Write a short note on maasai society
Answers
In precolonial times Maasai society was divided into two social categories: (i) elders and (ii) warriors.
The elders who formed the ruling group, were the advisors and settled disputes. The younger people were the warriors. They defended the community and organised raids.
Wealth was assessed in terms of cattle. Through raids, power and prestige of different pastoral groups was asserted.
Under the British colonisers, chiefs of different sub-groups of Maasai's were made responsible for the affairs of the tribe. Also restrictions were imposed on warfare and raiding. These measures of the British had serious implications on Maasai society.
(i) There developed a distinction between wealthy and poor pastoralists. Chiefs had both pastoral and non-pastoral income. Often they accumulated wealth either through trade or by indulging in money-lending activities.
(ii) The life of the poor pastoralist who depended only on livestock was badly affected. Many were forced to give up their old occupation and had to ekk out a living as charcoal burners or by seeking jobs in towns
Before colonial times,
(1)The Maasailand stretched over a vast area from north Kenya to the steppes of northern Tanzania.
(2)The Maasai pastoralists had dominated their agricultural neighbours both economically and politically.
(3)The society was divided into two social categories – elders and warriors. The elders formed the ruling group and met in periodic councils to decide on the affairs of the community and settle disputes. The warriors consisted of younger people, mainly responsible for the protection of the tribe.
(4)Raiding was important in a society where cattle was wealth. It is through raids that the power of different pastoral groups was asserted.
During colonial time.
(1)European imperial powers scrambled for territorial possessions in Africa, slicing up the region into different colonies
(2)The best grazing lands were gradually taken over for white settlement and the Maasai were pushed into a small area in south Kenya and north Tanzania.
(3)The traditional difference based on age, between the elders and warriors, was disturbed, though it did not break down entirely. A new distinction between the wealthy and poor pastoralists developed.