The Masai Tribe

These people are in a tribe known as the Masai Tribe.

They live in Africa.

The Masai people live on the border of Kenya and Tansania. Can you find these countries on the map?

They live in the Masai Mara. These are the African grasslands where many of the wild animals of Africa live, such as giraffes, lions and elephants. What other animals can you think of that live there?

Masai people wear large earrings and stretch holes in their ears. They see these large holes as beautiful.They wear necklaces and headdresses with lots of beads on.Men wear these necklaces and beads too.

They wear bright clothes. Their favourite colour is red. They wear lots of tartan too. What do you think the colour red might mean to them?

The Masai people are herders. They mainly herd cows and goats. They depend on their cows for many things.

They drink cow's milk and blood as a sacred drink.

They use the cows' dung to cover and seal their homes

They don't slaughter their cattle for food; but if a cow is killed, then the horns are used for containers; the hides are used to make shoes, clothing, ropes, and bed coverings; and the hooves and bones are made into ornaments.

The more cows a man owns the richer he is thought to be. He uses the cows to buy wives. A Masai man can have more than 1 wife.

The Masai move their homes from time to time to follow their cattle.They have to remake their homes each time they move.

The women make the homes. They are made of sticks and grass. Mud and cow dung is used to bind the materials together.

One family lives inside a home. A man can have many wives so the families are sometimes large.

Small animals, like goats, live with them in the huts; this keeps them safe from predators and warm during the cold nights.

This is a Masai village from above. They build fences with thorny branches around their homes to keep the wild animals away. This keeps all of the goats, cows and people safe from predators like lions.

They still have to watch out for elephants though! An elephant could stamp through their homes. Men guard at night to make sure no dangerous animals are near.

Masai men have different jobs from Masai women.

The men are in charge in a Masai tribe. When the boys are 14 years old they are ready to become warriors. The men go out onto the Masai Mara to hunt animals to feed their families.

When they were 14 years old they used to go out alone to hunt lions. This was to show that they had become men and were strong and brave. Now they are not allowed to do this because lions are endangered and need to be protected.

Women take care of the children. They build the mud huts and take care of the home.

They prepare the meals and food and make clothing. They also make necklaces, dresses and headdresses out of beads. Women and children keep their heads shaved.

The Masai like to sing and dance.

The men do a jumping dance. They jump as high as they can for as long as they can. The man that can jump the highest is seen as the strongest and best warrior and so he will sometimes become an Elder (a chief). It also means that he will get to choose the wife he wants.

Women sing and dance different songs and dances. They sing for their babies, their husbands and to celebrate. They always sing and dance amongst themselves and separately from the men.

What do you think it would if you were in the Masai tribe?

Children in Masai tribes have very different lives from you. But they are the same in lots of ways too.

Their parents care for them and do all they can to keep them safe.

They like to play together and they love to be outside.

Unlike you, many Masai children work. Mostly they herd the goats and cattle.

When they are not herding they help their Mothers carry water and care for the homes.

Some Masai children don't go to school because there isn't a school close enough for them to reach. They don't have cars or bikes to help them get there and the roads in the Masai Mara are hard to travel on.

Things are getting better though. More and more schools are being built for the Masai children. Now many of them can go to school to learn, just like you do.

Do these schools look like yours?

Are they learning the same things?