Source: Young Maasai men in hunting gear..picture from Google
The warriors of the Masai were responsible for much of the territory expansion as they conquered their neighbours, or stole their cattle.
The powerful Masai faced a downfall towards the end of the 1800s. Not only was their population devastated by years of drought and epidemics of small pox, their lands were taken from them by the Kenyan government.
Much of their territory was taken to form wildlife preservation parks, like the Masai Mara game preserve and the Nairobi National Park. The Masai's land was also reduced by the arrival of white settlers who claimed land for their ranches.
Cultural Changes in the History of the Masai
Not only was their land taken for settlers in the 1800s and early 1900s, missionaries became a common sight. They came to try and "civilize" the savage Masai whose bare dressing habits and other primitive habits shocked the white people. Today, a large number of Masai have converted to Christianity, but haven't actually changed any of their traditional habits because of it.
With the loss of their land, many Masai are no longer able to survive in their old ways, and are now forced to find "modern" jobs in order to earn a living. They are often employed as local tour guides, and many Masai are involved in tourism by performing dances and selling hand-made beaded jewelry.
Though their time of prominence in Africa may be over, the Masai survive to remind us of the proud and prosperous people they once were.
In all the information i read about their culture i look up to the women in a Maasai Tribe because as an African Maasai the woman has to do more work compared to her husband.This has been the tradition since the history of the Maasai people. A woman does not own any property. While she refers to property as "ours", in reality every cow, every sheep, every goat, every donkey and land is owned by her husband. She is proud of her husband's property. in our time we today we all want to own something to make us feel superior and important., but times have changed even the way of living for African have changed due to many reasons like socio and economic reasons to name a few.
On a lighter note, we should all try to find out as much information as we can about our different cultures so that we are able to pass down knowledge to our grand-childern. Adapting to modern ways shouldn't could our past because in order to move forward you should know where you come from.Be proud of who you are. :)
