HISTORICAL LIFE

Maasai have a long tradition of pastoralism though today some are adopting a more settled lifestyle. They speak a language of the eastern I logic model grouping which also includes the languages of the Arusha and barokoule peoples of Tanzania Masai origins are pretty uncertain however some scholars believe that their ancestors migrated to the Rift Valley from what is now southern Sudan.

Sometime before 1000 CE these migrants practice and agro pastoral economy growing sorghum and millet in addition to keeping cattle and other livestock, most of them gradually adopted a strictly pastoral economy as it became dependent upon neighboring farming communities in the Rift Valley Highlands. at its height Maasai land ranged from Lake Turkana in the north to central Tanzania in the south the Maasai have many oral traditions. but one of the primary ones speak about oloibon is the originator of the Maasai people a zero night arrow means beginner of the earth in Masada according to one version of the legend the Supreme God and Enkai created oloibon and his wife and guidance some in oloibon and his wife to the top of a mountain and Enkai gave them a cattle and told them to live on the mountain.

Life began another version says after creation and guy sentient I ruined his wife to live on earth with a few hundred cattle goats and sheep and guy entrusted all the bounty of Earth to this first couple. On one condition they were commanded to guard all of nature and keep it well to pass it on to future generations. Oloibon and his wife had three sons and three daughters the oldest son was given a bow and arrow with which to earn his living he in turn became a hunter this hunter is seen as a direct ancestor of the Combat people the second son was given a hole with which to earn his living and he became a farmer this farmer is seen as a direct ancestor of the Kikuyu people the third son the yeiyo was given a rod with which to earn is living he used the rod to drive his father's cattle the yeioyo became a herder and is seen as a direct ancestor of the Maasai people.

Maasai believed in one supreme god mentioned before as a god this supreme god is androgynous meaning both male and female and guys primordial dwelling is located in northern Tanzania and he created the forest mountains lowlands and Highlands natural forces such as rain thunder drought and lightning act as gifts or punishments from God the Messiah God appears in two manifestations and guide (norik) characterized by goodness and benevolence is black whereas nguy and yogi.

The angry one is red like the British colonizers who disrupted Maasai life and guide Nurik is associated with the north and presides over rain fertility the Sun and love matters, whereas nguy and yogi is associated with the south and a vengeful attitude and behavior cattle was considered by the messiah to be the greatest gift God has ever given humanity in a sense cattle possessed the qualities of God and attest to God's greatness and generosity through the consumption of meat and the drinking of milk God.

Human beings become one thus meat-eating and milk drinking through their recreation of this primordial unity our religious experiences of the highest order the consumption of meat and milk occur at the most important times in my life such as birth initiation and circumcision marriage and death.

All critical occasions like rites of passage from one age set to the next the Maasai were reputed to be fierce and discipline warriors, who could effectively defend their territory and stock or rate the stock of other groups trading caravans from coastal areas were wary enough of the Maasai reputation to avoid masaai land entirely in the 19th century. However Messiah subgroups participated in a series of wars over contested grazing rights in addition in the late 19th century the ill maasai fought the war of Marashi this war unfortunately ended up debilitating Maasai military strength a series of droughts and associated diseases in the 1880s and 1890s further weakened the Maasai people.

Young Masai males traditionally subsist entirely on milk meat and blood for their herd’s blood is obtained by making a vertical slit with an arrow in the animal's jugular vein in such a way that the wound can actually be closed again. Women children and older men customarily supplement their diets with agricultural products such as corn and beans.

Maasai land sees two rainy seasons a long rainy season from March to May and a short rainy season from November to December, traditional mass I society is governed by a series of age based groupings especially among males between the approximate ages of 15 and 30 are junior morans or warriors whose responsibility it is to protect the herds during this period. The morans live in separate areas called manyatta and are prohibited from marrying after age 30 they become senior warriors for approximately 15 years during this time they live among the rest of the Maasai people and serve as a sort of home or guardian. And have the option of marrying following this stage men become junior elders after another interval of about 15 years they then become senior elders who make decisions for the entire group.

Historically the Maasai are pastoral and the two distinct rainy seasons in the Rift Valley keep them moving with their herds in search of water and pasture land is traditionally considered communal wealth is determined by the number of cattle owned. And Families brand their cattle to differentiate them traditional mass Iive in temporary camps called in ekang over time the British began to polurized masaai lifestyle. And warrior tradition and this is partly why they became popularized in the rest of the world the Maasai people a tear to their traditional way of life for quite some time even after the British limited their arranged through the treaties of 1904 and 1912.