About The Maasai

The Maasai are an ethnic group native to southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Living mainly within the expansive Great Rift Valley, they are semi-nomadic pastoralists who take advantage of the region's arid climate to raise their main livestock like cows, sheep, and goats. Historically speaking, much of the Maasai culture centers around land ownership and sharing. This often manifests in rituals known as 'jumping of cattle' or 'ole ashito', that symbolically pass on ownership between family members on certain occasions. They have their own language called Maa alongside Swahili which is widely spoken throughout East Africa. The Maasai tribe is also best known for their vibrant traditional clothing—predominantly made up of red cloth with intricate beading along its edges—which serves as a form of identity and protection against predators in its wild environment. The Maasai remain key stewards and conservationists of preservable areas across Kenya.