Maasai people in East Africa are an indigenous ethnic group found majorly in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania; meaning the peoples keep crossing over to both countries on a regular. A few maasai people are found in smaller communities in Uganda but not as many as they are in Kenya and Tanzania. In this country, we share some insights about these people but divided in the three countries.
We start with the Maasai people in Kenya who are known to be semi-nomadic people living in the counties of Kajiado, Narok and Samburu. The Maasai population in Kenya comes to about 1 million people in total, accounting for one of the largest ethnic groups in the east African country. The maasai inhabit a vast area of land all the way from the border of `Tanzania to the Rift Valley in the north. They speak the Maa language the same as the maasai people in Tanzania. For their traditional clothing the maasai people they wear colorful beaded jewelry and distinctive cloth wraps. For their livelihood and occupation, the maasai are livestock herders raring cattle, goats, and sheep.
The maasai people in Kenya battle a number of hardships related to land rights, because their original settlement and ancestral lands are slowly being encroached on by other people with external interests.
Because they are a unique people, the maasai, are a huge tourism attraction for Kenya, with over half of the tourist number visiting the country to interact and see these people in their natural life.
Some of the unique things about the maasai people that you will see majorly on your visit to the maasai communities will be the jump dancing – their energetic jumping dance that they perform on their tradition ceremonies always. If you are adventurous and not faint hearted, you can get a front row seat when the maasai warriors show off their bravery and skill in battle dawned in battle traditional attire. The women on the other hand create unique intricate maasai beadwork that they use to accessorize with their clothing and home ambiance.
Because of the widespread modernization in the world today, the maasai people like most other African ethnic communities have to work hard to preserve their culture and tradition practices like livestock herding, battling and bead working. Leaders in Kenya from that part of the country have made significant efforts to promote the maasai cultural heritage and create sensation of the people through music, and dance and other innovations.
To visit the maasai people in Kenya, you have to visit the Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya’s most famous wildlife destination but also the biggest settlement area for the maasai people.
In Tanzania you will find the maasai people in the arusha region of the Monduli District and areas around Tarangire National Park, in areas near Lake Manyara National Park, there is also a significant number of maasai people in and around the ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Most of their traditions don’t differ from that of the Kenyan maasais, with the only difference being the “Emuratta” the maasai coming of age ceremony for young men done so often in Tanzania unlike in Kenya. Also, the treating of ordinary ailments with the maasai herbal medicine is common in Tanzania; not as common in Kenya, because of the rapid modernization in the maasai catchment area.
Like it is in Kenya, the maasai people in Tanzania are a Tourism attraction and a number of tourists visit the country to see these people, engage with them in their traditions and cultures among other things.
Tanzania has about 300,000-400,000 maasai people or slightly more.
In Uganda the Maasai population is about 50,000-100,000 people living in the northeastern part of the country in districts of Karamoja, Moroto, and Nakapiripirit. They have the same cultural characteristics as the people in Kenya and Tanzania.
However, in Uganda; you don’t get any tourists to see the maasai; because the communities are not as popular as they are in Tanzania and Kenya.
