Masai is a semi-oral African indigenous people living in the northern part of Tanzania, and the southern part of Kenya. Masai are one of the most visited tourists of the peoples of East Africa.
Population size
The total number of Masai tribe is about 1 million people.
Lifestyle
Masai retained their patriarchal, traditional lifestyle. They have a strict separation of male and female duties. Men are engaged in cattle breeding, graze goats and cows. Women are engaged in household, followed by children, cook food, sew clothes.
Masai eat quite simple. The main supply of milk (cow or goat). And they also use milk, mixing it with blood, poured into a pumpkin vessel and drink to restore forces and energy. This specific drink is consumed in the fresh, and sometimes in the aged form by adding corn flour into it. Masai meat is rarely eaten, only on holidays or in the case of special celebrations.
Each Masay tribe has its own territory, and their customs, but all of them unites the semi-oral and nomadic lifestyle and cattle breeding. But there is a small number of tribes that switched to a settled lifestyle and in addition to cattle breeding moved to farming. Most Masaev attitude towards this minority is very contemptuous, they perceive it as a betrayal, considering such a lifestyle to be treated with the traditional embodiment and the conservative traditions of this people.
Religion
In the religious sphere of this nation, Christian traditions penetrate, but most of Masayev confess traditional religions.
Traditions
Masai is very careful about traditions, and try not to violate the established way of life for centuries. This also applies to traditional clothing, which does not change over the centuries, rituals sacrifices, wedding traditions.
An important attribute of the tribe is decorations. They prefer silver earrings, long necklaces, headclocks and bracelets.
Masai ritual dances perform during wedding celebrations and special holidays. Young representatives of the tribes jump high in one place to show their strength and dexterity. And they also popular with the original community roller.
Masai is one of the most amazing and distinctive nations on Earth. A unique combination of primaryness, loyalty to the age-old traditions and amazing naturalness in the perception of various manifestations of modern civilization - feature of this ancient people living in Savannah in the territories belonging to Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Masai is a relatively few peoples. Currently, their number does not exceed a million. The exact number of representatives of the tribe is unknown, as Masai does not recognize any documents, and therefore do not have passports. At the same time, they are freely moving along the savanna, moving from place to place, from one country to another, not paying attention to state borders and customs regulations.
Most of the modern Masayev live in the vicinity of Mount Kilimanjaro. This mysterious semi-courtyard people, practically completely retaining the traditional lifestyle, is significantly different from both appearance and lifestyle.
Unusual Masai tribe dance
Masai in its own way very beautiful: tall, narrow-hardened, broad-sized men with proud posture; Slender, state women with magnificent smooth skin and shaggy heads. Many Masaev do not have too black skin color, occasionally there are even blond eyes. Their faces do not have the features characteristic of the Negroid race.
At the same time, some elements of the "Beauty of Masai" Europeans will seem fairly strange: Masai is considered an attractive absence of one of the front teeth and drawn to the shoulders with massive jewelry of the ush.
The holes in the ears in early childhood are burned with pointed smashes, and then stretched with bamboo pieces. The larger the hole in the ear of the ear - the more respect and honor from the tribesmen.
Masai - convinced polygums. For each wife, a man builds a separate hut. A man is the master of all property and livestock, and here all the economic work, even the most difficult, in the settlement of Masayev are women and children. It is believed that men are, first of all, warriors, and therefore they do not do homemade to her face. In peacetime, men spend all days for conversations or go on hunting. The only participation in your homework, which a man can afford - the mouth of cattle, and this occupation is shifted on the shoulders of children as soon as they reach 3-4 years of age.
Traditional clothes Masaev - wrapped around a naked body a piece of red fabric with purple, blue or yellow patterns. Many Masai go barefoot, some - in the light sandals, certainly white color. Both men and women wear a variety of shiny decorations: bracelets, beads, rings, necklaces and earrings. The more such "jewelry" - the higher the status in the tribe.
Normal meal Masayev - Summer from cow's blood with milk, sometimes with the addition of flour. Meat eaten extremely rarely, protecting cows as the main value. Cattle generally plays a fairly important role in the life of the tribe. Cows for Masaev are not only a source of food, huts are built from the dried cow manure, the blood of these animals is used in sacred rituals.
Panorama on the territory of the tribe
By the way, Masai believes that the entire cattle existing on Earth is given by the God of NGA who is their tribe. Therefore, livestock theft in neighboring tribes is not considered something reprehensible and perceived as a fair return of their "legitimate" property.
Masai extremely rarely get any education. All their training is reduced to the transfer from generation to the generation of military, hunting and domestic skills and knowledge.
The nature of Masayev is hard enough, it is proud and independent people. At the same time, Masai is not aggressive, they are happy to take in their settlements of tourists. The main entertainment that is demonstrated by guests is a traditional dance. This is an amazing spectacle that has no analogues from other peoples. Exclusively men dance, the whole dance consists of two movements - high jumps and feeding. Under the rhythmic knock of tantamans and singing women men line up in a row, holding sticks in the hands. Then follows the bouncing on the impressive height and the subsequent landing with the feeding. Such a cycle of movements is repeated many times, and the dancers are engaged surprisingly synchronously. Despite the simplicity, even some primitiveness of "choreography", the dance of Masayev looks very impressive.
Pranodina Masaev is considered the Nile Valley in Sudan. There is a legend that Masai is the descendants of a small detachment of the ancient Roman warriors, lost in the upper reaches of the Nile hundreds of years ago. If you look at the Masai traditional outfits, very reminiscent of Roman guys, to weapons, similar to Roman specks and short swords, then such a version of the origin of this amazing nation does not seem so ridiculous as at first glance.
Masayev Without exaggeration, you can call the "titular nation" of Kenya. Interesting fact - Not all Kenyans, of course, are ethnic masses, but many prefer to seek such. Even though the development of the structure of national parks by Kenya Masai lost a fair part of their lands and is obliged to follow the inevitable restrictions of civilization, they still have the glory of desperate and harsh warriors, which a lot has contributed to the uprising of the 1960s, leading to Kenya To independence. Today in Kenya has about a million Masayev.
Masai - Beautiful and unsaisted for slavery
Famous Karen Blixen, the writer, 20 years lived in the vicinity of Nairobi, and the best-selling "from Africa", testified that Masai occupy a special situation among the tribes of Kenya, they are distinguished by their own "style" in behavior, even some arrogance and keeping, and at the same time very faithful, Decent and persistent. Karen Blixen noted that the masses are inherent in gratitude and they long remember good, but also offense. She mentioned that Masai are warriors to the very depths of their being, and the weapon is an integral part of Masaev. The writer generally emphasized the beauty of Masayev - "... Persons with high cheekbones and sharply outlined jaws, smooth, without a single wrinkle. They have strong muscular necks that attach them a formidable look - such a neck happens in an angry cobra, leopard or bull. " She also testified that Masai had never been slaves: even if someone from this people got into universal, he was very fast died, who was unaccomplished to the Fair.
Karen Blixen said that morana - Young Masai, recently dedicated to the warriors, "feed on only blood and milk." It is an exaggeration - but also the more really enters their diet. The fact is that cows are not just "sacred animals", it is the meaning and basis of Masayev's life.
Life and life of Masaev
God's gift - cows
Indeed, most importantly for Masaev - their cows. By and large, all the combat experience of this people is aimed at protecting their cattle from encroachments and try to take possession of strangers. Masai is completely serious (and to this day) believe that NGAI, the lady of the rain and the main thing, created the cows specifically for Masayev. Therefore, all cows, which neither in the world that do not belong to them are considered stolen from Masayev!
Cows from Masai, Kenya
Cows (justice to clarify that the local rock looks more on zebu) - the basis of the life of Masayev. Dry manure bonds the walls of their huts, and the children and teenagers are really drinking the blood of animals - the bottles of long pumpkins are fitted with Masayev for this, quite like dairy. In order for the animal to live and helter, because Masai will protect their livestock, a special "daughter" has been developed: with a hole from a close distance in the cervical vein of an animal, the blood is made, the blood is going, and the hole is then rushed with a special cassette.
Blood cows from Masaev Food
Masai milk is also used, but the meat is rarely eating (although they love it) - the cows are not at all in order to kill them. This is the source of food, and the monetary unit, and the dowry, and the indicator of consistency in the community.
House on the back or half-live life of Masaev
Making tours in Kenya, travelers are convinced that Masai saved their century-old way, despite the arrival of European colonialists. Masai is considered a semi-human people, they move when their herds become needed by new pastures.
Actually, the territory of modern Kenya Masai also moved - scientists are confident that from Sudan. With you, they, of course, led cows. Interestingly, although in the neighborhood other Africans built cities, Masai never changed lifestyle. Today it has become more difficult to meet the tradition - after all, in the places of their original nomads are now located protected areas, such as Serengeti. In Tanzania and the reserve in Kenya continuing this park. But Masai is stubborn.
Tours in Kenya will introduce guests of the country with huts from branches, bonded by manure (it is generally the most popular construction material Nomads in all corners of the world). Masai put their huts ring, and there are frequencies around, to protect against predators.
House of Masaev, Kenya
Village Masayev - This is a small tribal association, up to five families. Entering the house, you can see the hearth in the center and the animal skins, serving the masses of bed. Interestingly, although Masai is very tall people, find someone below 170 cm in growth with difficulty, the ceilings of their huts are a maximum of one and a half meters. When the village nomads, the frame of the hut is disassembled and transferred with himself, often - just on the back.
From childhood to maturity
As with our distant ancestors, the age group is very important for the representative of the people of Masayev. The rights and obligations depend on this. Baby kids, as soon as they start walking, begin to shepherd duties, and girls make all the work with mothers and learn to milk cows. Masayev has special rituals, during which children are quite bad - it should increase courage and patience. Both boys and girls go through the achievement of a teenage chopping procedure, very painful (it is impossible to scream - a big shame). Subsequently, they are considered full-fledged adult members of the community.
Children Masaev, Kenya
The boys who wait until heals the wound after circumcision, but takes it a few months, wear special clothes of black and live separately in the so-called. " manyatte" When this period ends, they become " morana"- Young warriors, so admiring Karen Blixen.
From this point on, the young Masai can begin to save the property (of course, mostly cows!) And trade. At unsupported children in the Masay laws of their own property can not be - and they are allowed to steal the necessary!
With the ceremony of initiation of Masayev in the warriors, another tradition is connected - murder Lion.. Now it is significantly more difficult with this than before, since wild animals in Kenya are guarded everywhere. In addition, the elders make sure that with the advent of firearms it became, so to speak, unsportsmanlike. And, nevertheless, the tradition of the murder of a lion in the process of initiation did not leave and clearly leave Masaev soon.
Though the murder of Leo today in Kenya is forbidden, Masai must be able to do it. And they really are not afraid of even Lviv! With warriors-masses are not scary in the savanna, so they are often hired to guard the kepes with tourists.
Kenya. Masai - Good Protection
Traditionally, Masai - a man can carry 4 subjects with him (often one of them, but there is always something in his hands):
- Wand - staff
- Spear (less often, wand much more often)
- Large knife in red leather sheath
- Special stick with a knob, reminiscent of the femoral bone of man
Warriors - Masai, Kenya
I wonder what funeral ritual Masaev uses only for poor children. When an adult dies, the past circumcision is not important, a man or a woman, his body is carried into Savannah and leave wild beasts. It is believed that the cycle of life is supported.
Marriage traditions Masayev
Since Masai is desperate warriors, mortality among their men is high. Naturally, the people came to polygamy (polygamy). If the mass has enough cows defining his well-being - it can take a few wives (the greater the more shelter). At the same time, Masayev is also a normal phenomenon. In fact, a woman who comes into marriage comes out not only for her husband, but also for his twin, at the same time with him the initiation ceremony in the warriors. But this does not mean that they can take it when they want: women Masai choose time and partner. However, children are still considered the descendants of the official husband. They know Masai and a divorce procedure - it is called "China" and may include a refund paid for the bride before the wedding.
Masai Wedding
By the way, Masaev has a rather spectacular wedding and in recent years they agree to organize marriage in their rite for guests performing tours in Kenya.
Wedding Tourists in Masai
Masai - the half-garden indigenous people of Africa. The tribe is relative numerous, live mainly along the border of Tanzania and Kenya, in the vicinity of Mount Kilimanjaro. Proudly. The number of Masayev in various sources from five hundred and a million people. Masai's passports ingore and do not get, so it's difficult with statistics. In the past, they are nomads who came from the Nile Valley after 1500 AD. Currently, part of Masayev under the influence of the modern life of the world is beginning to move towards a settled lifestyle. But the traditions are strong, many retain nomadic existence with pristine traditions that are striking their originality.
Masai is a unique tribe. With its popularity, they are obliged to their culture and traditions transmitted from generation to generation. Despite the influence of civilization, the people of the tribe are faithful to an old way of life, thanks to which they became a symbol of Kenyan culture.
Language - Maa, originated in North Africa.
History Masayev
It is believed that the ancestors of Masayev first appeared in the north of Africa. From there they migrated to the south, along the Nile Valley and came to Northern Kenya in the middle of the XV century. On the way, all the tribes won on their way. Then the territory of Masayev extended in the Rift Valley and the adjacent territories between Marsabit and Dodoma mountains. Here they dated and engaged in cattle breeding.
Masai is a very militant and peaceful people who consider themselves above all other tribes, and even the sucked Europeans. They caught cattle at the Satalog, Luo, Kikuio. Masai is confident that their Higher Deity is NGA, "everyone gave them, masses and blessed them in cattle breeding.
British and German colonialists in the past were panically afraid of meetings with the warriors of this tribe. It is probably due to this militancy Masai, one of the few, for a long time preserved the original land of the ancestors. But in recent decades, they are increasingly driven by land of ancestors, creating reserves in this place, in which they allow rich white tourists who come to have fun at Safari. If Masai is trying to return to their lands, then most often come to prison - you will not go against the state. So they have to be content with poor land, which still remained in free access.
Masai
masai, Maasai (self-talent), the people in the border areas of Kenya and Tanzania. The number is over 0.5 million people (1983, estimate). According to modern estimates, Masai has about 900 thousand people, of which 350-450 thousand couch in Kenya. Language belongs to the southeastern group of Nillees (Nile) languages.
Masai was probably migrated to modern its lands (south-western Kenya) from the Nile Valley in Sudan after 1500, leading and domesticated cattle. Traditional classes - nomadic cattle breeding, craft (spears, musical instruments). Traditional cults are preserved.
Masai are perhaps one of the most famous tribes of East Africa. Despite the development of modern civilization, they almost completely retained their traditional way of life, although it becomes harder every year. They are freely moved along the savanna from place to place, from the country to the country, despite the customs rules and state borders.
Masai consider themselves the highest people of Africa. They do not concern the case of the lower tribes - Luo, Kikuyu or some of the coming Europeans there. Since ancient times, they respected only those tribes that could have decent resistance to them.
They live at the expense of livestock. They do not know agriculture or crafts, but they are confident that the Supreme God Engai bestowed them all animals in the world. Therefore, theft of livestock in other tribes for Masayev is the usual thing.
In temporary parking, they build dwellings, faulting a rounded frame from the dung branches. There are no windows in their huts, and the hearth is located inside, near the beds from animal skins. These houses build mostly women. They are during the transitions when there are not enough pack animals, they carry a simple Skarb and hijan frames on the backs.
Around the village, in which five or seven families live, Masai build a fence from the poles or barbed shrub - Kralov to protect against the attacks of Lviv, Leopard or Gien. Masai feed with milk or blood animals. Meat - in exceptional cases. In the hungry time, they pushing the carotid artery of the cows with a short arrow and drink still warm blood. After that, they smear the wound with fresh manure to use the animal again.
Starting from 3 years, their children graze cattle, and at the age of 7-8 years they are singered by the mossy by the ears of the horns. Then the hole is expanding with pieces of wood. Over time, heavy jewelry from beads or beads pull up the mushy to the shoulders. And the more the mass of the mossy of the ears is drawn, the more beautiful and respect.
The number of wives in a male-oily depends on the magnitude of his herd. Wives should be enough to care for all animals and children, wearing water and firewood for the hearth. Probably, so women live much less than their husbands who, being warriors in peacetime, spend days in conversations and travels on the savanna ...
Masai sincecorable owned lands in the Valley of Serengeti, in the vicinity of Crater Ngorongoro and the Great African Fault - Rift Vella. In the old days, the young man in the tribe could be considered a man only after he managed to kill the spear of a lion. British and German colonialists in East Africa were most afraid of clashes with this tribe. Masai has always rendered them cruel resistance. In the XIX and early XX century, they managed to survive and prove to Europeans the right to the original lands of their ancestors. But they failed to confront the onset of civilization of the late XX century ...
Over the past 30 years, Masayev has evisted with most of their lands. White people were forbidden to graze the scottle there, declaring their lands of "protected". Rich White Tourists who came to Tanzania on Safari wished to "see animals, and not half-trivial overannants." Evalid Masaev, who were competently returned, destroyed or imprisoned.
That's where bungalows and lodges began to appear in the savannah. And Masai understood that lions, antelopes, gazelles and tourists are much more important than themselves. Left without means of existence, many engaged in poaching.
The millennia of the Masaev tribes coexisted with nature, and now they started to destroy it. Their own cattle is almost extinct, but but the beer of the elephants and rhores of rhinos are perfectly sold in the black market. And now rhinos on the lands of Masayev are exterminated, and the number of elephants decreased hundreds of times.
masai hired by the guards on the expensive hotels or are arranged in the evenings of presentation with traditional dances. Increasingly, here you can see people dressed in red clothes guarding with spears. Attrall perimeters of expensive hotels ...
And only in remote corners of the savannah in the north-west of Tanzania, individual nomads are still preserved, where white tourists burned in the sun and where the ancient way of life is still preserved and the most famous tribe of East Africa is still preserved and the most famous tribe of East Africa - Masai tribes.
