Masai: a tribe where men drink blood with milk and are not jealous of their wives (28 photos)

This is one of the most amazing tribes of the entire Dark Continent.





The Maasai (in Swahili - Wamasai, self-name ?l Maa) are one of the tallest peoples on the planet. One of the tallest, most handsome and stately - in my opinion, even these Swedes and Dutch are nervously smoking in the corner.



Two-meter height is generally common among Masai men. It is believed that such height and long legs are a natural adaptation for a better life in the savannah. And so that you yourself quickly catch up with the antelope while running, and so that the hungry lion, in turn, does not overtake you so quickly.

And their high growth also contributes to a better view of the Masai in the African semi-desert expanses. Plus, the higher jump of a Masai man will always attract the attention of more girls - potential brides :)

Where do the Maasai live?



It is believed that the ancestral home of the Maasai is the upper Nile. They themselves are not Bantu, like most of the peoples of the good half of Africa. And to the so-called Nilotic language family.



The Maasai live here

The Maasai once inhabited the vast expanses of eastern Africa. They were known as magnificent warriors, whose young men were initiated in head-to-head duels with lions and hyenas.



Masai youths (il-murrans) go out to fight against a hyena. Photo from a hundred years ago

Yes, yes, these are the once stern warriors those same Maasai were.



Maasai warriors at the beginning of the 20th century

However, already about 1.5-2 thousand years ago, the Maasai were significantly displaced by the Bantu tribes who came from the west. In addition, the white gentlemen, the European colonists, also “helped”.

The British took away a lot of the best land from the tribe for their agricultural needs, driving the poor Maasai to the colder northern regions. And yes, Masai youths, of course, were prohibited by law from killing lions.



Masai warriors at the end of the 19th century

Nowadays, the area of Maasai nomadism has narrowed to a narrow strip of savannah, bordering Kenya and Tanzania. In both countries, the Maasai make up no more than 2% of the total population. There are no more than a million souls in the world.

However, other Kenyans and Tanzanians are very proud of their exotic countrymen. Thus, the famous Maasai shield even ended up on the flag of Kenya.



What do the Maasai do?



Il-murran - a young Masai warrior in traditional garb

The main occupation of the Maasai today is cattle breeding. The guys don't have a passport. And back and forth they graze their simple herds in the savannah: humpbacked zebu cows, sheep and goats.

The Masai have the same passion for cows as your Hindus. They also adore chicks, groom and cherish them. They prefer not to let anyone eat meat.

The Maasai keep adult cows at night in small pens right next to the residential huts, and the young ones in their own huts, for this purpose they drive their older children out of there. And they sincerely believe that the gods created all the cows in the world exclusively for their Masai personal needs.

But until recently the Maasai had a strict taboo on cultivating the land - plowing and sowing was still considered a serious crime. They say it reduces the grazing space for Masai cows. Although the custom is changing rapidly: some advanced Maasai have already gotten into the habit of plowing.



How do the Maasai live?



Masai village

At the same time, the Maasai are still not pure nomads - they do not live in mobile tents or yurts, but they build small villages from wicker houses with palm roofs, reinforced with cow urine and dung (so that local termites do not eat).

Literally, the whole tribe lives in baskets made of shit and sticks, I would say so. No windows, no doors, and inside sits a Masai Jew.

The interior of the Maasai house is extremely simple and unprepossessing, just like the life of a Soviet lawyer. The area is 10-12 square meters. A fireplace and a couple of beds made from the skin of some local animal.

In the house, just like in our khrushchev, one family is supposed to live - mom, dad and 6-8 of their uncles, Fedorov, a little less.



Building houses among the Maasai is a purely female task

The Maasai hang out in one place until their cattle eat up all the grass in the area. And then they move to another district.

Moreover, the Maasai houses are run by local ladies - the Maasai will demolish the old huts and build new ones in a new place.

The men's only concern is to build a semicircular acacia fence around the entire collective farm. Moreover, young guys are housed in separate huts behind a fence. So that in the event of a naughty person, they immediately stand up in defense of their native village, and do not sneak around in the corners.

Maasai villages



Masai folk dances with famous jumps

Some Maasai villages, located closer to major roads, are considered “tourist” - entry here costs ten bucks.

Truly ostentatious exoticism reigns here. Everything was like in the old days. Costumed men with spears and swords noisily invite people to visit. The “tourist” Maasai, upon seeing the guests, immediately begin to jump and sing their songs. Just like on another Anapa beach:

Tumba-Yumba-photo from Makumba :)



A Maasai honeymoon is another trendy tourist attraction. But the Swiss Corinna Hofmann herself married a warrior from the Maasai tribe. What a book was written about and a whole movie was made about.



The “tourist” Maasai allow guests to literally do everything - even look into their mouths and ears. But there are also “non-tourist” Maasai villages, these are brick houses, frightened, grimy children peeking out from behind wire fences.



During the recent epidemic, the Maasai were even taught to wear disposable masks

And there are also completely forbidden Maasai villages - a driver who dares to take tourists there will easily have his hand chopped off by the locals. However, they won’t do anything to tourists.

And yes, the Maasai make fire the old fashioned way - by rubbing a stick over dry grass. This results in significant savings on matches. But at the same time, some Maasai ride motorcycles with all their hearts



Education among the Maasai



Maasai school

These guys, by the way, organize elementary schools for their children.

In every Maasai village you can find a special area with improvised desks, reserved for the classroom. There are 10-15 young schoolchildren sitting in rows, to whom an angry teacher explains science.

But for secondary education, Maasai teenagers after ten years are sent to special city boarding schools.

Maasai polygamists



Masai men, although not Muslims, are recognized lovers of polygamy. The more wives a Masai has, the more respect and authority he has in the area.

True, the Masai are obliged to support each of their ladies from A to Z. And for each daughter-in-law they will also have to pay a substantial dowry - 10-15 cows, at least. Therefore, only the most prosperous guys, owners of many fat herds, decide to own large harems.

It is curious that the whiter the skin of a Masai woman, the more expensive it is. For a “light” bride, parents can demand 15 cows. For a completely dark-skinned person, they will limit it to five.

That’s why they say that among Maasai ladies, white men are welcome guests - they can give birth to valuable white daughters. I confess that the author spent only an hour in the Maasai settlement. And therefore I simply did not have time to fulfill such a duty :)



Beautiful Masai lady

It is interesting that, unlike Muslim women, Maasai ladies in harems do not sit quietly in headscarves. They have the right to roam freely, even acquiring additional lovers. They can lure absolutely any fellow tribesman of the same age into their hut.

While having fun with the lady, the Masai sticks his spear at the entrance to her house - they say, it’s busy. The main harem owner has no right to be jealous of his wives - it’s not supposed to be, sir!

A funny moment - a young Masai warrior (Il-Murran) in his youth acquires a pretty girlfriend for pleasure. However, he will never marry her. And in principle, he has the right to marry only after the wedding of his girlfriend from his youth.

How do the Maasai earn money?



Old Masai herds his chicks

Another type of income for the Maasai, in addition to cattle breeding and dancing to tourists, is selling their simple souvenirs to overseas guests in local markets.

The Maasai make their souvenirs from cow horns - they generally produce cows without waste. Another commercial feature of the Maasai is the sale of their own weapons. Swords, knives, spears for hunting gazelles, buffalo or lions.

The Maasai people selling at such impromptu bazaars are quite advanced dudes, as I noticed - they speak excellent English and are chattering away on smartphones. They also use laptops without any problems.



However, those Maasai and Maasai who only tirelessly graze their goats may not even know Swahili, the main state language of Kenya and Tanzania.

What do real Maasai look like?



The famous Masai warrior dance

And Maasai of both sexes love colorful bone or aluminum jewelry. Bright robes - red, blue, yellow.

On their feet, the Maasai have adapted to wearing these homemade slippers from old car tires. Yes - a symbol of poverty. But there is no demolition, let's be honest. What else does a nomad need in the savannah?



The weaker sex of the Maasai prefers to shave their heads completely, as well as pluck their eyebrows and eyelashes. So they say, it’s more beautiful. I don’t know, I don’t know, bald women are clearly not my passion :)

An interesting life hack on how to distinguish a real Masai from a disguised “Cossack” (a Kenyan in disguise) - a true Masai most often has earlobes pulled back from childhood. This is a trick that is also considered beautiful.



In fact, although the Maasai look so brutal in appearance, they are quite sweet at heart. They love to sing and dance, especially for the amusement of wealthy white tourists and safari guests. Terrible on the face, kind inside, in short.

What do the Maasai eat and drink?



The gastronomic preferences of the Maasai are as curious as their alcoholic preferences. The men there drink beer made from aloe and drink dope from the bark of olkilority trees.

And then, according to the ancient nomadic tradition, the Maasai love to drink the blood of cows or goats mixed with milk in a special pumpkin vessel. Men drink this drink for better male strength. Or children - so that they grow faster.

The Maasai eat honey, milk, wild roots collected by themselves, and medicinal herbs. However, the Maasai have a strict taboo on fishing, and the consumption of meat, especially game, is greatly limited.

They say that such a proper healthy diet greatly contributes to the longevity of the Sledi Maasai - people of this African tribe live about 75 years without problems.

Maasai beliefs



The Maasai religion is a complex system of beliefs at the intersection of Christianity, Islam and African folk beliefs. The main god of the Maasai is Ngai, responsible for thunder and lightning and the creator of all things.

An interesting point: the Maasai do not bury their dead in the ground. And like the ancient Zoroastrians, they simply leave the body overnight in the savannah. During the dark time of day, the vast local animal world leaves only a wet place from the deceased...