Masai is a tribe that has preserved its traditions through militancy

Masai is a tribe of proud warriors, one of the most ancient and numerous throughout Africa. They live in Kenya and Tanzania. A distinctive feature of this tribe is that none of its members have a passport or any other document. That is why it is simply impossible to determine the exact number.

In the 15-16 centuries. Masai led a nomadic way of life, they came from the banks of the Nile. In modern times, many of them, not without the pressure of today's realities, are forced to become sedentary. However, not all of them give up, most still remain nomads.

Who are the Maasai?

Children under 14 are considered to be the most happy Masai. The tribe does not force them to study anything, go to school, engage in social work, and so on. At this time they just dance, have fun and sometimes go out hunting. However, none of the children refuses personal self-improvement, they all watch the adults, especially the leader. Seeing how they act and what they do, the kids build their own model of behavior.

After 14 years, the next 2-3 years, the Masai walk and look. Gradually they are part of the established structure of the tribe, where each person has his duties. Teenagers are not immediately identified with their employment, they try themselves in all areas. So, for example, one of the girls can become a cook, the other will start to look after the children.

Then in 16-17 years, the Masai get married or get married, build their own house, where they will live a young cell of society. Gradually, there is accumulation of funds. Since there are no banks in the villages, the status is determined by the number of head of livestock. The more it is, the higher the position in society, respectively. After the wedding begins a measured life, the formed person already knows exactly what responsibility falls on her. And this continues until old age.

How do the Maasai live?

160 km from Nairobi, a relatively large village is inhabited by the Masai. Tribe to this day has preserved the original way of life and life. Because the area where it lives does not differ fertile soil, people are forced to engage in cattle breeding. Each person determines his age only approximately, he does not have a passport, and the Masai calendar is not used to follow the calendar.

Each village has about 100 inhabitants. And they are all members of this big family. At the head is the leader. Life style, respectively, only patriarchal. Modern men, because there are no wars, graze cattle. Previously, it was the duty of the weaker sex. Women prepare food and grow children. Special education is also not present, the young simply equals the elders, imitating them in everything.

Three wives can have a Masai leader. The tribe, of course, is militant, but this does not concern women. They deserve the respect and trust of men with delicious food. By the way, the leader determines his beloved wife every day. And depend on his choice will be directly from the deliciousness of the prepared dinner.

Wedding of the Masai tribe

In the Masai tribe, wealth is accumulated by selling daughters. Therefore, a man who has more girls has a high status. The wedding begins with the fact that the groom comes to the house of his bride. At the door sits her father, guarding the dwelling (that the daughter is not stolen). Before the transfer of the daughter, he determines how much the young guy will have to give her the cows.

The bride must necessarily be a virgin. At the wedding, many guests come, each of which gives a little (or a lot) money for the benefit of the young. All means are collected by the mother-in-law. At first she will live with the young, performing the work of the treasurer. As for the celebration itself, it occurs in the standard and customary mode - guests, fun, leading, festive costumes and so on.

A terrible tradition is that on the wedding night the spouse will not sleep with her husband, but with a toastmaster. This is due to the fact that a young man should not see the blood of his Maasai woman.

If the warrior decided to marry again, then the new bride is chosen not by his mother, but by his first wife. The same goes for the next ones. That is, no matter how many brides the man has demanded, they all go through the selection of the one that was zasvatan in the beginning.

Masai food

Very special are the food and drink of the tribe. Moreover, it is better for nervous people not to get acquainted with the kitchen in question. The favorite drink of Masai is fresh blood. Sometimes it is bred with milk. Extraction of drinking occurs as follows. The man pierces the artery of the animal with a sharp object and places the container under pressure. The beast does not die, if only for the 10th time quenching thirst. After the warrior has filled his bowl, he closes the hole with clay, and the cow or ram continues to live.

But the Masai tribe is very negative about meat products. This is not due to the fact that they are ideological vegetarians. Simply livestock - the main earnings, and eat it - means depriving yourself of status, lower your importance in society.

Interesting facts about Masai

The African Masai tribe is characterized by amazing traditions that for the European or Slavic people can seem terrible. So, for example, all the girls undergo a circumcision rite, along with the guys. Moreover, if a woman does not do this, she will never be married.

Also all the girls have to shave their head. Apparently, the men of the tribe do not believe that women's beauty lies in long curls.

Still each tribe has its own distinctive sign - tattoos. They cover both human bodies and cattle. Only in this way on grazing they can distinguish their sheep from a stranger. By the way, if foreign cattle accidentally got into the tribe, then they immediately return it. No one has forgotten about the Maasai militancy, even after decades of peaceful existence.

Conclusion

Literally striking is the uniqueness that the Masai tribe has. The photo of each of its members proves militancy and self-will. It is also often seen notes that they put themselves above other African tribes, as well as Europeans or Americans visiting the continent.

Moreover, when the colonialists came to the territory of Africa, they actually feared and even feared meeting with the Masai. At the same time, Europeans had modern technologies and weapons, the tribe was primitive. It should be noted that this ancient culture has survived only because of the belligerence and reluctance to surrender its ancestral territories to the colonialists.