Explore the Cultures of the Maasai People : Maasai are a famous pastoral community of East Africa whose tribal land extends over Northern Tanzania. Their communities reside within the boundaries of Large National Parks and Game Reserves such as Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara, and Tarangire. However, Tanzania is one of the East African Countries to explore the beautiful Maasai culture. Many Safari travelers who visit their villages commonly come into contact with them in the savannah plains, herding livestock, carrying water, and collecting firewood. The Maasai are a semi-nomadic indigenous tribe well known for only having Meat and milk as their staple food. So, for meat lovers, your time in Maasai land will be worthwhile in taking soft fried or roasted Meat that they usually call “Nyama Choma” in the Swahili language. The Maasai of Tanzania has a lot of fascinating cultures. Here are the top aspects of their culture.
DRESS AND ORNAMENTS
The Maasai dresses are usually beautifully distinguished from other African tribes. In the past, they wore animal skin clothing made by tribespeople until around the 1960s when they replaced it with modern purchased cotton clothes. Today the most iconic Maasai dress is the woven thick cotton blanket, usually red with a striped pattern in blue or black, referred to as “shuka” among the Swahili speakers wrapped around the body.
The Maasai are well-known for their physical beauty and unique body ornamentation. Both men and women wear local jewelry, necklaces, and bracelets. It is very inspiring to wear African Maasai dresses and pieces of jewelry while taking fascinating photos in their communities.
SONGS AND DANCE
The Maasai tribe is famous for extraordinary entertainment. The most common refreshments of the Maasai include traditional songs and dances. The practiced songs and dancing ceremony is the jumping dance called “Adimu” in Maasai Language. The jumping dance (Adimu) is usually accompanied by high-energy whoops, done by the young Maasai men who have been practicing since childhood. The Maasai women sit in the group beating drums and singing the native song while the Maasai young worriers stand in front of the group, jumping continuously straight up in the air. The jumping dance is not only a refreshment but also used to show the strength of young Maasai warriors and their attraction to their wives. Many African Safari visitors get interested in dancing practices and even attempt the jumping contest while filming for later memories.
HERDING LIVESTOCK
The Maasai lives communal life grazing large herds of cows, sheep, and goats. For Maasai, the family having a large herd of cattle is said to be wealthy, the culture is on the belief that God or “Engai” in the Maasai tribal language created cattle only for them and that they are the guardian of all the world’s cattle. Livestock is the source of income since livestock. Moreover, the Maasai clans set up associations through the exchange of cattle.
LIVING WITH WILDLIFE
For centuries the Maasai have been grazing their herds of livestock all-round the Rift Valley and living with the wildlife. Before, the Maasai never hunted wild animals since their traditional foodstuffs were milk, blood, and meat. Today the Maasai lives in large East African National Parks where they never destroyed the ecosystem. They manage land by migrating seasonally with herds of cattle, leaving land enough time to recoup before returning to reside in it again.
MARRIAGE
The initiation ceremonies for young men and women are usually among the Maasai community. After the initiation of a boy and girl, they are now considered mature for starting their own families. The community entertainments such as Dances are where boys and girls meet. When a boy admires a girl, he goes to his parents. His parents go to the girl’s family to ask for her hand in marriage. If the family agrees, the boy’s parents return on the next visit with a dowry of animals like cattle, goats, sheep, bed sheets, and blankets. It will be a lucky journey and the most unforgettable African Safari of attending local marriage ceremonies while taking fascinating photos.
