The Maasai represents Africa traditional culture despite the modern western culture which is being adopted by most African countries, the Maasai tribe has remained firm. The tribe is famous worldwide because of keeping their tradition. They produce art and craft products including the beading and jewelry. The Maasai beading design is popular that many cultures many producers have used it to make shoes and even hand bags.
Most of the Maasai people live in the Southern part of Kenya, the tribe occupied a wide land in the past and they lived in southern and Central Kenya practicing their culture. The Maasai language relates to Samburu and Njemps and the tribe’s culture is also related because they are nomadic cattle herders but they are now involving themselves in farming. Their culture is related to their belief that one day their God called Enkai sent them gifts of cattle through a tree which was left attached between the earth and the sky after both were separated. They believe that cattle are God given therefore a sacred gift, the grass is also considered as sacred meant to support the life of their gifts.
The lion is seen as an enemy to the cattle, they guard themselves from this enemy through protecting their homes with thorny branches which make the fence. They have also formed a ceremony for young morani who they call the worriors. The moran have to prove their courage by killing the lions in the jungle. They hold traditional parties and arm themselves with spears and hides of other animals then go to the forest to kill lions. The moran wore grass on their legs then approach the lion silently.
If the warriors accomplish their mission by killing a lion then they would go home celebrating and dance engilakinoto dance which has a style of thrusting their chest and leaping up to almost four feet up the ground. The tribe also has a dance of blessing their cattle. They have other famous parties when the boys are being circumcised and another ceremony after they are circumcised called the convalescence, the boys decorate their faces with powder and wear black. After the two ceremonies the young men are now called the moran, they pierce their hear lobes like women do and they let their hair grow and color it with red ochre. They consider red as their sacred color, this is also demonstrated by their blankets shukka and they use.
They wear wear beadings which have been made by the women, the beading has red, blue and green colors, Blue color symbolize their God, the color of the sky, the red color is their sacred color while the green is the color of the grass which is also sacred in their culture. The women wear a necklace which is disc shaped. The unmarried women also wear these necklaces and perform their traditional dance called the Olamal. Maasai women perform this dance in order to pray for blessings in their community. As the maasai girl grows older the decorations especially in her hears are increased, during the wedding day a lot of decoration is put around her body this is in form of necklaces and other jewelry’s.
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