The Abagusii and Maasai Cultures - Essay Example

Abagusii Culture: Gusii (FL08)

Maasai Culture: Maasai (FL12

Essay on Traditional Cultures

The two cultures selected are the Abagusii and Maasai cultures. Communities all over the world have different cultures and traditions, and anyone from a different culture will be interested in the culture of another community. After doing a lot of research about communities all over the world, Gusii and Maasai presented the best scenario for someone to tour in terms of culture, traditions and customs. Many other communities, of course, had exciting traditions and customs but the ones that were interesting for everyone who loves to know about other unique communities from Africa were Gusii and Maasai of Kenya. Kenya is a place where many people from the United States and other parts of the world love to travel not only because of its beautiful scenery but also the unique culture of the people who live in the country. After closely researching about Gusii people in Kenya and Bemba people in Zambia, there are several similarities and differences between the two cultures that would be interesting for anyone willing to tour Kenya.

Culture 1: Gusii People in Kenya

Abagusii is commonly referred to as 'Kisii’, which is a name that was given to them by British colonial administration. They are a Bantu community living in Kenya, a land called Gusiiland, which is in the western part of Kenya, 50km from Lake Victoria (eHRAF World Cultures). The area receives heavy rainfall throughout the year. The average maximum temperature ranges from 22.8 degrees to 28.4 degrees, while the lowest temperature range from 9.8 degrees to 16.4 degrees (eHRAF World Cultures). Gusii people are subdivided into seven clans which include Nyaribari, Bassi, Kitutu (Getutu), North Mugirango, South Mugirango, Majoge, and Wanjare.

Although there has been a lot of civilization, Gusii people have maintained some aspects of traditional cultures. Some of the traditional cultures preserved by the community are marriage, inheritance, ceremonies, and death and afterlife. Among Gusii people, marriages are only established and traditionally established after a bridewealth has been paid. The bride-wealth is either in the form of money or livestock. After paying the bride-wealth (Dowry), a man is allowed to live with the woman and are recognized as mothers and fathers. Divorce among the Gusii people is rare. Gusii people are polygamous, but monogamous has been common in recent years. In case of the death of a husband, the widow chooses leviratic husband among the deceased brothers. Among the Gusii people, it is only men who are allowed to inherit, and they usually inherit livestock, land and all other resources from their house which is referred to as Enyomba (eHRAF World Cultures). In a polygamous case, all property owned by the father would be divided equally among all the houses regardless of the number of sons per house. Another important aspect of Gusii tradition is ceremonies. The only remaining ceremony that is celebrated almost every year is initiation (Matanda et al., 2018). Initiation among the Gusii people involves both boys and girls. Boys are traditionally circumcised while girls go through clitoridectomy. The initiation is done by specialists who can be a man or a woman. After circumcision, the initiated go through a period of seclusion before they are integrated back into society (Akama, 2017). The last important tradition associated with Gusii people is death and afterlife. Funeral took place at the home of the deceased. Men are usually buried beyond the cattle den on the right side of the house, while women are buried beyond the yard on the left side of the house. Traditional practices such as animal sacrifices for death, wailing, and head shaving are common in the community. The son of the deceased's son is the one who should dig the grave, and before the burial, the dead body is dissected to find out if the death was caused by witchcraft, which is something that Gusii people are renown for in Kenya.

Culture 2: Maasai People in Kenya and Tanzania

Maasai is another important community with unique traditions worth for someone who was in an anthropologist class to explore. Most of the Maasai people are nomadic pastoralists, and they live in the southern part of Kenya, and the Northern part of Tanzania, an area covering more than 100,000km. Currently, more than one million Maasai are living in Kenya and Tanzania. The dry season in this area last for six summer months, and that explains why Maasai in both countries are nomadic.

Just like Gusii people, the most important cultural aspects include marriage, inheritance, ceremonies and death and the afterlife. However, unlike Gusii people, Maasai people are known for their artwork. Maasai people practice polygamous marriage, and the elders arrange the marriages among the community without involving the bride or mother (Fontefrancesco & Lekanayia, 2018). Men marry at a later age, unlike women who are married when very young. As a result, most women become widows, but they are not allowed to remarry. Among the Maasai people, only sons are allowed to inherit, and this starts right from marriage as sons are given a heard of cattle, and expected to build their herds around the father’s yard. Upon the death of the parents, the oldest son inherits the father’s residue, while the youngest son inherits the mother’s allocated cows. Girls are completely not allowed to inherit anything. There are several ceremonies among the Maasai people, including initiation, promotion of warriors to adulthood and women's ceremonies. Initiation involves both boys and women. Boys go through circumcision while girls go through clitoridectomy (Fontefrancesco & Lekanayia, 2018). During the promotion of warriors to elders, men are allowed to choose their brides who will be presented to him to form a family. Women's ceremonies are common and are one of the most important features of the Maasai community (eHRAF World Cultures). Women dance to express concern for their fertility. The dances sometimes show anger and violence against the elders. The essence of the dances is that they will restore fertility and bring harmony back to the community. Maasai people have mortuary services, and they also do not believe in an afterlife (Kipuri, 2020). Maasai also have elaborate visual arts, including body decorations, beaded ornaments for women and girls. The decorations are displayed during dances which itself is a form of art.

Comparison of Cultures

Several similarities can be drawn from Gusii and Maasai communities. The two communities practice polygamy, whereby, a man is allowed to marry more than one wife. Another commonality between the two communities is that it only the sons who are allowed to inherit the father property. The last important commonality is that both communities initiate both boys and girls, and a ceremony is carried out to mark the rites of passage.

A few differences can be noted from the two communities. The first main difference is that Gusii practice farming, while Maasai practice nomadic pastoralism. Another difference is that Maasai have elaborated art displayed by decorations of women, who take part in dances which is also a form of art. The third difference is that Gusii people believe in witchcraft, and that is why the body is dissected to establish if the cause of death was witchcraft. There is no witchcraft among the Maasai people, as they only believe in prophets and diviners. Finally, whereas Gusii people believe in an afterlife, Maasai people do not.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Gusii and Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania have interesting traditions and culture that are not common among the European people. Polygamous marriages, sons inheriting everything and initiation of both boys and girls are some of the similarities depicted by the two communities. The two communities differ in terms of economic activities, beliefs such as witchcraft, and believes of an afterlife.