The Effects of Globalization on the Maasai People

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Traditional and Trending Gender Roles in Cultural Ceremonies - Jacob Courchaine

Maasai men and women play different roles in cultural ceremonies and traditions. Maasai men undergo what is known as the Enkipaata and Emuratta ceremonies. The Enkipaata is a coming of age ceremony where boys are initiated into manhood through various trials and the Emuratta is the circumcision ceremony. These are important rites of passage and are considered the transformation from a boy to a young man (Enkipaata) and then a young man into Morani (Emuratta). Maasai women will also undergo the Emuratta ceremony, but due to a shift in gender roles in the 21st century, are more often opting out of the ceremony. This is due to the fact that more and more Maasai women are taking up dominant, worker roles in order to provide services and raise money for the Maasai people. Eco-tourism has had a lasting effect on Maasai society and this is one of the changes the Maasai have made to their culture in order to adapt to globalization.
Maasai women, traditionally do not have a dominant role. They perform domestic duties and require dowry in order to be wed. Often, a Morani warrior will have to pay a dowry in cattle in order to marry a Ndito (young woman).
After initiated, Morani live in warrior camps called Emanyatta. These camps are free-visit camps where the warrior's wife is allowed to stay. However, due to jealousy and to avoid confrontation, many Morani whom are married live in the clan camps rather than in the Emanyatta. confrontations over wives are typically very serious and involve weaponry. These confrontations can result in death.
However, Ole Maimai states, that much of these traditions have slowly been eroding away since the start of the 21st century and western ideals are taking root. Often, warriors are being displaced into urban environments where they can work for food and money. All the while, Maasai women work on reserves and resorts providing services like food preparation and beadwork to be sold for tourism purposes.

References:

Maimai, Ole
2013 Preserving and Celebrating Maasai Cultural Heritage: Maasai Ceremonies and Rituals. MAASAI Association.

2012 Africa by Franchi: Journey to Masailand. Benelli USA.

Background Information

The Maasai are a traditional semi-nomadic group that have been living in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania since the 16th century. According to the 2009 census, the Maasai population is roughly 840,000. Although many of the Maasai people cannot read nor write, they have their own language, called "Maa." They live in open grassland and heavily depend on cattle herding and agriculture. Despite the influence of war, colonialism, and political agenda over the years, the Maasai have continued to prosper and have kept their culture and traditional way of life.

References:

Future Warriors Project Inc.

N.d. Who Are The Maasai. Electronic document, http://www.futurewarriorsproject.org/masai-massai-maasai.html, accessed March 25, 2014

Vision

The iCross-Cultural Citizen Project’s vision is to create an online cross-cultural space for students, professionals, and youth to learn and exchange cross-culturally sensitive information about contemporary indigenous experiences. From that outsider student’s perspective, we will try to theoretically explore possible collaborative solutions to problems that affect the indigenous populations of our planet. Finally, we hope for the future creation of a space where indigenous youth can share their experiences and their realities with us for real mutual collaboration to take place.