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Kicking Native People Off Their Land Is a Horrible Way to Save the Planet

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Kicking Native People Off Their Land Is a Horrible Way to Save the Planet

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Opinion | Kicking Native People Off Their Land Is a Horrible Way to Save the Planet

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Forcing Indigenous people out of protected areas they help manage and rely upon is not the way to achieve biodiversity and climate goals.

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Embracing artificial intelligence to preserve dying languages

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Embracing artificial intelligence to preserve dying languages

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Do you have questions about this article? Write to us.

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Embracing artificial intelligence to preserve dying languages

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As more language preservation initiatives inspired by artificial intelligence emerge, researchers argue that while they cannot fully capture the essence of language, they are a crucial aspect of preserving what is now deemed to be a global linguistic catastrophe.

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Kenya’s young Maasai reconnect with their culture at Eunoto ceremony

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Kenya’s young Maasai reconnect with their culture at Eunoto ceremony

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Photos: Kenya’s young Maasai reconnect with their culture

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The five-day coming-of-age ritual features traditional chants, dances and the famous Maasai jump.

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"Maasai is Kenya": Festival showcases Maasai culture and traditions

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"Maasai is Kenya": Festival showcases Maasai culture and traditions

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’Maasai is Kenya”: Festival showcases Maasai culture and traditions | CNN

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CNN’s Laila Harrak shows us how Kenya’s Maasai community is working to preserve its traditions – and safeguard its future – by organizing a cultural festival near one of the country’s most popular game reserves.

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Kenya: Maasai rite of passage is a colourful and ancient tradition

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Kenya: Maasai rite of passage is a colourful and ancient tradition

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Kenya: Maasai rite of passage is a colourful and ancient tradition | Africanews

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The Maasai continue to honour their cultural traditions such as this final rite of passage to transition from a warrior into an elder.

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Tanzania’s Maasai relocation: a path toward harmonizing conservation and human rights

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Tanzania’s Maasai relocation: a path toward harmonizing conservation and human rights

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Tanzania’s Maasai relocation: a path toward harmonizing conservation and human rights

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Tanzanian Maasai voices in transformative bid to tackle early marriages and GBV

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Tanzanian Maasai voices in transformative bid to tackle early marriages and GBV

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In an unprecedented move, traditional female circumcisers have dumped their tools and joined hands with women and powerful male elders to end risky traditional practices. They now favour transformative socio-economic empowerment, a decision that is changing the face and fate of women and girls in their community.
In Tanzania's Siha District, on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain, women and girls have had to contend with life-threatening and dream-shattering traditional rituals, styled as rites of passage. Nearly all women, especially young girls, are grabbed, their legs spread apart, and the circumcisers - often older women using crude knives and razor blades- cut off part of their genitals in a painful and cruel practice called female genital mutilation (FGM). Elders believe the practice boosts the value of a girl's bride price, much like adding value to farm produce.

The communities in Donyomurwa and Karansi, the two wards in Siha District in Kilimanjaro region of north-western Tanzania, are not only fighting these dangerous rituals, but also have to endure severe drought which threatens their livelihood as cattle keepers. Their livestock - cattle, sheep and goats - die due to lack of pasture and water. To survive and replenish their stock, families often circumcise their daughters and marry them off early to collect more bride price, paid in livestock.

The female genital mutilation, prevalent among the Maasai community, also happens in the Arusha and Meru tribes. This practice involves cutting or removing parts of female genitalia for cultural reasons, not medical ones. The labia (folds of skin around the vagina) are cut and stitched together, and parts of the clitoris may be removed, leaving a small opening for urine and menstrual blood. Women who do not undergo this are often rejected by the community and seen as outcasts or of low value. For the clan elders, the laigwananis, female circumcision can occur at any age - even a two-week old baby girl is not off limits.

There are dozens of horrifying stories told in community empowerment meetings of the Kilimanjaro Women Information Exchange and Community Organization (KWIECO). The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) has supported this local non-governmental organisation in its work championing justice, economic empowerment, human rights, and gender equality in Tanzania. The women and girls told their stories boldly during these meetings that sought to understand the Maasai tradition and to design a community-based approach against early marriages, teenage pregnancies and gender-based cruelty.

Take the case of Daima Laizer, the last-born daughter from a polygamous home with three wives and 19 children in Palestina Sanya village in Siha. She was already betrothed even before she began school aged eight years- much later than children in other parts of the world and Africa, who begin schooling at six years. Seeing her peers circumcised and forced into early marriages and denied the chance to education terrified her. Like many fathers in her community, Daima's father prioritised bride price over her right to education.

Her father did not take her to school. She sneaked her way to the halls of education, thanks to her juvenile fearlessness and a relentless teacher who spoke to her parents and made sure she went through school all the way to Form Four - the final class in high school. Even though she has no memory of when she was circumcised, she was too young; she still bears the scars.

Despite her father having already accepted a token of bride price from several possible suitors for her, Daima defied him and went to stay with her neighbour, who provided her with a safe home. She wants to be a teacher, like the woman who set her on the path to education.

Her journey from fear to empowerment has made her a role model, showing how determination and resilience can overcome adversity. With support from FNF and KWIECO over the past two years, Daima's story highlights the transformative power of education. In the Maasai community, voices like Daima's are rising, symbolising a strong movement against gender-based violence and driving lasting change.

WATCH: Activism Around The Body: Saying No To FGM And Child Marriages

Changed beliefs

Women like Esther Joseph, Sabina Laizer, Susana Lekoko, and Theresia Kaango are leading the fight against FGM and harmful practices. They are leading a group of 80 women, all former traditional circumcisers, known as engamuratani, who relied on female genital mutilation for their livelihoods - they were paid an amount equivalent to the value of a goat. Without another source of income, abandoning the practice was difficult.

"We practised female circumcision because it was part of our culture and an economic activity for us women. The FNF project changed our beliefs about FGM and our view of life, uplifting our economic status by showing us alternative livelihoods," says Susana Lekoko.

Women have blossomed into powerful voices for human rights, weaving threads of courage and determination into the fabric of change. Their journey is not just about numbers or statistics; it is about the profound transformation of lives and the uplifting of spirits.

With newfound confidence, these women have stepped into the forefront of advocacy, championing economic, social, and cultural rights with unwavering resolve. Their leadership has goes beyond words, manifesting in collaborative ventures, business acumen, and a shared commitment to gender equality and the protection of women and children

Supported by FNF, the project has trained and empowered over 120 women, establishing 24 community microfinance groups. These women, pooling their resources and engaging in internal lending, have accumulated TSh72,782,800 (€25,753.80). More than half of this amount is in voluntary savings. This financial backbone has lifted their families out of poverty and empowered them to stand tall against challenges, venturing into various businesses and acquiring assets like goats, chickens, and sheep.

"Thanks to revolving loans, I feel more empowered. I can borrow, invest, and use the profits to buy books, pens, and pay fees for my six children," says Evaline Peter. Alongside other women in the village, Evaline is actively involved in identifying and rescuing Endito or Alaiyen-uncircumcised young teenagers who are at risk of being forced into marriage.

This economic transformation goes beyond mere numbers. It has become a catalyst for change in their communities. These women have become advocates for human rights, especially in areas like economic, social, and cultural rights. Their voices, once subdued, now echo through the villages, demanding equality and justice for all.

Impact is palpable

The impact of this empowerment is palpable. Families are more secure, violence is on the decline, and poverty is becoming a thing of the past.

One such inspiring story comes from the Jamii Salama Women Group in Donyomurwa Ward. With strategic investments and visionary planning, they are not just farming; they are building a future. Their decision to invest TSh800,000 (€283) in acquiring a bull is not just about profits; it's about sustainability and growth. Their visionary approach anticipates selling the bull for an estimated value of TSh2,000,000 (€707.69). The foresight does not end there. Recognising the potential for growth, the group plans to reinvest a portion of the proceeds from the bull's sale into cultivating maize and beans on two acres of land. This strategic diversification will not only generate further revenue but also contribute to local agricultural development.

The story of these women is not just a success story; it is a beacon of hope for a more inclusive and equitable future. Through their courage, determination, and unwavering spirit, they are not just changing their lives; they are changing the world around them -step by step.

Young people are not being left behind. The project has engaged youths, numbering 150 strong, which has emerged as catalysts of change. Through FNF and KWIECO efforts, they reached out to a staggering 750 individuals, advocating for children's rights, access to education, and family decision-making. Their message resonating well and sparking conversations on continuous education and male engagement within communities, which is paving the way for a more inclusive and informed society.

Beyond economic gains, these women, youth and male adults have become advocates for gender equality, addressing issues like sexual abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM), and barriers to education. Their dedication led to the education of 670 peers, creating a ripple effect of empowerment and awareness.

Local government leaders have continued to play a pivotal role in educating citizens on legal penalties for GBV; this is leading to a noticeable decrease in cases such as forced and early marriages. Success stories, like Munge village, stands out as tangible results, with reduced instances of sexual harassment-a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives.

Clan leaders, numbering 42, have engaged 1,272 individuals, advocating against harmful practices like FGM and sexual abuse while promoting gender equality and economic rights. Their collaboration with local government leaders continues to strengthen community-wide efforts, fostering a culture of inclusivity and accountability.

"We are working to sensitise communities in Donyomurwa ward about children's rights, especially those of girls, and discouraging parents from arranging early marriages for their daughters. We have rescued many underage girls from such marriages and are collaborating with authorities to gather evidence and verify the ages of those coerced into marriage," says Michael Lazarus Loitayo, a male advocate against FGM and early marriage.

Teachers, equipped with knowledge and resources, are making strides in creating safer school environments and reducing incidents of sexual violence. Their call for continued investment in pro-gender and human rights-based education underscores the crucial role of education in fostering societal change.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Police Gender Desk, Social Welfare, and Community Development Officers, have also stepped up their efforts and have acknowledged the project's effectiveness in preventive and responsive services. Emphasising community cooperation and the importance of bail as a right for all, they continue to underscore the guiding principles in child protection, ensuring a comprehensive approach to prevention and support gender based violence.

This empowerment is not just about personal success; it is about paving the way for a future where rights are upheld, voices are heard, and communities thrive. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of unity in the face of adversity.

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Human Rights: Tanzanian Maasai voices in transformative bid to tackle early marriages and GBV

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Traditional female circumcisers abandon their tools and to join hands with women and male elders to end risky traditional practices. They now favour transformative socio-economic empowerment, a decision that is significantly changing the face and fate of women and girls in their community.

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Challenging Social Norms that Violate the Rights of Women in Maasai Communities

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Challenging Social Norms that Violate the Rights of Women in Maasai Communities

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Women Empowerment: Challenging Social Norms that Violate the Rights of Women in Maasai Communities

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The Maasai community is known globally for its vibrant traditions, culture, and dress code. Behind the beauty of the culture and smiles, women are living in the darkness of poverty and suppressive cultural practices. A Maasai girl is considered a source of wealth for the family, thus “property of her father”, that she can be married off at tender age to an elderly man and in case the husband passes on, she will be “inherited” by her in-laws especially the husbands’ brother or eldest son.

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How young men can change the gender and social norms of the Maasai people to support girls’ education

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How young men can change the gender and social norms of the Maasai people to support girls’ education

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How young men can change the gender and social norms of the Maasai people to support girls' education

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The Anti-cut warriors, therefore, represent a powerful internal driver pushing for change, directly questioning their own culture, demanding an end to the treatment of women and girls as second-class citizens. These emerging voices hold out hope that long-standing and stubborn social and gender norms and patriarchal practices can be overturned.

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Her dream is freedom for women and girls

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Her dream is freedom for women and girls

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Her dream is freedom for women and girls

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Bill Gates shares the story of Kakenya Ntaiya, a leader in the effort to end child marriage and female genital mutilation in her community in Kenya.

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The 86-page report, “It’s Like Killing Culture,” documents the Tanzanian government program that began in 2022 to relocate over 82,000 people from the NCA to Msomera village, about 600 kilometers away, to use their land for conservation and tourism purposes. Since 2021, the authorities have significantly reduced the availability and accessibility of essential public services, including schools and health centers. This downsizing of infrastructure and services, coupled with limiting access to cultural sites and grazing areas and a ban on growing crops, has made life increasingly difficult for residents, forcing many to relocate.

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Maasai communities harness the resilience of native plants to restore grasslands in Tanzania

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Maasai communities harness the resilience of native plants to restore grasslands in Tanzania

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Maasai communities harness the resilience of native plants to restore grasslands in Tanzania

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Three Maasai communities in Tanzania's Arusha region are involved in reforesting 15 acres of land and restoring grassland biodiversity by replanting native spec

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Cattle grazing by Maasai not harmful to national park, research argues

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Cattle grazing by Maasai not harmful to national park, research argues

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Cattle grazing by Maasai not harmful to national park, research argues

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Bilal Butt knows how it sounds. The associate professor of sustainability and development at the University of Michigan understands that arguing to let cattle graze in a national park offends the sensibilities.

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Maasai Mara’s indigenous forest is disappearing, with drastic consequences

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Maasai Mara’s indigenous forest is disappearing, with drastic consequences

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Maasai Mara’s indigenous forest is disappearing, with drastic consequences

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For the Maasai, Nyekweri forest has such a high ecological and socio-cultural value. But new conservancies aren’t working as best they could.

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Tanzania’s conservation concerns do not excuse violations of Maasai rights

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Tanzania’s conservation concerns do not excuse violations of Maasai rights

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Tanzania’s conservation concerns do not excuse violations of Maasai rights | Indigenous Rights | Al Jazeera

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We use cookies and other tracking technologies to deliver and personalize content and ads, enable features, measure site performance, and enable social media sharing. You can choose to customize your preferences.Learn more about our Cookie Policy.

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Maasai women are told to stay home. These rangers fight poachers instead.

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Maasai women are told to stay home. These rangers fight poachers instead.

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Maasai women are told to stay home. These rangers fight poachers instead.

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In Kenya, an all-woman ranger unit is challenging stereotypes and helping protect both wild animals and the people who live beside them.

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'This is a real look into our lives': the Maasai women photographing their people

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'This is a real look into our lives': the Maasai women photographing their people

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In Esiteti, a Maasai village in southern Kenya, Pilale Rikoiyan cooks a large pot of rice for her grandchildren. While she and her family have adjusted to having plain grain whenever they run out of produce or are low on meat, preparing the meal makes her nostalgic for the days when her homestead owned several heads of cattle. The herd guaranteed a consistent supply of meat and milk, and an income for produce and other needs.

"Life has changed so much from that time," says 69-year-old Rikoiyan. "We never used to work so hard daily to put food on the table."

A prolonged drought that has gripped the country and the wider horn of Africa has made life more challenging for women in pastoralist communities, who bear primary responsibility for securing food, water and fuel.

The growing care burden of these women on the frontline of the climate crisis is the subject of a recent photo series by Maasai photographers Claire Metito and Irene Naneu. Chronicling the everyday experiences of two elderly women, the photographers provide an intimate view of the increased, and often undervalued, domestic load that they shoulder.

Metito and Naneu were among 14 women in Kenya and Ghana who took part in a programme by Lensational, a social enterprise that supports underrepresented women to learn photography and document the changes happening in their lives on issues such as climate breakdown.

Metito chose to depict her mother-in-law Rikoiyan's experiences because the matriarch's life reflects the harsh realities that have become normalised, even among the women themselves. Rikoiyan and other women in their seven-family household go to great lengths to care for sick cattle and keep their herd alive, but they have lost most of their cows to the drought in recent years, and have to rely for milk on goats, which produce only a fraction of the supply.

As their herd dwindles and food insecurity grows, so does the demand for care work. Children get sick more often due to malnourishment, meaning that women devote more time nursing them back to health.

Metito, a nursery school teacher and mother of four, sees Rikoiyan wake up at the break of dawn each morning to begin housework and childcare as Metito and other women in their multigenerational household trek for hours to find firewood and grazing sites for their cattle, hoping to get as much done as they can before the afternoon, when heat stress slows them down. Grasslands have thinned out due to the drought, so they need to walk several kilometres further than they used to.

"This is a real and authentic look into her life - into all of our lives," says Metito, who lives in Rikoiyan's homestead. "The work you see her doing is something we're all familiar with. It is hard, but we've become used to it, so it's no longer something that is seen as out of the ordinary."

While the younger members of the family tend cattle on distant pastures, Rikoiyan cares for her grandchildren and weaker and sick livestock, many of which have eye injuries from grazing among thorny thickets due to lack of grass. She supplements her income by making beadwork to sell

Women's climate networks say that governments need to provide social safety nets and alternative livelihoods for those whose needs and responsibilities have become heightened by the crisis, and to invest in infrastructure that supports women from marginalised communities.

Women are the ones who rear cattle, fetch water and look after the kids. They take care of the wealth but husbands control it

Irene Naneu

Closer health facilities in Esiteti, for instance, would allow women to spend less time managing the healthcare needs of their family, community members say. And proper roads would increase market traders' access to the village and reduce the time women spend securing food. Currently, traders only venture into the village once a week because the roads are in poor condition, so women need to cross over to neighbouring Tanzania each week, a walk of several hours each way.

Female photographers trained by Lensational say visual storytelling is a powerful tool for their community, which faces marginalisation and illiteracy, and a way to disrupt the barriers that often keep their realities and perspectives from full view.

Naneu's images capture the life of Lenoi Mayiempe, a farmer from Narok in southern Kenya, who is the primary guardian of her two grandchildren. Mayiempe has managed to keep many heads of cattle despite the drought, but faces challenges getting water as rivers and dams dry up. Unpredictable rain patterns have made it difficult to count on a healthy yield, so she leases out part of her land to community members to manage the risk. She began managing the property after her husband died, but it belongs to her two sons. Gender norms that restrict land ownership by women also expose them to vulnerability.

"In Narok, women are the ones who rear cattle, fetch water and look after the kids," says Naneu. "They take care of the wealth but husbands control it, so many women have unmet needs and end up suffering in silence."

Naneu and Metito say their photography work has allowed them to share authentic representations of Maasai women, reignited their interest in everyday happenings in their communities, and enabled them to understand the issues they face more deeply.

"Getting behind the camera and hearing how people are being affected, that's when I truly understood the extent of the situation we are facing with climate change," says Naneu.

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'This is a real look into our lives': the Maasai women photographing their people

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Two Maasai photographers chronicle the daily challenges facing pastoralist women as the climate crisis increases their burden of care, and food, fuel and water become scarcer

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Tradition meets transformation for Maasai women

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Tradition meets transformation for Maasai women

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Tradition meets transformation for Maasai women

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A new study by Virginia Tech Associate Professor Tim Baird reveals that a changing Africa is creating avenues of empowerment for Maasai women.

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Cattle raised by Maasai pastoralists aren’t the conservation villains they’ve been made out to be

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Cattle raised by Maasai pastoralists aren’t the conservation villains they’ve been made out to be

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Matt Davenport | Michigan News | September 10, 2024

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Cattle raised by Maasai pastoralists aren’t the conservation villains they’ve been made out to be

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New research shows that letting cattle graze in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya had almost no discernible positive or negative effect on the ecological well-being of the reserve. According to Bilal Butt, associate professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), this provides important context for land that welcomes tourists while excluding Indigenous farmers, sometimes violently.

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Africa’s famous Serengeti and Maasai Mara are being hit by climate change – a major threat to wildlife and tourism

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Africa’s famous Serengeti and Maasai Mara are being hit by climate change – a major threat to wildlife and tourism

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Africa’s famous Serengeti and Maasai Mara are being hit by climate change – a major threat to wildlife and tourism

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Over the past 112 years the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem has experienced major changes in its weather.

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Why are Tanzania's Maasai being forced off their ancestral land?

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Why are Tanzania's Maasai being forced off their ancestral land?

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On Monday, February 28 at 19:30GMT:
Tanzania has renewed efforts to evict thousands of indigenous people from their ancestral land in the north of the country. It's a move that the government claims will help bolster the country's tourism industry through big game hunting.

The land in question is in Loliondo and is home to 70,000 Masaai people, a semi-nomadic ethnic group. The plan is to move the Maasai into the Ngorgongoro Conservation Area (NCA), a UNESCO designated World Heritage site for its global importance to biodiversity. It's also home to some 80,000 previously evicted Maasai.

For years, Tanzania has tried to gain control of the land in an attempt to create a trophy hunting corridor for tourism companies like Otterlo Business Company, which is based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE.) The group's exclusive 25-year deal with Tanzania, which brought in millions of dollars for the country's military, ended in 2017.

The threat of eviction has grabbed the attention of the global activist organization, Avaaz, whose online petition has garnered more than 3 million signatures, including Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo.

In this episode of The Stream, we discuss the importance of the land for both the Maasai and the Tanzanian government and ask what solutions there are to resolve the matter.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Erick Kabendera, @kabsjourno
Journalist

Joseph Moses Oleshangay, @Oleshangay
Human rights lawyer

Edward Porokwa, @PINGOsForum
Director, PINGO Forum

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Why are Tanzania's Maasai being forced off their ancestral land?

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On Monday, February 28 at 19:30GMT: Tanzania has renewed efforts to evict thousands of indigenous people from their ancestral land in the north of the country. It's a move that the government claims will help bolster the country's tourism industry through big game hunting.

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Tanzania, siding with UAE firm, plans to evict Maasai from ancestral lands

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Tanzania, siding with UAE firm, plans to evict Maasai from ancestral lands

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Source: Mongabay

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Tanzania, siding with UAE firm, plans to evict Maasai from ancestral lands

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In 2018, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) granted an injunction prohibiting the Tanzanian government from evicting Maasai communities from 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles) of ancestral, legally registered land in the Loliondo division of Ngorongoro, northern Tanzania. Today, 70,000 Maasai pastoralists are once again at risk of eviction after the government disclosed [...]

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‘Shocking blow to Indigenous land rights’ as court dismisses Maasai herder claim

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‘Shocking blow to Indigenous land rights’ as court dismisses Maasai herder claim

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Source: The Guardian

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Lawyers for Maasai herders who say the Tanzanian government is trying to violently evict them from their ancestral land to make way for a luxury game reserve have lodged an appeal against a court ruling that dismissed their case.

Donald Deya, lead counsel for the herders and chief executive officer of the Pan-African Lawyers Union (Palu), said his team had, on Wednesday, appealed against the verdict of the east African court of justice, which campaigners branded "a shocking blow" to Indigenous land rights.

In a statement issued by Palu earlier this week, the Maasai communities were said to be "dissatisfied and disappointed" by the ruling, which they felt "disregarded the compelling multitude" of evidence they presented in court.

The legal battle dates back to 2017, when residents of four Maasai villages in northern Tanzania went to court to try to stop the authorities evicting them from 580 sq miles (1,500 sq km) of land in Loliondo, bordering the Serengeti national park. If carried out, more than 70,000 Maasai would be affected by the move.

The government says the land is within the park and should, therefore, be given over solely to conservation purposes rather than being disrupted by human activity. But the herders say the land has been rightfully theirs for generations and accuse the authorities of wanting to use it to create a luxury game reserve run by a UAE-owned company.

They are seeking recourse for the allegedly violent evictions of 2017, which they claim included the burning of their homes and the confiscation of their livestock. The government denies this.

Although the court issued an interim order in 2018 that stopped evictions, tensions reached boiling point in June of this year, when violent clashes re-erupted between police and Maasai demonstrators after authorities began to demarcate land boundaries.

In its ruling on Friday, the court found that the Maasai had failed to prove they had been evicted from their village land and not from the Serengeti itself. The court also found that witnesses who alleged violent evictions had failed to give evidence proving injury or loss.

The judgment was condemned by campaigners.

"The failure of the east African court of justice to hold the Tanzanian government accountable for blatantly abusing human rights of the Maasai in Loliondo is a travesty for all Indigenous communities on the continent," said Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute.

Fiore Longo, from Survival International, an indigenous rights advocacy group, told Reuters: "The court has given a strong signal to the international community that evictions and human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples should be tolerated if they are done in the name of protecting nature."

There was no immediate comment from Tanzania's government.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

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'Shocking blow to Indigenous land rights' as court dismisses Maasai herder claim

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Lawyers for Maasai herders who say the Tanzanian government is trying to violently evict them from their ancestral land to make way for a luxury game reserve have lodged an appeal against a court ruling that dismissed their case.

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Evicting people from Tanzania’s Ngorongoro conservation area is a bad idea, there are alternatives

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Evicting people from Tanzania’s Ngorongoro conservation area is a bad idea, there are alternatives

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Source: The Conversation

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Evicting people from Tanzania’s Ngorongoro conservation area is a bad idea, there are alternatives

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Instead of evicting pastoralists from their ancestral land, more effort must be made to create new opportunities for them.

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Source: Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust

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Less land for an ever growing Kenyan population means less land for the Maasai, their livestock, and wildlife. More and more, a lion will take a cow or some goats and get killed in retaliation.

Lions are a disappearing species: their numbers plunged from 100,000 ten years ago, to about 14,000 today. Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust has pioneered a compensation program, reimbursing livestock killed by lions (and other predators). The program is supported by Campi Ya Kanzi tourist conservation fees and employs warriors as lion scouts.

In the past, the Maasai and the wildlife simply lived together, in balance. If this could be re-established, by showing to the Maasai the economic value of the presence of wildlife in their land, the future of the land, of the wildlife and of the Maasai people will be assured.

This is exactly what Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust does. We are thrilled by having been awarded the UNDP Equator Prize and by having had our Chairman, Samson Parashina, named Champion of the Earth by UNEP. Never before these prestigious United Nations Awards were given to the same organization.

Kuku Group Ranch, where the camp is located, has 400 square miles of land and is occupied by only a few thousand Maasai. The land is rich in wildlife. It adjoins Tsavo West National Park, Chyulu National Park and Amboseli National Park, representing a vital corridor and a dispersal area for these three National Parks.

The Trust employs 300 members, as teachers at the schools, rangers and game scouts to protect wildlife, a doctor and nurses at the dispensaries. Thus, by sharing their vast lands with a maximum of 16 visitors from Campi ya Kanzi, the Maasai of Kuku Group Ranch benefit in several ways: They maintain their lands in a natural state. They are partners in generating income which improve their life conditions and their children's education. They preserve their traditional way of living and dignity.

What Campi ya Kanzi and MWCT are jointly aiming to achieve, is being able to pay "conservation dividends" to all the individuals of the Group Ranch, so that the land can be preserved as a unity, owned under one single title deed, and not subdivided. This will guarantee that those Maasai willing to keep embracing their lifestyle, will have a place to do it.

Your visit to the camp helps the Maasai retain their heritage. You will not leave by having taken something away, you will leave Campi ya Kanzi enriched by a human experience that, hopefully, will accompany you for years to come.

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The Maasai Culture and Traditions - Maasai Wilderness Conservation

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We work with the Maasai community to create and implement programs for Kenya wildlife and wilderness conservation, public health, and education.

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Source: Britannica.com

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Table of Contents

This article was most recently revised and updated by

Maasai, also spelled Masai, nomadic pastoralists of East Africa. Maasai is essentially a linguistic term, referring to speakers of this Eastern Sudanic language (usually called Maa) of the Nilo-Saharan language family. These include the pastoral Maasai who range along the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania, the Samburu of Kenya, and the semipastoral Arusha and Baraguyu (or Kwafi) of Tanzania.

The pastoral Maasai are fully nomadic, wandering in bands throughout the year and subsisting almost entirely on the meat, blood, and milk of their herds. Their kraal, consisting of a large circular thornbush fence around a ring of mud-dung houses, holds four to eight families and their herds. Polygyny is common among older men; wife lending occurs between men of the same age-set. Marriage involves a substantial bride-price in livestock.

The Maasai have a number of patrilineal clans grouped into two classes, or moieties. The basic institution of social integration, however, is the system of age-sets. Under this system, groups of the same age are initiated (circumcised) into adult life during the same open-initiation period; the age-class thus formed is a permanent grouping, lasting the life of its members. They move up through a hierarchy of grades, each lasting approximately 15 years, including those of junior warriors, senior warriors, and junior elders, until they become senior elders authorized to make decisions for the tribe. Maasai society is remarkably egalitarian; slaves have never been kept.

Between the ages of about 14 and 30, young men are traditionally known as morans. During this life stage they live in isolation in the bush, learning tribal customs and developing strength, courage, and endurance-traits for which Maasai warriors are noted throughout the world.

Ceremonial events are directed by a ritual expert ( oloiboni) who, although he has no political power, is religious head of his people.

The Kenyan and Tanzanian governments are encouraging the Maasai to make permanent agricultural settlements and to give up the practice of isolating young men, in favour of formal education and greater assimilation.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Adam Augustyn.

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Maasai | History, Language, Location, & Facts

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Maasai, also spelled Masai, nomadic pastoralists of East Africa. Maasai is essentially a linguistic term, referring to speakers of this Eastern Sudanic language (usually called Maa) of the Nilo-Saharan language family. These include the pastoral Maasai who range along the Great Rift Valley of Kenya and Tanzania, the Samburu of Kenya, and the semipastoral Arusha and Baraguyu (or Kwafi) of Tanzania.

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Maasai today

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How do they live?

For the Maasai, cattle are what make the good life, and milk and meat are the best foods. Their old ideal was to live by their cattle alone - other foods they could get by exchange - but today they also need to grow crops.

They move their herds from one place to another, so that the grass has a chance to grow again; traditionally, this is made possible by a communal land tenure system in which everyone in an area shares access to water and pasture.

Nowadays Maasai have increasingly been forced to settle, and many take jobs in towns. Maasai society is organised into male age-groups whose members together pass through initiations to become warriors, and then elders.

They have no chiefs, although each section has a Laibon, or spiritual leader, at its head. Maasai worship one god who dwells in all things, but may manifest himself as either kindly or destructive. Many Maasai today, however, belong to various Christian churches.

What problems do they face?

One threat to the Maasai has come from from game hunters in the Loliondo region of northern Tanzania. Here, Maasai villages have been burnt to the ground by the authorities, and thousands have brutally evicted to provide a company, Otterlo Business Corporation Ltd (OBC), with more access to land for game hunting.

A Maasai woman in Southern Kenya. © Adrian Arbib/Survival
Most of what used to be Maasai land has already been taken over, for private farms and ranches, for government projects, wildlife parks or private hunting concessions. Mostly they retain only the driest and least fertile areas.

The stress this causes to their herds has often been aggravated by attempts made by governments to 'develop' the Maasai. These are based on the idea that they keep too much cattle for the land.

However, they are in fact very efficient livestock producers and rarely have more animals than they need or the land can carry. These 'development' efforts try to change their system of shared access to land.

While this has suited outsiders and some entrepreneurial Maasai who have been able to acquire land for themselves or sell it off, it has often denuded the soil and brought poverty to the majority of Maasai, who are left with too little and only the worst land.

How does Survival help?

Since 1993 Survival has assisted several Maasai groups in their struggle for their land. In Kenya we found funds for a programme of consciousness-raising against land sales, and supported the people of Iloodoariak and Mosiro, who are resisting the theft of their land through a legal fraud.

In Tanzania, we have backed the demand of the Maasai of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a proper say in its administration, and supported attempts to defend the sacred hill Endoinyo Ormoruwak ('hill of elders').

Survival is supporting the Loliondo Maasai's demand to return to their lands in Loliondo and their call for an independent investigation in to the violent evictions they have suffered.

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For the Maasai, cattle are what make the good life, and milk and meat are the best foods. Their old ideal was to live by their cattle alone - other foods they could get by exchange - but today they also need to grow crops.

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Source: Maasai-association.org

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The Maasai people of East Africa live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands. The Maasai occupy a total land area of 160,000 square kilometers with a population of approximately one half million people. However, many Maasai see the national census as government meddling and often miscount their numbers to census takers.

The Maasai society is comprised of sixteen sections (known in Maasai as Iloshon): Ildamat, Ilpurko, Ilkeekonyokie, Iloitai, Ilkaputiei, Ilkankere, Isiria, Ilmoitanik, Iloodokilani, Iloitokitoki, Ilarusa, Ilmatatapato, Ilwuasinkishu, Kore, Parakuyu, and Ilkisonko, also known as Isikirari (Tanzania's Maasai). There was also once Iltorobo section but was assimilated by other sections. A majority of the Maasai population lives in Kenya. Sections such as Isikirari, Parakuyu, Kore and Ilarusa lives in Tanganyika.

Homestead and labor

The Maasai live in Kraals arranged in a circular fashion. The fence around the kraal is made of acacia thorns, which prevent lions from attacking the cattle. It is a man's responsibility to fence the kraal. While women construct the houses. Traditionally, kraals are shared by an extended family. However, due to the new land management system in the Maasai region, it is not uncommon to see a kraal occupied by a single family.

The Inkajijik (maasai word for a house) are loaf-shaped and made of mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and cow's urine. Women are responsible for making the houses as well as supplying water, collecting firewood, milking cattle and cooking for the family. Warriors are in charge security while boys are responsible for herding livestock. During the drought season, both warriors and boys assume the responsibility for herding livestock. The elders are directors and advisors for day-to-day activities. Every morning before livestock leave to graze, an elder who is the head of the inkang sits on his chair and announces the schedule for everyone to follow.

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who lived under a communal land management system. The movement of livestock is based on seasonal rotation. Contrary to many claims made by outsiders, particularly the Hardinian school of thought, this communal land management system allows us to utilize resources in a sustainable manner. Each section manages its own territory. Under normal conditions, reserve pastures are fallowed and guarded by the warriors. However, if the dry season becomes especially harsh, sections boundaries are ignored and people graze animals throughout the land until the rainy season arrives. According to Maasai traditional land agreement, no one should be denied access to natural resources such as water and land.

Subsistence economy

Livestock such as cattle, goats and sheep are the primary source of income for the Maasai. Livestock serves as a social utility and plays an important role in the Maasai economy. Livestock are traded for other livestock, cash or livestock products such as milk and siege. Individual, families, and clans established close ties through giving or exchange of cattle. "Meishoo iyiook enkai inkishu o-nkera"- so goes a Maasai prayer. The English translation of this praye is: "May Creator give us cattle and children. Cattle and children are the most important aspect of the Maasai people.
Maasai economy with outsiders
The Maasai economy is increasingly dependent on the market economy. Livestock products are sold to other groups in Kenya for the purchase of beads, clothing and grains. Cows and goats are also sold for uniform and school fees for children. It is now common to see young Maasai men and women in major towns and cities of Kenya selling, not just goats and cows, but also beads, cell phones, chacoal, grain among other items. The entrepreneurial spirit is something new in our society.

It was not until the early 1980s with the Group Ranch project that we became much more entrenched in a market economy and, hence, more impoverished generally speaking.

Maasai diet

Traditionally, the Maasai rely on meat, milk and blood from cattle for protein and caloric needs. People drink blood on special occasions. It is given to a circumcised person (o/esipolioi), a woman who has given birth (entomononi) and the sick (oltamueyiai). Also, on a regular basis drunk elders, ilamerak, use the blood to alleviate intoxication and hangovers. Blood is very rich in protein and is good for the immune system. However, its use in the traditional diet is waning due to the reduction of livestock numbers.

More recently, the Maasai have grown dependent on food produced in other areas such as maize meal (unga wa mahindi), rice, potatoes, cabbage (known to the Maasai as goat leaves), etc. The Maasai who live near crop farmers have engaged in cultivation as their primary mode of subsistence. In these areas, plot sizes are generally not large enough to accommodate herds of animals; thus the Maasai are forced to farm. Our people traditionally frown upon this. Maasai believe that tilizing the land for crop farming is a crime against nature. Once you cultivate the land, it is no longer suitable for grazing.

Private ownership

The concept of private ownership was, until recently, a foreign concept to the Maasai. However, in the 1960s and 1980s, a program of commercializing livestock and land was forced on us initially by the British and later by the government of Kenya. Since then, our land has been subdivided into group and individual ranches. In other parts of Maasailand people subdivided their individual ranches into small plots, which are sold to private developers.

The new land management system of individual ranches has economically polarized our people; some Maasais, as well as outside wealthy individuals, have substantially increased their wealth at the expense of others. The largest loss of land, however, has been to national parks and reserves, in which the Maasai people are restricted from accessing critical water sources, pasture, and salt lick. Subdivision of Maasailand reduced land size for cattle herding, reduced the number of cows per household, and reduced food production. As a result, the Maasai society, which once was a proud and self-sufficient society, is now facing many social-economic and political challenges. The level of poverty among the Maasai people is beyond conceivable height. It is sad to see a society that had a long tradition of pride being a beggar for relief food because of imposed foreign concepts of development.

The future of the Maasai is uncertain at this point. One thing, however, is certain that the Maasai culture is quickly eroding at the expense of civilization.

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The Maasai people of East Africa live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands. The Maasai occupy a total land area of 160,000 square kilometers with a population of approximately one half million people.

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Maasai Tribe: History, Clothing, Culture - Kenya

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Maasai Tribe: History, Clothing, Culture - Kenya

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Kenya is an iconic African safari destination and home to the Maasai tribe. The Maasai are well known for their unique culture and tribal dress.
The Maasai Tribe

The Maasai tribe are an indigenous ethnic group in Africa of semi-nomadic people settled in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinct traditions, customs and dress and their residence near the many national game parks of East Africa, the Maasai are among the foremost African ethnic groups and are known internationally because of their links to the national parks and reserves.

- Maa, a language derived from Nilo-Saharan, related to Dinka and Nuer. They also speak the official languages of Tanzania and Kenya. Swahili and English.

Population - The Maasai population is now estimated 900 000

Although the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have established programs to encourage the Maasai to leave behind their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, the Maasai people have carried on their age-old customs. However this is changing, albeit slowly.

Maasai History

According to the tribe's own oral history, the Maasai tribe originated north of Lake Turkana (north-west Kenya) in the lower Nile Valley. They began migrating south in the 15th century and arrived in the long trunk of land stretching across central Tanzania and Northern Kenya during the 17th and 18 century. The Maasai territory reached its most dominant size in the 19 century when they covered most of the Great Rift Valley and adjacent lands from Dodoma and Mount Marsabit.

At this time the Maasai raided cattle far across the east at Tanga Coast in Tanzania. They used shields and spears, but were most feared for throwing orinka (clubs) which could be expertly thrown from up to 70 paces (approximately 100 meters).

The report of concentrated Maasai warriors told of their moving to Kenya in 1852, after depopulating the Wakuafi Wilderness in southeastern Kenya, the Maasai warriors threatened Mombasa, on Kenya's coast.

The result of this migration lead to the Maasai now being the southernmost Nilotic speakers.

The Maasai 'Emutai' of 1883-1902 came after the time of expanding. This period was scarred by epidemics of smallpox, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and rinderpest. The estimated 90 per cent of cattle and half of wild species perished from rinderpest. This drastic period coincided with drought. The rains neglected the lands completely in 1897 and 1898.

Commencing with a 1904 treaty and followed by another treaty in 1911, Maasai lands in Kenya were cut down by 60 percent when the British evicted them to allow space for settler ranches thus confining the Maasai people to present-day Narok and Kajiado districts.

Maasai in Tanzania were forced out from their fertile lands between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru and most of their fertile mountainous regions near the Ngorongoro in the 1940s. More land was claimed to create national parks and wildlife reserves. Masai Mara, Samburu, Ngorongoro, Amboseli, Nairobi National Park, the Serengeti, Lake Nakuru, Manyara and Tarangire.

Maasai are traditionalists and have resisted the urging of the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments to adopt a more modern lifestyle. The Maasai have rightfully demanded pasturing and grazing rights to several of the national parks in both Tanzania and Kenya.

The Maasai tribe stood firm against slavery and lived alongside most of the land's wild animals with an aversion to eating birds and game. Maasai land now boasts East Africa's finest nature and wildlife areas.

Maasai Shelter

The Maasai tribe, historically a nomadic people, have traditionally relied on readily available materials and indigenous technology to construct their unusual and interesting housing. The traditional Maasai house was designed for people on the move and thus their houses were very impermanent in nature. The Inkajijik (houses) are either circular or loaf-shaped, and are made by women.

Their villages are enveloped in a circular Enkang (fence) built by the men and this protects their cattle at night from wild animals.

Maasai Culture

©Shem Compion

Maasai society is firmly patriarchal in nature, with elder Maasai men sometimes joined by retired elders, determining most major matters for the Maasai tribes. The Maasai people are monotheistic, and their God is named Engai or Enkai.

For Maasai people living a traditional way of life, the end of life is virtually without a formal funeral ceremony, and the dead are left out in the fields for scavengers. Burial has in the past been reserved for great chiefs only, since it is believed by the Maasai that burial is harmful to the soil.

Traditional Maasai people's lifestyle concentrates on their cattle which make up the primary source of food. Amongst the Maasai and several other African ethnic groups, the measure of a man's wealth is in terms of children and cattle. So the more the better.

A man who has plenty cattle but not many children is considered to be poor and vice versa. A Maasai myth says that God afforded them all the cattle on earth, resulting in the belief that rustling from other tribes is a matter of claiming what is rightfully theirs, a practice that has now become much less common.

Maasai Music and Dance

Traditionally, the Maasai music comprises of rhythms rendered by a chorus of vocalists singing harmonies, all the while the olaranyani (song leader) sings the melody. The olaranyani is usually the person who can best sing that song. The olaranyani starts singing the namba of a song and the group responds with one unanimous call in acknowledgment. Women recite lullabies, hum songs and sing music that praises their sons.

One elision to the vocal creation of Maasai music is the function of the horn of the Greater Kudu to summon morans (initiates) for the Eunoto ceremony (a coming of age ceremony). The ceremony usually lasts ten or more days. [And the singing and dancing around the manyattas involve flirting. Young men will line and chant and the women stand in front of them and sing in counterpoint to them. Contemporary Hip Hop musicians from northern Tanzania are now incorporating traditional Maasai rhythms, chants and beats into their music.

Influence of the Modern World

Government policies focusing on the preservation of their national parks and reserves, with the exclusion of the culturally rich Maasai tribe, have now made the traditional Maasai way of life increasingly difficult to maintain and preserve for coming generations to experience and learn about.

During recent years, projects have been implemented to help Maasai tribal leaders find a way to preserve their traditions and way of life while also trying to balance the education needs of the Maasai children for the modern world.

Many Maasai people have stirred away from the nomadic life to positions in business commerce and government roles. Yet despite the modernized urban lifestyle they lead, many Maasai' still happily head homewards clothed in designer brands, only to emerge from the traditional lands wearing their traditionally colourful shuka, cowhide sandals and with a wooden orinka in their hand- at ease with themselves and the world.

Maasai Clothing

©Shem Compion

Clothing varies by sex, age and place. Young men wear black for several months after their circumcision. Although, red is a favored color among the Maasai. Black, Blue, checkered and striped cloth are also worn, together with mulitcoloured African garments. In the 1960s the Maasai began to replace sheepshin, calf hides and animal skin for more commercial material. The cloth used to wrap around the body is the called Shúkà in the Maa language.

Meet the Maasai Tribe on Safari

Many Masai Mara safari lodges offer Maasai cultural interactions and experiences. Safari walks and game viewing are often conducted by local Maasai who know the secrets of the Masai Mara and its wildlife.

Cottars 1920s Safari Camp offers incredible immersive safari experiences with the Maasai including running with a Maasai warrior, medicinal plant walk, foraging, Maasai warrior school and cultural visits.

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Maasai Tribe - Maasai History, Clothing, Culture - Kenya

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Kenya is an iconic African safari destination and home to the Maasai tribe. The Maasai are well known for their unique culture and tribal dress. The Maasai tribe are an indigenous ethnic group in Africa of semi-nomadic people settled in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

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One of the famous tribes of Africa, the nomadic and pastoralist Maasai people are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting selected but large parts of northern, central and southern Kenya and across the border in northern Tanzania as well. The Maasai are in part the better known ethnic people in East Africa due to their traditional origins from areas surrounding Masai Mara Game Reserve and Amboseli near the Tanzania border. The Maasai speak a language known as Maa and their shared Nilotic origins link them in various ways to the Kalenjin tribe of Kenya which is famous for producing some of the best long distance runners in the world. The Maasai have plenty of unique characteristics about their culture and some of these have been listed below, including their dress, diet and way of life.

Maasai Tribe Facts

Maasai Shelter: The Maasai tribe, historically a nomadic people, have traditionally relied on readily available materials and indigenous technology to construct their unusual and interesting housing. The traditional Maasai house was designed for people on the move and thus their houses were very impermanent in nature. The houses are either circular or loaf-shaped, and are made by women. Their villages are enveloped in a circular Enkang (fence) built by the men and this protects their cattle at night from wild animals.

Maasai Culture: Maasai society is firmly patriarchal in nature, with elder Maasai men sometimes joined by retired elders, determining most major matters for the Maasai tribes. For Maasai people living a traditional way of life, the end of life is virtually without a formal funeral ceremony, and the dead are left out in the fields for scavengers. Burial has in the past been reserved for great chiefs only, since it is believed by the Maasai that burial is harmful to the soil.

Traditional Maasai people's lifestyle concentrates on their cattle which make up the primary source of food. Amongst the Maasai the measure of a man's wealth is in terms of children and cattle. So the more the better. They believe that a man who has plenty of cattle but not many children is considered to be poor and vice versa. A Maasai myth says that God afforded them all the cattle on earth, resulting in the belief that rustling from other tribes is a matter of claiming what is rightfully theirs, a practice that has now become much less common.

Maasai Religion: The Maasai people are monotheistic, and their God is named Engai or Enkai, a God who is mostly benevolent and who manifests himself in the form of different colors, according to the feelings he is experiencing. Said colors have precise meanings: black and dark blue mean that the God is well-disposed towards men; red, on the other hand, is identified with God's irritation.

Enkai has two manifestations:
Enkai-Narok, the Black God, good and beloved, brings grass and prosperity. He is found in thunder and rain.
Enkai-na-Nyokie, the Red God, vengeful, brings famine and hunger. He is found in lightning and is identified with the dry season.
The importance of cattle to the Maasai can be traced back to their religion and to Enkai. Today most of the Maasai people are christians and very few are muslims.

Maasai Diet: The traditional Maasai diet consists of six basic foods: meat, blood, milk, fat, honey, and tree bark. They drink both fresh and curdled milk. The fresh milk is drunk from calabash and sometimes it's mixed with fresh cattle blood. The blood is obtained by nicking the jugular vein. Mixed blood and milk is mostly used as a ritual drink and as nourishment for the sick. Bulls, oxen and lambs are slaughtered for meat on special occasions and for ceremonies. The by-products of the animals - skin and hides are used as bedding while cow dung is used for building (it is smeared on the walls). The Maasai's entire way of life truly revolves around their cattle. More recently, the Maasai people have supplemeted their diet with farm crops such as maize meal, rice, cabbage among other food crops.

Maasai Clothing: Clothing varies by sex, age and place. Young men wear black for several months after their circumcision. Although, red is a favored color among the Maasai. Black, Blue, checked and striped cloth are also worn, together with multi-coloured African garments. In the 1960s the Maasai began to replace sheepskin, calf hides and animal skin for more commercial material. The cloth used to wrap around the body is the called Shúkà in the Maa language.
The Maasai women regularly weave and bead jewellery, which plays an essential part in the ornamentation of their body. Ear piercing and the stretching of earlobes are also part of Maasai beauty, and both men and women wear metal hoops on their stretched earlobes.

Maasai Hair: The maasai people, both women and men mostly shave their head to celebrate rites of passage such as circumcision and marriage. This represents the fresh start that will be made as one passes from one to another of life's chapters. It's only the Maasai warriors who are allowed to wear long hair, which they weave in thinly braided strands.
The maasai children are named upon reaching the age of 3 "moons" and their heads are shaved clean apart apart from a tuft of hair, which resembles a cockade, from the nape of the neck to the forehead. The young boys are also shaved two days before they are circumcised. The young warriors then allow their hair to grow, and spend a great deal of time styling the hair.

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Information about the nomadic Maasai people in Kenya including facts about their language, food, culture, clothing, manyatta village houses and way of life

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Salaton Ole Ntutu, a Maasai chief, runs Maji Moto Maasai Cultural Camp. Credit... Michael Benanav for The New York Times

In the market town of Narok, 90 miles west of Nairobi, I was buying a Kenyan SIM card for my cellphone when I heard someone behind me calling my name. He was wearing a bright red shuka, the traditional shawl of the Maasai people. Colorful beaded jewelry circled his neck, hung from his ears and ringed his wrists. At his waist, a short steel sword was sheathed in red leather. His feet were clad in sandals made from old tires.

"Salaton?" I asked.

"Yes! Welcome!" he said, adding, "I'll wait for you outside."

A Maasai chief, Salaton Ole Ntutu had come to take me to his village, Maji Moto, where he runs the Maji Moto Maasai Cultural Camp. There, visitors stay in his tribal community, learning about the ways of the Maasai and getting a feel for the landscape they live within. Though the camp is highly rated on Trip Advisor, I wasn't really sure where the experience would fall on the spectrum between "farcically touristy" and "viscerally authentic" (which aren't official review categories, but perhaps should be). Before we even left Narok, I got my first indicator, as Salaton loaded a brown and white ewe, which he had just bought at the market, into the taxi with us; liking the sheep's looks, he had decided to add it to his flock.

The paved road turned to dirt, then became a muddy track as we cut across the Loita Plains. Herds of Thomson's gazelles, wildebeests and zebras casually grazed on the lush carpet of grass that had sprouted during unusually heavy December rains, which were continuing into early January.

Reaching Maji Moto, I realized it was not a village in the classic sense of the word. Though there is a "town center" with a few basic dry-goods shops, a butcher, a grain mill and a tin shack of a pub serving warm Tusker (Kenya's most popular beer), most Maasai in the area don't live near it. Each family dwells in a manyatta - a small compound of stick-and-mud huts, with wooden pens for herds of cattle, sheep and goats, and no next-door neighbors. Maji Moto's manyattas are spread out over miles of undeveloped semi-arid rangelands at the foot of the Loita Hills and are home to some 3,000 people.

Salaton's camp is basically a manyatta of its own. For $100 a night, guests stay in mud huts that are simple but clean, with comfortable beds, mosquito nets and solar-powered lights - or, for $75, in Coleman tents with mattresses. Meals like stewed goat meat, fried potatoes, pasta, carrot salad and ugali (similar to polenta) are freshly cooked over charcoal or propane by a charming warrior named Sinti, who's as good with a spatula as a spear (and the ritual scarring on his leg, earned when he helped kill a lion, is proof of his skill with the latter). The toilets are well-built outhouses, and showers are gravity-fed from tanks filled with water hauled up from the nearby hot spring that gives Maji Moto - "hot water" in Swahili - its name.

Soon after arriving, Salaton, who speaks fluent English despite never having attended school, told me that a circumcision ceremony would be held the next day at a manyatta about a mile away. Did I want to go? "Sure," I said, as long as the family holding the ceremony didn't mind. I imagined it would bear little resemblance to any Jewish bris that I've attended, especially since the boys being circumcised would be teenagers.

The next morning, we headed out just before dawn. While we walked, the searing orange sun slipped up over the distant horizon. Salaton pointed out animal tracks in the dirt: first a giraffe, then a cheetah, then, a bit later, a lion.

We were a little late, reaching the manyatta just as a boy was being carried into a hut on a cowhide blanket, having just passed into a new stage of his life.

I can't say I had too many regrets about missing the surgical portion of the morning, and there was plenty still to see: a few cows were held down and each was shot in the jugular with a blunt arrow. The blood that spurted from their necks was caught in calabashes, then served to the newly circumcised like an all-natural protein drink, to help them regain their strength. The cows' wounds were stanched and the animals survived, seemingly no worse for the wear. Meanwhile, some family members' faces were being dabbed with white butter and red ocher, and fires were ritually started by rubbing two sticks together.

Before long, I learned that a girl from the manyatta was also due to be circumcised, a common practice among the Maasai. I had a few moments of intense ethical reckoning before Salaton assured me that he had persuaded this family to join his campaign to end female genital mutilation in Maji Moto. Inside the hut, he said, the girl would receive a ritual nick on her thigh, while screaming loudly enough for people outside to hear.

"The screaming is the important part," Salaton explained, when we talked about it later, adding, "We are not changing our culture, we are ending a harmful practice." A substantial portion of the money that his Cultural Camp earns, he told me, helps finance a boarding school in Maji Moto for Maasai girls from around Kenya who have been rescued from the knife and need to leave their villages to ensure their safety.

About an hour after the girl's ceremony commenced, a couple of sheep were slaughtered, skinned and roasted. I was given a few ribs and shown how to crack them so the meat peeled off in one solid strip. Then I was invited into a dimly lit hut with a smoky cooking fire smoldering in the center and offered multiple cups of Maasai moonshine, made from fermented honey. It was sharp on the tongue and, fortunately, less potent than it tasted.

By early afternoon, a siesta-like lull had settled over the manyatta, so Salaton and I headed back to the camp, where I was happy for the chance to lie down in my little hut and drowsily digest everything I'd seen, and consumed, that morning.

I stayed in and around Maji Moto for 10 days last winter (well before the State Department's recent worldwide travel alert). Before three travelers from California arrived, the only other guests were two Kenyans who are collaborating with Salaton on a regional conservation project, trying to protect vast tracts of Maasai lands. Once communally owned, the area has recently been divvied up into private plots that individuals may sell to anyone, raising fears that they will be bought by commercial or industrial developers who do not have the best interests of the environment or the tribe in mind. Through our conversations about land rights issues, wildlife migrations, livestock grazing patterns and cultural traditions, I began to piece together an increasingly nuanced picture of the context into which I had landed.

And day by day, I saw more of the world of the Maasai of Maji Moto. There was the bustling weekly livestock market in the nearby town of Ewaso Nero where Maasai herders filled a dusty corral half as large as a football field with sheep, goats and cows, selling them mostly to meat merchants from Nairobi. I bathed in the Maji Moto hot springs with the locals and was led on guided hikes into the easily climbed Loita Hills, where it seemed as if everything that grew had some medicinal, nutritional or spiritual significance. The leaves of the sagelike compa bushes, for instance, are rubbed under the armpits like deodorant; twigs from the leafy olkisikongu tree are used as natural toothbrushes; and the sacred oreteti trees, under which the Maasai pray to their god, Enkai, are said to have the power to dispel bad energy and instill peace.

A couple of hundred yards behind the Cultural Camp is the "widows' village." In Maasai communities, women often outlive their husbands but are forbidden from remarrying. Some of these widows, and their children, are left destitute, with no livestock (the traditionally favored currency of the Maasai). Urged by his mother to address this problem, Salaton built a manyatta where poor widows live together like a family, earning money by working at the camp and selling beautifully beaded jewelry to tourists; the camp also pays for their and their children's medical expenses. When I first went to their manyatta, the widows performed traditional welcoming songs and dances, but subsequent visits were less formal; they were happy to show me how they lived and were comfortable being photographed in their homes.

Meanwhile, I got to know the Maasai who were working and volunteering at Salaton's camp, especially those who spoke English. There was Rose, a teenage seamstress with a hair-trigger smile, who teaches the widows how to sew when she isn't working with tourists; Joyce, a college graduate in her early 20s recently hired to help Salaton with the business side of the camp; and Meeri, who was in her last year of high school in Maji Moto after fleeing her own village a few years earlier to escape a marriage her parents were arranging for her. "I'd heard that the leader here helped girls like me," she said, and described her three-day walk alone across the bush, sleeping in the branches of trees at night.

Our rapport was easy as we asked and answered questions about our cultures. Among our many conversations, we compared differences between Maasai and American marriages; when I explained that we don't have dowries, don't practice polygamy and get to choose our spouses, they liked the way all of that sounded. But they didn't immediately embrace the idea that a wife might be older than her husband. "That would never happen here," Joyce said, laughing at the thought.

We also traded stories. They told me about the hyena and the hare - explaining how two creatures who were once close friends became eternal enemies after each deceived the other for his own gain - and I told them about the boy who cried wolf (which I changed to lion). They told me the tale of Oltatuanii, in which a Maasai woman saves her people from a murderous giant; I told them about Scheherazade.

Since Maji Moto is only about 35 miles from Masai Mara National Reserve (also spelled Maasai Mara) - most famous for the huge wildebeest migration that covers 583 square miles of rolling savanna each summer - it would have been insane to miss it. Salaton would be my guide, but because he does not have any vehicles, he phoned some of his friends and negotiated for a two-day/one-night Land Cruiser safari with a Maasai driver, staying deep in the park at the Matira luxury tent camp (I paid 36,500 Kenya shillings, or $438 at 83 shillings to the dollar, for everything except the $70 park entry fee).

It was a bonanza of wildlife. Seeing these animals truly move, not pace or sleep in a zoo enclosure, was a revelation. Once, we stopped to watch a cheetah with three cubs slinking through the grass in front of a family of elephants, as a warthog pranced off in the opposite direction, a hyena lurked to the south and groups of impalas grazed to the north; it was like a live version of the opening scene of "The Lion King." I put down my camera. It was simply too magnificent, too moving, to want to experience through a viewfinder.

Before I left Maji Moto, I asked Salaton how he became chief. He said that Maasai medicine men have a vision and see which young boy in the community is meant to be a future tribal leader. Then that boy must consume what he called "dangerous plants"; if he survives, he will be made chief. "And if he doesn't survive?" I asked. "Then the elders were wrong," he said.

"Oh...," I said, torn between conflicting impulses to judge and to understand with an open mind. After 10 days in Maasai country, it was a feeling that had become quite familiar.
IF YOU GO
Maji Moto Maasai Cultural Camp: majimotomaasaicamp.com.

To reach Salaton directly, call (254-721) 778-424.

My stay at Maji Moto Cultural Camp was arranged from the United States through Susan Olofson Travel; susanolofson.com; (925) 518-3686.

Rates: Huts, $100 per person per night (children under 12, $80); includes three meals and all activities at Maji Moto (not Masai Mara safaris); tents $75 per night; camping with own gear, $40 per night; day tours with no overnight stay, $30 with lunch, $20 without.

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Through the Eyes of the Maasai (Published 2013)

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Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Give this article Give this article Give this article In the market town of Narok, 90 miles west of Nairobi, I was buying a Kenyan SIM card for my cellphone when I heard someone behind me calling my name.

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Source: The American Museum of Natural History

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Tanzania's Maasai appeal to west to stop eviction for conservation plans

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Tanzania's Maasai appeal to west to stop eviction for conservation plans

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The Guardian

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Thousands of Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania have written to the British and US governments and the EU appealing for help to stop plans to evict them from their ancestral land.

More than 150,000 Maasai people face eviction by the Tanzanian government due to moves by the UN cultural agency Unesco and a safari company to use the land for conservation and commercial hunting.

"We are asking for your help to let our government know that our land is not for sale and that we will continue to resist this longstanding assault on our rights and the ecological integrity of our land. We are therefore calling on your organisation to speak out against these abuses and help us prevent the extinction of our people," read the letter.

"You can keep providing funding to those responsible for appropriating our land in the name of profit or you can make it clear to our government that you will not stand by as our right to live peacefully on and conserving our land is denied to make space for elite tourism and 'trophy' hunting."

The Maasai say their lives are at stake, as their capacity to keep livestock and provide food for their communities will be destroyed if they are evicted.

"We have nowhere else to go," they wrote. "Losing this land will mean the extinction of our community. Over 70% of our homelands has been taken for conservation and investment reasons."

The government plans to evict Maasai in the Ngorongoro conservation area, which is designated a world heritage site by Unesco, and Loliondo, near the Serengeti national park. Both are famous for luxury safari tourism. The Tanzanian government and Unesco believe Ngorongoro is overpopulated to the detriment of wildlife.

The Maasai - who have led a semi-nomadic, pastoralist lifestyle for centuries, moving their cattle throughout the area as the seasons change - have for years been subjected to violent campaigns to clear areas for tourism.

"My wife and children feel threatened. The whole community is concerned about what their future will be like," said one Maasai community leader, who asked not to be named because of the potential backlash from the authorities. "The government is trying to investigate who is behind the protests. Many people are being harassed."

In February, eight UN special rapporteurs expressed their concerns about the eviction plans in Ngorongoro. About 82,000 Maasai could be removed from the area over the next five years under plans drawn up by Tanzania's national commission for Unesco in 2019 to expand the conservation area.

The Maasai already face restricted use of the land because of Unesco listing. They are not allowed to grow crops, which has led to food shortages. The situation has worsened with drought in the region. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, report ed on Tuesday how prolonged dry spells had meant pasture and water shortages for livestock in the northern Maasai region and more than 60,000 animals had died.

Farther north in Loliondo, near the Kenyan border, 70,000 Maasai face eviction to make way for the expanding operations of Otterlo Business Corporation (OBC), a United Arab Emirates-owned hunting company.

Eviction notices were issued last year but were halted when allegations of intimidation of Maasai emerged. The evictions are expected to go ahead any day.

"They [the authorities] deny people access to water, electricity. They want to create an uncomfortable situation for the people," said Denis Moses Oleshangai, a lawyer and resident of Ngorongoro.

"People are worried. They are concerned about the impact of the eviction and how their life will be," said a Maasai community leader from Loliondo, who also asked not to be named.

In February this year, Tanzania's tourism minister, Damas Ndumbaro, said the Maasai did not have a claim to their homeland as all land belonged to the president.

Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute thinktank, said: "This is all for conservation, to create these pristine environments for tourists. The treatment of the Maasai population in Tanzania is symptomatic of a colonial approach to conservation and tourism, which neglects the recognition of indigenous rights."

A Unesco spokesperson said: "Unesco World Heritage Centre has never at any time asked for the displacement of the Maasai people. If nature conservation is an urgent need, Indigenous peoples are also part of the answer: they are key actors and rights-holders in achieving this. Unesco World Heritage Centre and the 1972 convention thus recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples and our practice is to involve everyone in finding a solution where nature wins and people win."

OBC did not respond to requests for comment.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was approached for comment.

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Tanzania's Maasai appeal to west to stop eviction for conservation plans

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Thousands of Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania have written to the British and US governments and the EU appealing for help to stop plans to evict them from their ancestral land. More than 150,000 Maasai people face eviction by the Tanzanian government due to moves by the UN cultural agency Unesco and a safari company to use the land for conservation and commercial hunting.

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Tanzania set to launch Maasai Festival to promote cultural norms

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Tanzania set to launch Maasai Festival to promote cultural norms

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Source: Caj News Africa

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DAR ES SALAAM - TANZANIA authorities said plans are underway to launch Maasai Festival aimed at promoting internal tourism by showcasing Maasai cultural norms and values.
Saidi Rukemo, the coordinator of the Maasai Festival to be launched in August 2023, said the festival will showcase Maasai's cultural dressing, dance, cooking, and various customs.

"The festival will also open up doors for international tourists to come and experience Tanzania," he told a joint news conference in Tanzania's northern tourist city of Arusha late Friday.

Rukemo said the Maasai tribe has a peculiar way of life that has been maintained to preserve their norms and culture.

"The Maasai tribe has proved that even with technological advancements, it is still possible to hold onto who we are as Africans," said Rukemo.

He added that the Maasai tribe has been able to maintain their dressing style, eating habits, security system, traditional medical practices, and living among wild animals.

Pauline Gekul, the deputy minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, said her ministry and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism have embarked on the promotion of cultural festivals to showcase Tanzania's cultural diversity to the world.

Pindi Chana, the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, said a total of 76 cultural tourism programs have been established in the northern, southern and Lake Victoria zones.

Chana said the cultural tourism programs are intended to preserve and promote Tanzanian tribes' traditional norms, food and dressing.

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Tanzania set to launch Maasai Festival to promote cultural norms

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DAR ES SALAAM - TANZANIA authorities said plans are underway to launch Maasai Festival aimed at promoting internal tourism by showcasing Maasai cultural norms and values.

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The Maasaiboys: Social Media Upstarts Fighting for a Better Future

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The Maasaiboys: Social Media Upstarts Fighting for a Better Future

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Source: Borgen Magazine

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EVANSTON, Illinois - In rural Tanzania, a new group of influencers calling themselves the "Maasaiboys" are trying to make it big for a cause. Their mission: create prosperity for future generations of Maasai by sharing their culture with the outside world. Started by Kanaya Kolong along with his friends and family, all of whom are members of the Maasai tribe, the Maasaiboys now boasts over 12,000 followers on Instagram, over 5,000 subscribers on YouTube and have received nearly 40,000 likes on TikTok and the boys have no plans of slowing down.

Struggles in Tanzania and the Maasai Community

Life for the Maasai people has not been easy in recent years. From COVID-19 struggles to conflict with the Tanzanian government over land usage, the Maasai community has needed to adapt to new challenges.

To get a better understanding of the issues facing the Maasai people, as well as how the Maasaiboys wish to help, The Borgen Project spoke with Kolong.

Though the Maasai people can be found in both Kenya and Tanzania, the Maasaiboys come from a village in Tanzania. Similar to numerous other countries, Tanzania has struggled in recent years with pandemic-related issues and fighting poverty effectively. However, the Maasai people have faced unique challenges due to their position within the country and special economy.

Tanzania is a country in East Africa with 62 million people living within its borders, making it the 24th largest country in the world. Within the country, there are over 120 different ethnic groups contributing over 100 dialects. Major economic activities include the service industry, construction and agriculture.

Poverty is a major problem throughout Tanzania. According to the World Bank's 2021 report, over 26% of Tanzanians were living in poverty as of 2019. In recent years, the Tanzania government has struggled to combat it. The World Bank's report also noted that Tanzania's poverty reduction dropped and economic growth has failed to benefit the poor during the period from 2011 to 2017.

The Maasai are an ethnic group living in rural Tanzania and Kenya. In Tanzania, the government estimates that there are around 430,000 Maasai living in its borders, though there are over a million members worldwide. They maintain an economy famously based on the herding of cows, but they have also become more prominent in Tanzania's tourism industry.

COVID-19 and droughts have put pressure on the Maasai people's ability to sustain themselves. According to Kolong, his village was hit hard when many of their cows, a point of pride for his people, died during the droughts. "That [was]a big pain for us also mentally," said Kolong. He noted that the tribe's lack of resources and access to modern amenities, such as education and electricity, have contributed to his village's struggles to adapt.

Kolong also spoke of his frustrations with the government's effort to evict and move the Maasai people. Recently, the Tanzania government has been trying to remove Maasai people off of their traditional land to make room for safari parks, leading to violent clashes.

Who are the Maasaiboys?

According to Kolong, the Maasaiboys group spawned from the desire to do good while making money. "We saw a lot of people make big money on the internet but also putting bad influence on people, so we thought let's try and do it better than them," Kolong said. Now, the Maasaiboys can be found on most online platforms and have thousands of fans.

Their focus is on creating digital content centered around Maasai culture and their lifestyle, as well as comedy. They share videos and photos online of everything from trips to local markets to showcases of their village's handmade wooden bikes.

Another facet of their content is exploring other cultures. In a recent video, the Maasaiboys reacted to pizza, which they claimed they were trying for the first time. That video garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube.

In the future, Kolong discussed the possibility of expanding by selling goods made within the village internationally. "We also are looking to sell our handmade traditional jewelry online one day and clothing," Kolong said.

However, things haven't always been easy for the Maasaiboys themselves. They have had to deal with everything from a lack of electricity to scammers to larger social media pages stealing their content without giving them credit. "We have had a lot of bad luck," Kolong summarized.

To combat their issues, the Maasaiboys have turned to crowdfunding. The group maintains an active fundraising campaign on the website GoFundMe. Per their campaign, the group hopes to use the money raised to "invest in solar power, better wi-fi devices, cameras and a laptop." As of October 2022, the Maasaiboys have raised more than $1,800.

The Hope of the Maasaiboys

The Maasaiboys have big goals for the future of their group and village. These goals include driving businesses to support the Maasai community, developing a nonprofit organization to aid the Maasai people, improving their education systems and increasing access to electricity. "We have to...modernize the right way," said Kolong.

According to Kolong, he also wants to create employment opportunities for his fellow villagers within the Maasaiboys. Due to the fragility seen in the Maasai's cow economy, regular employment would provide stability and allow villagers to remain in their community.

So far, the Maasaiboys have not accomplished many of these goals due to a lack of funds, but Kolong said that they have begun laying the groundwork for them. Already, he said, his people have begun a new school and are teaching the next generation of Maasai.

Ultimately, the Maasaiboys see power in nurturing their community in the face of its modernization. They plan to use this power to create a system of self-sufficiency and success for the Maasai people to enjoy across generations.

"More and more Maasai are coming to social media so it will not be a small part, for us of course it will play a bigger role with our plans," Kolong said.

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The Maasaiboys: Social Media Upstarts Fighting for a Better Future - BORGEN

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EVANSTON, Illinois - In rural Tanzania, a new group of influencers calling themselves the "Maasaiboys" are trying to make it big for a cause. Their mission: create prosperity for future generations of Maasai by sharing their culture with the outside world.

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She Ran From the Cut, and Helped Thousands of Other Girls Escape, Too

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She Ran From the Cut, and Helped Thousands of Other Girls Escape, Too

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Source: The New York Times

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Send any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.

Give this article Give this article Give this article

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LENKISEM, Kenya - The first time cutting season came around, Nice Leng'ete and her older sister ran away and hid all night in a tree. The second time, her sister refused to hide.

For Maasai families, the cutting ceremony is a celebration that transforms girls into women and marks daughters as eligible brides. But to 8-year-old Nice, it seemed like a threat: She'd be held down by bigger, stronger women, and her clitoris would be cut. She'd bleed, a lot. Most girls fainted. Some died.

Still, her sister gave in.

"I had tried to tell her, 'We are running for something that's worth it,' " recalled Ms. Leng'ete, now 27. "But I couldn't help her."

Ms. Leng'ete never forgot what her sister suffered, and as she grew up, she was determined to protect other Maasai girls. She started a program that goes village to village, collaborating with elders and girls to create a new rite of passage - without the cutting.

In seven years, she has helped 15,000 girls avoid the cutting ritual.

Her work mirrors national - and global - trends. Rates of female genital cutting worldwide have fallen 14 percent in the last 30 years. Here in Kenya, cases have fallen more than twice that fast.

New laws have made a difference, here and elsewhere. Kenya outlawed female genital cutting in 2011, and a special unit for investigating cutting cases, opened in 2014, prosecuted 76 cases in its first two years.

But laws made in the capital often have little effect on culture in the countryside, where custom is deeply ingrained and men's power is virtually absolute.

Ms. Leng'ete's community did have a name for her. "It's a very bad name in my native tongue," she said, one meant to shame a whole family.

That shame is one reason families pressure reluctant girls. Ms. Leng'ete's grandfather, her guardian, took a gentler approach and asked her, after her second escape, to explain herself.

She told the girls that she had opportunities because she had refused the cut, and soon some turned up at her house, fleeing the ceremony just as she had.

Because she helped them, she had to hide - again. "The morans wanted to beat me," she said, using the Maasai word for younger men who assist the elders in defending the community's customs.

So she changed her approach. She would bargain with the elders, just as she had bargained with her grandfather. But it wouldn't be easy.

"The cultural elders are like a small Parliament in my village," she said. "They have not gone to school, but they have so much power. All the decisions come from them."

Traditionally, women aren't allowed to address elders. Ms. Leng'ete realized she had a chance to counter tradition after the elders sent her to a workshop on adolescent and sexual health run by Amref, a Kenyan health organization.

She told the elders that she had a duty to share what she had learned with the whole village. It was her first bargaining chip, and it - almost - worked. They gave her permission to address the younger men, but none of them stayed to listen to her.

"At first, I thought that what she was saying was utter nonsense, and I did not even give it a second thought," said Mr. Meritei, who was one of her earliest allies. She won him over by talking about the physical consequences of the practice.

"Her understanding of the medical conditions convinced me," he said - even to the detriment of his social stature. "My friends wondered if I was bewitched, that I allowed myself to be carried away by such nonsense," he added.

Making an example of herself and all she had accomplished, Ms. Leng'ete convinced the younger men that cutting wasn't good for the community, and she turned them into back-channel diplomats, who helped persuade the elders.

Finally, after nearly four years of dialogue, the elders in her village changed hundreds of years of culture and abandoned cutting. She had persuaded the men, and with them the village, that everyone would be healthier and wealthier if girls stayed in school, married later and gave birth without the complications cutting can create.

She and the elders planned a different kind of ceremony to celebrate girls, and the next year, the number of girls in school soared. The elders recognized Ms. Leng'ete's work with a thing of great power - an esiere, a black walking stick that symbolizes leadership.

"You can command people with that stick," she said, beaming.

Her campaign spread to neighboring villages and eventually to the highest seat of Maasai power, the elders council that convenes at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Ms. Leng'ete - whose neighbors wouldn't speak to her because she wasn't cut - became the first woman in history to address the elders at the mountain.

In 2014, they changed the centuries-old oral constitution that rules over 1.5 million Maasai in Kenya and in Tanzania, and formally abandoned female genital cutting.

The hard work comes at home, when girls resist their parents - in particular, their fathers. The Maasai community is strongly patriarchal, and fathers have final authority over the household, where disobedience is usually unimaginable.

Shiluni Shirim, 12, is an ambassador for the program. She remembered fighting with her family, even after last year's program, to keep them from cutting her.

"They were saying, 'You're not a real woman,' and I was saying, 'I will still be a real woman one day,' " finishing school, marrying and having children, in her own time, she said.

Shiluni began giving speeches in her community, and she was so good at it that the head of Amref invited her and her family to Nairobi. The opportunity that her talent and hard work had created overcame her family's objections, she said.

"My dad was so proud," she said. "He said he would never get to go to a C.E.O.'s office in his life, but I made it so we could go."

"When he came home, he was my biggest defender," she remembered. "I was safe because he set me free."

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She Ran From the Cut, and Helped Thousands of Other Girls Escape, Too (Published 2018)

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Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Give this article Give this article Give this article LENKISEM, Kenya - The first time cutting season came around, Nice Leng'ete and her older sister ran away and hid all night in a tree.

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Maasai Eviction Complaint Against Tanzanian Government Dismissed by a Regional Court

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Maasai Eviction Complaint Against Tanzanian Government Dismissed by a Regional Court

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Source: Transcontinental Times

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AFRICA: An appeal by a group of Maasai villagers who claimed the Tanzanian government used force to drive them off their ancestral grounds in the north of the nation was dismissed by a regional court on Friday.

Rights organisations argued that the decision sent a dangerous signal that native peoples may be driven from their land in the name of conservation.

Four Maasai settlements, according to the government, are situated inside the Serengeti National Park's limits, which were originally drawn during British military rule for gaming but later changed for conservation by succeeding administrations.

Land issues between the Maasai people and the management of the national park first surfaced in 2012, but by 2017, the government had ordered the locals to leave, and security personnel had later forcibly removed them.

In 2018, the local East African Court of Justice issued a temporary injunction to stop the evictions while it awaited a final ruling.

The communities, according to rights organizations and the Maasai tribe, are outside the park's boundaries, and the residents were the targets of a brutal police crackdown meant to drive them off their ancestral lands to create room for trophy hunting by tourists and conservation.

Three justices at the East African Court of Justice ruled on Friday that the lawsuit lacked validity because the Maasai had not sufficiently established that the eviction had occurred outside of the park.

They said that a lot of the purportedly violent and gruesome evidence was hearsay or contradictory. A Maasai community representative predicted that the residents will file an appeal.

The Maasai were represented by Jebra Kambole, who stated, "We are not satisfied with the verdict and we believe the court erred in examining the facts we had submitted."

The verdict was a setback for the Maasai and indigenous peoples all around the world, according to Fiore Longo of Survival International, an organization that advocates for their rights.

Photo Credit: www.serengeti.com

According to Longo, "The court has sent a clear message to the world community that evictions and human rights violations against indigenous peoples should be accepted if they are done in the name of conserving the environment."

The international community has long criticised Tanzania for its use of force against the Maasai. The European Parliament tabled a resolution in 2015 denouncing the administration for breaching its citizens' human rights.

The government disputes the claim that their rights have been violated.
Also Read: Gunshots Claim More Than Ten Lives In South African Towns

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Maasai Eviction Complaint Against Tanzanian Government Dismissed by a Regional Court - Transcontinental Times

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AFRICA: An appeal by a group of Maasai villagers who claimed the Tanzanian government used force to drive them off their ancestral grounds in the north of the nation was dismissed by a regional court on Friday. Rights organisations argued that the decision sent a dangerous signal that native peoples may be driven from their [...]

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Africa's drought sees the Masai way of life evaporate 

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Africa's drought sees the Masai way of life evaporate 

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Source: i24 News

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'It no longer rains like it used to and when it gets hot, it gets very, very hot'

Climate change, and the concomitant floods, droughts and warming of the oceans, is taking its toll on indigenous societies around the world.

Such as the Masai of east Africa, struggling to preserve their way of life.

"It no longer rains like it used to and when it gets hot, it gets very, very hot. Now we are losing a lot of livestock due to drought. And the quality of the livestock is decreasing," said Charity Lanoi, the coordinator of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust's Livelihood Initiatives.
Read more about indigenous societies affected by climate change in our article Arctic lifestyle melts away as world becomes hotter.
It's not only livestock which is being affected.

"I'm usually told the stories by my parents and my grandparents, there used to be flowing rivers in my area," Lanoi, who is also a Global Landscapes Forum Restoration Steward, said.

To survive the prolonged periods of drought, the Masai are forced to keep moving. They were always nomads, but, according to conservationist, they never moved as often as they do now.

This in turn brings other problems.

"For people who now migrate, and they have kids in school, the kids will be forced to drop out of school, because maybe they are moving to areas far from school, or even go back to school and find the others have gone ahead in their studies," Lanoi explained, adding that, "while migrating, some of them do lose a lot of livestock because of lack of pasture."

"About 6,000 people have moved from their home to the boundary of seven national parks. The reason being that it is the only place that has pasture. That is the only place that has grass," said Masai leader Chief Jackson Kirruti.

Nearly 60 percent of the Masai land is barren, due to drought, which causes a human-wildlife conflict.

As the Masai look for new pastures, they migrate to national parks, where they can get arrested by the park's rangers for misusing the land.

"We can't deny going there because that is the only place that we can have some pasture for the livestock. They are arrested because it's a protected area," Kirruti said.

Moreover, as they move, their livestock could be attacked by wildlife.

But despite the difficulties, the Masai believe they are the last hope for preserving wildlife and national parks.

"It's only Masai land that has committed wildlife service. In other areas, they have killed their wildlife. So Masai culture is special and unique because they have agreed to coexist with wildlife," the chief said.

Both Kirruti and Lanoi, who are part of the Wilderness Conservation Trust, are cautiously optimistic about the future of their beloved community. Their goal is to protect natural resources and in return, to see economic sustainable benefits to the local Masai community.

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Africa's drought sees the Masai way of life evaporate - I24NEWS

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'It no longer rains like it used to and when it gets hot, it gets very, very hot' Climate change, and the concomitant floods, droughts and warming of the oceans, is taking its toll on indigenous societies around the world. Such as the Masai of east Africa, struggling to preserve their way of life.

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Maasai in Tanzania Move to New Homes Amid Eviction Effort

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Maasai in Tanzania Move to New Homes Amid Eviction Effort

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Source: Voanews.com

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Tanzanian authorities say violent clashes on June 10 between police and ethnic Maasai people they were trying to evict from a conservation area left one officer dead and scores of Maasai shot and wounded. While rights groups have condemned Tanzanian authorities for what they call unlawful evictions, some Maasai families say they had no choice but to move from their ancestral home to a reservation 600 kilometers away.

Saiboku Laizer, 63, has found a new home in eastern Tanzania's Handeni township.

It's about 600 kilometers south of his ancestral land in the Ngorongoro Conservation area.

Laizer has three wives and 20 children. In this new environment, he is worried about the fate of their long-preserved traditions, including living in a traditional Maasai bomas (huts).

Laizer said that in Ngorongoro, the laws were strict, and people were instructed about what to do with their land, so they had much time to invest in their traditions. But for now, he added, the traditions of living in bomas and living with many cattle may suffer.

He is among the Maasai who have left their land after a government eviction that has sparked protests and a violent police crackdown.

Government officials say the Maasai are being asked to voluntarily leave their homes, located in parts of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

They also say the goal of the eviction is to protect a conservation area from a growing Maasai population and their cattle.

But activists say they are being forced out to make way for trophy hunting and conservation zones. Onesmo Ole Ngurumwa, the executive director of Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition, said they have been advising citizens to sit together with the government and write down their recommendations, and they have done that.

The challenge comes on the government's side, he said. The government, he said, didn't seem want or to pay attention to any recommendations. Instead, he said, it simply continued with the strategies it has already planned.

About 27 Maasai families already have shifted from Ngorongoro to Msomera village, where the government provides those evicted with a house and land where they can let their cattle graze.

Msomera Village chairperson Martin Oleikayo said the president's plan to move Maasai from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is for the benefit of all the country, adding that the revenue collected from tourism activities from the conservation area benefits all citizens.

Meanwhile, Laizer is adjusting to a new life and a new home. But he is worried about those more than 300 families that remain in the area, who are reluctant to leave the only home they have ever known.

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Maasai in Tanzania Move to New Homes Amid Eviction Effort

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Tanzanian authorities say violent clashes on June 10 between police and ethnic Maasai people they were trying to evict from a conservation area left one officer dead and scores of Maasai shot and wounded.