Culture Anthropology - Case Study Example

Culture Anthropology Maasai Tribe Maasai’s Traditional culture Maasai’s way of life is very intriguing both to the fellow Kenyans/Tanzanians and to global tourists who normally interact with them as they tour the country (Piehl 160). A tourists’ journey in Kenya is not complete unless they have interacted and even visited the Maasai to learn or experience their culture. Maasai occupies both the Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya regions y where they comprise a population of 350,000 people using Ol Maa language. Mainly, the community’s setting comprises of set groups based on their age where the young men after initiation mainly assumes the security roles and tending of their livestock (Piehl 160). Maasai normally maintain and keep large cattle herds, which according to them are a sign of wealth; hence, contrary to other tribes they do not use them in drawing carts or ploughs. Their economic activity entails purely nomadic, which has prompted them to be most fierce cattle rustlers in the region. Consequently, this has yielded to persistent enmity with other tribes like Kamba, Kikuyu, Samburu, Chagga, Meru and Pare. Since they deem that all cattle belongs to them where in attaining numerous herds enables a Moran (warrior) to graduate from being a herd youth to married elder (Piehl 160). Hence, raiding and cattle rustling is an initiation practice despite its ban in the region since their existence. Figure 1: Morans tending Herds cattle in the savannah. Accessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/4141/PreviewComp/SuperStock_4141-3960.jpg Figure 2: The Maasai Bride. Acessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://stbjp.msn.com/i/47/9F53A4810C3FB73683F645285EBC0.jpg Conversely, women at puberty get married off to the wealth elders to shun childbearing outside wedlock, though, while married they still keep strong ties with their former young boyfriends. Consequently, this has yielded to the former boyfriends (mainly Morans) when the husband is not present especially in the Manyattas still has intercourse with the wives. This is by erecting a war spear outside the Manyatta to symbolize there is a man in the house so that no other man can ever dare to enter in (Piehl 160). Women and children (both legitimate and illegitimate) belong to the husband where the women after marriage teams with other co-wives to build Manyatta for the newly wedded wife. Hence, the husband (who is an elder) never concerns himself with house building except Kraal’s (homestead) security and ensuring that Morans have tended well the cattle. Morans normally protect herds from savannah carnivores like lion, cheetah, hyena or other cattle rustlers like Samburu. Until recently, Maasai very often visited the towns or cities except when they were trading their cattle to buy other things, which they cannot find in their territory (Piehl 160). Additionally, Maasais possess an irrefutable reputation of their ornamental beadwork, which they normally sell to the tourists, which also marks their ages or one’s status in the society. For illustration, wives do not wear similar beaded necklaces or anklets like those of the unmarried girls, which acts as a sign of respect and it is easy for the young men to differentiate them from the newly wedded wives (Piehl 160). Besides, they utilized cattle to sacrifice to their supernatural Enkai (god) whom they deemed blessed them with cattle and land. Laibon presided over all the sacrificial rituals, which encompassed cleansing the community from bad misfortunes. Besides, Laibon being a spiritual leader, he was also a respected medicine man even to date where he travels in almost all Tanzanian and Kenyan towns selling diverse herbs to all people especially those who prefer herbs to medicine (Piehl 160). Morans when they are in the field tending their herds, they spend many hours braiding their hair coupled with applying red ochre to look handsome besides cleaving their fore teeth. Teeth cleaving applies to both the men and women, which is also a sign of beauty despite heavy beads adorning their bodies and tattooing. Figure 3: Maasai Morans whose role is security and tending cattle. Accessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://static.globered.com/images/users/214480/2011011915214400001317280000214480.jpg Figure 4: Maasai women, just notice the adornment of their colourful necklaces besides red ochre. accessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--1ReMtTJZqE/T1kD7yrw4XI/AAAAAAAAAAM/PDMPBoQxwpc/s1600/1312433118393_4.jpg Figure 5: Morans braiding their hair and applying red ochre, which acts as part of their adornment besides diverse bead jewelry. Acessed on 2oTh July 2012 from http://static.globered.com/images/users/214480/2011011915214400001317280000214480.jpg Figure 6: Maasais Manyatta, which acts as the familys shelter. Acessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://www.worldisround.com/pphotos/0/122/364.jpg Figure 7: Maasai Beadwork. Accessed on 20Th July 2012 from http://i.pbase.com/u19/bmcmorrow/upload/36323990.nairobi088.JPG History and experience with the outside world. The emergence of British colonizers in Kenya did not alter the Maasai’s culture in anyway. Since they were pastoralists and used to move with seasons in search of adequate food for their herds. Mainly, this was either north or south in their savannah regions, which was unproductive for farming activities. Colonizers mainly concentrated in Kenyan rich and fertile parts, hence skillfully or by application of force displaced farming tribes like kikuyu. However, owing to the civilization that came with the whites in Kenya and after independence development, this rendered the Maasai community as uncivilized (Piehl 160). Consequently, they emerged as the leading among the tribes that had high illiteracy percentage besides practicing some of the uncouth practices. These entailed women circumcision, early marriages and elders condemning the decision of their children attending schools. This was a tactic to fight and maintain their culture, which entailed degrading women and likening them with small children whereas men enjoyed high reputation in all societal aspects. Current social situation Presently, owing to the presence of religious missionaries in their regions and urge by some youths to equal their tribal counterparts, they have partially embraced education. This has motivated more people and even the elders advocating for their children to value education. However, the community has not completely abandoned nomadic life where presently, owing to the decreasing savannah terrains (because of the augmenting population and urbanization) only their youths travel with the herds to green pastures. In addition, contrary to the past, currently Maasai build modern and permanent houses for the family members and children left back, since they cannot move now with them due to school and other social amenities (Piehl 160). Nomadic life has turned out to be hectic to the Maasai’s because the lands they used to graze, other communities have claimed as their own. This is because there were no legal documents stating their ownership, though; they have maintained the lands like Kajiado and Isinya besides some parts of Northern Tanzania. This emanates from their resistance to recognition of international boundaries and arrogance towards other tribes who may bar them from grazing their cattle in any land. Consequently, this has yielded to some grazing their large herds of cattle on the capital city’s lawns (Nairobi) while claiming as their own land shrewdly taken by the whites. For illustration, during the 2007 dry season some forcibly grazed their cattle on the state parliament’s lawns. This brewed land’s issues uproar in the parliament where their representatives confirmed the suffering the community was undergoing owing to the deprivation of their land. Maasai community lags behind especially technologically besides the state priding itself regarding their rich culture, which attracts numerous global tourists (Piehl 160). The community has also adopted subsistence farming besides other modern ways to supplement their economic base. This is because of the changing climate and augmenting population, which accelerates the extinction of numerous grazing terrains. Work Cited Piehl, Kathy. Only The Mountains Do Not Move: A Maasai Story Of Culture And Conservation. School Library Journal 57.10 (2011): 160. Web. 20 July 2012. Masai of Kenya: Maasai Culture. n.d. Web. 20Th July 2012. Read More