References:
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/masai-mara.html
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/masai-translation.html
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/tribes-in-kenya.html
http://safari.go2africa.com/kenya/masai-mara-safari.asp
http://ezinearticles.com/?Kenya-With-Its-Cultural-Festivals&id=4065662
http://www.geographia.com/kenya/
http://homelands.org/worlds/maasai.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people
http://www.kitumusote.org/history
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/masai-warrior.html
http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html
http://www.kenya-advisor.com/masai-culture.html
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Africa, Kenya in particularly is known for it's adventure travel with the finest and most famous safari destination in the world and the numerous indigenous tribes and its rich culture. The African Culture is very diverse with a huge number of tribes with their own languages and culture. The Masai, also known as the Maasai is Africa's most popular tribe. This is due to their strong will to stay strong to their traditional lifestyles, living like their ancestors from many years ago.
The Masai tribe lives in the grasslands between Kenya and Tanzania, a popular topic among travelers and are easily identified by their way of dressing in bright red clothes and beaded jewelry. An example of a famous traditional act would be the Jumping Dance where warriors shows off their strength through their dance and songs.
The roles of the males and females are pretty balanced. After a man becomes a warrior, it is his duty to protect the villages and the cattles while the women build houses, cook and maintain the households.
Herds of cattles are the most important thing for the Masai people as their live off their cattles for their main economic activity. The Masai also believes that Ngai (God) entrusted them all the world's cattle for safe-keeping and the significance of grass is manifest in Masai Culture. The Masai are also nomadic people which means they travel with their herds to find pasture and they live exclusively off their cattle, eating everything off a cattle including the blood of their cows.
Each Masai man goes through the warrior stage to show that he has moved on from boyhood to being a man after he has reached the age of 25. They must undergo several rituals before becoming a warrior including being circumcised, living apart from their families for many years and being able to kill a lion with only a spear to prove their strength. After living apart from their families for up to 10 years, their mothers will shave their heads as a mark of graduation to a senior warrior. Known for their strength, the role of these warriors are to protect the villages, herds and their pasture lands. A warrior is also able to have more than one wife, providing that he is able to feed the family with enough cattles.
The Masai God is called Enkai which the Masai believes that Enkai is both seen as male and female at the same time. Enkai is believed to appear in many forms like the mountains, colours and the moon. Laibon, a religious leader of the Masai is believed to be appointed by Enkai, possessing religious authority and the rights to declare war. Laibons are believed to have the power to heal and to give prophesies.
Land is an important aspect to the Masai as they are nomadic people, mainly to herd their cattles. The government has reduced the land held by the Masai people to make way for world famous wildlife parks like the Masai Mara game preserve. With the reduction of land, the Masai are forced to change their lifestyles for survival.
Kenya's population is overwhelmed of people of different groups comprising of more than 70 different tribal groups. However, the more significant language spoken in Kenya are the Kikuyu, Kamba, Gusii, Luhya, Maa and Luo. The primary language in Kenya are English and Swahili. The best known ethnic group in Kenya, the Maasai speaks Maa. Maa is classified as a Nio-Saharan language and is shared with the Samburu and Chamus people. Similar to Afgahanistan, governments built schools to instill common values to the young people to prepare them for the outside world. Controversially, the Masai are worried that they might lose their cultural identity and roots when globalization hits them since the Masai are traditionally cattler herders and are nomadic people who follows their herds on seasonal migration. However, education may not be negative and seen as a surrender to mainstream culture. It may be a solution to fix those aspects that requires fixing like the treatment of girls and women.
There are many events and festivals held at Kenya. The more notable ones are the Kenya Tourism Week, Safari Rally, Rhino Charge and the International camel Derby.
Kenya Tourism Week: As Kenya became a member of WTO, the Kenya Tourism Week revolves around offering attractive packages to tourists such as cheap flights to Kenya, free flights to several sights, dinner parties and tree planting.
Safari Rally: In this event, interested drivers from all over the world has to race that covers a route of over 3000km and it takes place for 4-5 days. However, one is only qualified for this event if he gets registered by the Safari Rally management and has to be sponsored for a car and fuel from any recognized company.
Rhino Charge: This annual event is held to save the endangered species of rhino in Kenya. Rhino Charge is a car racing event where individuals as well as families can enjoy with a message to create awareness that wildlife is integral to the world. It is held in the months of June and September and the paths and routes are blocked by luggas, ditches and dense bushes to create suspense and thrill during the race.
International Camel Derby
An annual camel racing event held in the months of August and September for 2 days with the venue carefully selected to ensure that the climate is suitable for the camels.
Kenya is known for it's rich culture of tribal groups and it's safari, particularly the Masai Mara Safari. The Masai Mara Safari is the most popular Kenyan parks and reserves and it is one of the few safaris that showcase elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalos. There is also a large population of lions residing in the Kenya. The Masai Mara Safari gets it's name from the Masai tribe and is located in the south of Kenya, consisting mainly of grasslands with clusters of acacia trees. Masai Mara is renowned for it's wildebeest migration during the months of August to September. Millions of animals trek from Tanzania to Kenya every year and it is a spectacular sight not to be missed. Have a drive through the wildlife reserve through a jeep and witness animals like herds of zebras, giraffes, warthogs, jackals, antelopes, bat eared foxes as well as up to 450 species of birds! Be sure not to miss out on the traditional Masai villages for some tea ceremony as well as the famous jumping dance!
What comes to mind when Africa is mentioned is the massive amount of tribes and their rich culture as well as the wide spectrum of animals all over Africa. In my opinion, the setting up of national parks and the introduction of the different tribes to the world has disneyfied Africa. The lands that once belonged to the Masai tribe in Kenya were taken away to set up National Wildlife Parks like the Masai Mara Safari has made things hard for the Masai Tribe since they were nomadic people as they require land for herding their cows. The Masai tribe was also used as an international symbol of the tribal life and with the influx of tourists coming to Africa to experience their way of life, the younger generation of these tribes would soon lose their cultural roots as they interact with tourists. Many tribes culture would soon be diluted due to over commercialization. The effects of tourism has it's advantages and disadvantages and is definitely responsible for commodifying cultures and traditions. When these tribes are over exposed to tourists, they may perform a dance to earn revenue from the tourist and this may lose the purpose of the dance for example.
The Masai tribe lives in the grasslands between Kenya and Tanzania, a popular topic among travelers and are easily identified by their way of dressing in bright red clothes and beaded jewelry. An example of a famous traditional act would be the Jumping Dance where warriors shows off their strength through their dance and songs.
The roles of the males and females are pretty balanced. After a man becomes a warrior, it is his duty to protect the villages and the cattles while the women build houses, cook and maintain the households.
Herds of cattles are the most important thing for the Masai people as their live off their cattles for their main economic activity. The Masai also believes that Ngai (God) entrusted them all the world's cattle for safe-keeping and the significance of grass is manifest in Masai Culture. The Masai are also nomadic people which means they travel with their herds to find pasture and they live exclusively off their cattle, eating everything off a cattle including the blood of their cows.
Each Masai man goes through the warrior stage to show that he has moved on from boyhood to being a man after he has reached the age of 25. They must undergo several rituals before becoming a warrior including being circumcised, living apart from their families for many years and being able to kill a lion with only a spear to prove their strength. After living apart from their families for up to 10 years, their mothers will shave their heads as a mark of graduation to a senior warrior. Known for their strength, the role of these warriors are to protect the villages, herds and their pasture lands. A warrior is also able to have more than one wife, providing that he is able to feed the family with enough cattles.
The Masai God is called Enkai which the Masai believes that Enkai is both seen as male and female at the same time. Enkai is believed to appear in many forms like the mountains, colours and the moon. Laibon, a religious leader of the Masai is believed to be appointed by Enkai, possessing religious authority and the rights to declare war. Laibons are believed to have the power to heal and to give prophesies.
Land is an important aspect to the Masai as they are nomadic people, mainly to herd their cattles. The government has reduced the land held by the Masai people to make way for world famous wildlife parks like the Masai Mara game preserve. With the reduction of land, the Masai are forced to change their lifestyles for survival.
Kenya's population is overwhelmed of people of different groups comprising of more than 70 different tribal groups. However, the more significant language spoken in Kenya are the Kikuyu, Kamba, Gusii, Luhya, Maa and Luo. The primary language in Kenya are English and Swahili. The best known ethnic group in Kenya, the Maasai speaks Maa. Maa is classified as a Nio-Saharan language and is shared with the Samburu and Chamus people. Similar to Afgahanistan, governments built schools to instill common values to the young people to prepare them for the outside world. Controversially, the Masai are worried that they might lose their cultural identity and roots when globalization hits them since the Masai are traditionally cattler herders and are nomadic people who follows their herds on seasonal migration. However, education may not be negative and seen as a surrender to mainstream culture. It may be a solution to fix those aspects that requires fixing like the treatment of girls and women.
There are many events and festivals held at Kenya. The more notable ones are the Kenya Tourism Week, Safari Rally, Rhino Charge and the International camel Derby.
Kenya Tourism Week: As Kenya became a member of WTO, the Kenya Tourism Week revolves around offering attractive packages to tourists such as cheap flights to Kenya, free flights to several sights, dinner parties and tree planting.
Safari Rally: In this event, interested drivers from all over the world has to race that covers a route of over 3000km and it takes place for 4-5 days. However, one is only qualified for this event if he gets registered by the Safari Rally management and has to be sponsored for a car and fuel from any recognized company.
Rhino Charge: This annual event is held to save the endangered species of rhino in Kenya. Rhino Charge is a car racing event where individuals as well as families can enjoy with a message to create awareness that wildlife is integral to the world. It is held in the months of June and September and the paths and routes are blocked by luggas, ditches and dense bushes to create suspense and thrill during the race.
International Camel Derby
An annual camel racing event held in the months of August and September for 2 days with the venue carefully selected to ensure that the climate is suitable for the camels.
Kenya is known for it's rich culture of tribal groups and it's safari, particularly the Masai Mara Safari. The Masai Mara Safari is the most popular Kenyan parks and reserves and it is one of the few safaris that showcase elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalos. There is also a large population of lions residing in the Kenya. The Masai Mara Safari gets it's name from the Masai tribe and is located in the south of Kenya, consisting mainly of grasslands with clusters of acacia trees. Masai Mara is renowned for it's wildebeest migration during the months of August to September. Millions of animals trek from Tanzania to Kenya every year and it is a spectacular sight not to be missed. Have a drive through the wildlife reserve through a jeep and witness animals like herds of zebras, giraffes, warthogs, jackals, antelopes, bat eared foxes as well as up to 450 species of birds! Be sure not to miss out on the traditional Masai villages for some tea ceremony as well as the famous jumping dance!
What comes to mind when Africa is mentioned is the massive amount of tribes and their rich culture as well as the wide spectrum of animals all over Africa. In my opinion, the setting up of national parks and the introduction of the different tribes to the world has disneyfied Africa. The lands that once belonged to the Masai tribe in Kenya were taken away to set up National Wildlife Parks like the Masai Mara Safari has made things hard for the Masai Tribe since they were nomadic people as they require land for herding their cows. The Masai tribe was also used as an international symbol of the tribal life and with the influx of tourists coming to Africa to experience their way of life, the younger generation of these tribes would soon lose their cultural roots as they interact with tourists. Many tribes culture would soon be diluted due to over commercialization. The effects of tourism has it's advantages and disadvantages and is definitely responsible for commodifying cultures and traditions. When these tribes are over exposed to tourists, they may perform a dance to earn revenue from the tourist and this may lose the purpose of the dance for example.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)