversimplified maasai life during the twentieth century. Today,Maasai cattle herders may also be growing maize or wheat,rearing Guinea fowl,raising ostriches,or may be hired by ecologists to take pictures of the country side
Prior to British colonization, Africans, Arabs and European explorers considered the Maasai formidable warriors for their conquest of neighboring peoples and their resistance to slavery. Caravan traders traveling from the coast to Uganda crossed Maasailand with trepidation. However, in 1880-81,when the British unintentionally introduced rinderpest the maasai lost 80 percent of their stock. The British colonizers further disrupted Maasai life by moving them to a reserve in southern Kenya. While the British encouraged them to adopt European ways ,they also advised them to retain their traditions. These contradictions resulted ,for the most part in leaving the Maasai alone and allowed them to develop almost on their own. However, drought ,famine,cattle diseases and intratribal warfare in the nineteenth century greatly weakened the Maasai and nearly destroyed certain tribes.
The Maasai are thought of as the typical cattle herders of Africa,yet they have not always been herders,nor are they all today
Because of population growth,development strategy and the resulting shortage of land,cattle raising is in decline. However,cattle still represent ''the breath of life'' for many maasai when giving the chance they choose herding above all other livelihood. For many western the maasai are Hollywood's "noble savage"-fierce ,proud ,handsome, grateful of bearing,and elegantly tall.
Hair smeared red with ochre they either carry spears or stand on one foot tending cattle. These depictions oversimplified maasai life during the twentieth century. Today,Maasai cattle herders may also be growing maize or wheat,rearing Guinea fowl,raising ostriches,or may be hired by ecologists to take pictures of the country side
Prior to British colonization, Africans, Arabs and European explorers considered the Maasai formidable warriors for their conquest of neighboring peoples and their resistance to slavery. Caravan traders traveling from the coast to Uganda crossed Maasailand with trepidation. However, in 1880-81,when the British unintentionally introduced rinderpest the maasai lost 80 percent of their stock. The British colonizers further disrupted Maasai life by moving them to a reserve in southern Kenya. While the British encouraged them to adopt European ways ,they also advised them to retain their traditions. These contradictions resulted ,for the most part in leaving the Maasai alone and allowed them to develop almost on their own. However, drought ,famine,cattle diseases and intratribal warfare in the nineteenth century greatly weakened the Maasai and nearly destroyed certain tribes.
Since Kenyan and Tanzanian independence from Britain in the 1960s,land ownership has changed dramatically. Modern ranching , wheat cultivation techniques and setting of grazing boundaries in wage and cash economy is replacing the barter trade. Consequently the maasai have the modern economies and Mainstream societies of Kenya and Tanzania.
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