Maasai Research Paper

The Maasai are one of the many southern-most tribes located in Kenya. They are

physically related, and also in many other forms related to the Samburu and Turkana. The

Maasai have a relatively complex culture and traditions. In fact, for many years they were

unheard of. By the late 1800's we soon discovered more about the Maasai, mostly from

their oral histories.

It is presumed that the Maasai came from the north, probably from the region of

the Nile Valley in Sudan. Also presumed is that they left this area sometime between the

fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, migrating southwards towards he Great Rift Valley.

According to the Maasai oral history, they came from a crater or deep valley somewhere

to the
This herd provides food for her children and herself, and will be future herds

for her sons later on in their lives. By organizing the family and resources in this way,

there can be assurance that the sons will be supplied with enough resources to begin their

own families later on. It also allows the family to pool resources, which will ensure a more

reliable food sources in case of a drought. Although the dominant male in the family

chooses whether or not to use these resources, it is up the woman to make sure they are

available at all times. Not only are the women responsible for family care, but also house

maintenance. The Maasai women are the ones to build the houses, after that they are the

ones to maintain them, with no help.

The Maasai women however are not treated too subserviently. They are able to

speak in public, unlike many other tribes. They are also allowed to participate in many

religious ceremonies, which is connected to the politics of the society. Unfortunately for

women in the Maasai tribe though, they are limited to how many children they can
Also, in the Maasai culture, there is a period of sexual abstinance for

six months after the birth of a child. This is another method in maintaining a low birth rate.

If a girl has sex and becomes pregnant outside of marriage, she and the father of the child

are shunned. While the age of a woman when she is married is approximately 17-18 years

old, the spacing between children (due to the abstinence after sex as well as the stretched

out period of breast-feeding) minimizes the amount of children a woman will have.

Other population regulation forces include sexually transmitted diseases, which has been

reported to be very common among the Maasai since the colonial period. These sexually

diseases limit population by killing those living as well as causing infertility in Maasai

women. One in five adults in Maasailand have a venereal disease such as gonorrhea and

syphilis, which are two of the leading diseases that cause infertility in women. Another

force which limits fertility is draught. It is found that during draught, the