In most cases, there is no need to use them, but in remote settlements, they are still of practical use. At the age around 14, they go through rituals and ceremonies to become a junior warrior and this includes circumcision. Maasai are pastoralist and have resisted the urging of the Tanzanian and Kenyan governments to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. "Sustainability and livelihood diversification among the Maasai of Northern Tanzania". Single tribes are continuously migrating, occasionally crossing state borders. The authors observed haplogroup E1b1b-M35 (not M78) in 35% of the studied Maasai. If you happen to visit larger Tanzanian towns like Arusha, or Zanzibar beaches, you might spot some people wearing traditional attire - red and blue plaids, with their arms and necks bead-covered. There is no data about the same retirement practices for women, though. [108], This wasnt the first time Maasai territory was encroached upon. Genetic data and archeologic evidence suggest that East African pastoralists received West Eurasian ancestry (~25%) through Afroasiatic-speaking groups from Northern Africa or the Arabian Peninsula, and later spread this ancestry component southwards into certain Khoisan groups roughly 2,000 years ago, resulting in ~5% West-Eurasian ancestry among Southern African hunter-gatherers. The larger your herd is, the higher social status you have. Are the Maasai the tallest people on the planet? South Korean women have experienced a growth of eight inches over the past century . There are also special festive ceremonies to commemorate the initiation into the ranks of warriors a milk and a meat ceremony. The central human figure in the Maasai religious system is the .mw-parser-output .vanchor>:target~.vanchor-text{background-color:#b1d2ff}laibon whose roles include shamanistic healing, divination and prophecy, and ensuring success in war or adequate rainfall. But if a woman gives birth to a child from such a casual union, her husband is considered to be the father. With the Western type nutrition they're pushing 7ft and over in height. The exact number of Maasai people is unknown because of the peculiarities of the information collected and published by the Tanzanian National Bureau of Statistics. A few cases were reported about the tribal families whose small herds were ravaged and exterminated by wild predators. Genetic genealogy, a tool that uses the genes of modern populations to trace their ethnic and geographic origins, has also helped clarify the possible background of the modern Maasai. [83], Eunoto, the coming-of-age ceremony of the warrior, can involve ten or more days of singing, dancing and ritual. There she met a Maasai warrior whom she fell in love with and decided to stay to marry him, live in a Maasai village, and eventually have a child there. Goodman, Ric. It is a traditional Tanzaninan fisherman attire that the local Maasai found to their liking. So the total number of Maasai is increasing. It seems more right to simply observe the living past unfolding incomprehensibly here and now, right before our eyes. For natural reasons, the custom of leaving for several years to live in separate camps has lost its relevance today and is not observed by all clans. 100 to 178 pounds. [10], The Maasai inhabit the African Great Lakes region and arrived via South Sudan. The figures demonstrate a discrepancy with many of the findings of the first table, for example with Bosnia and Herzegovina which is ranked sixth on the following table, an actual survey from 2014 already found males from 19-32 to average 183.9 cm [32] as opposed to the 182.5 cm reported below; similarly Montenegro's male estimate of 183.3 cm [107], The Maasai community was reportedly being targeted with live ammunition and tear gas in June 2022 in Tanzania, in a government plan to seize a piece of Maasai land for elite private luxury development. Maasai is a patriarchal society. The traditional Maasai diet consists of six basic foods: milk, meat, fat, blood, honey, and tree bark. Cornmeal may also be added to it. To further complicate their situation, in 1975 the Ngorongoro Conservation Area banned cultivation practices. Evidently, this causes them to be the People with the lowest life expectancy in the whole world. The surprising results of the field study show that the Maasai are in a good health status in spite of a limited diet. Beforethey.com. Percentage increase in mean male vs. female height over a century. The Maa word for circumcision, "emorata," is applied to this ritual for both males and females. Traditionally, Maasai wore animal hides for capes. The only exception may be the killing of a lion in a course of defense when the predator attacks grazing cattle or a Maasai village. If a predator appears, the boy shall call for the adults. There are almost no camp settlements for the morans, and there are no competitions between them. Except for some elders living in rural areas, most Maasai people speak the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. :8; 2001", "Challenges To Traditional Livelihoods And Newly Emerging Employment Patterns Of Pastoralists In Tanzania", A Review of Land Tenure Policy Implication on Pastoralism in Tanzania, "Maasai protesters shot, beaten as Tanzania moves forward with wildlife game reserve", "Tanzanian Maasai battle eviction from ancestral land", "Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples; and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons", Working for a just and self-sustaining community for the Maasai People, Maasai people, Kenya at the Maasai Association, Indiana University Art Museum Arts of Kenya online collection, Population and Housing Census - Ethnic Affiliation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maasai_people&oldid=1142123554, Ethnic groups divided by international borders, Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, Short description is different from Wikidata, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Articles containing Swahili (macrolanguage)-language text, Articles with incomplete citations from June 2022, Articles lacking reliable references from February 2023, Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from November 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 17:00. Raiders used spears and shields but were most feared for throwing clubs (orinka) which could be accurately thrown from up to 70 paces (approx. These subdivisions are known as 'nations' or 'iloshon' in the Maa language: the Keekonyokie, Ildamat, Purko, Wuasinkishu, Siria, Laitayiok, Loitai, Ilkisonko, Matapato, Dalalekutuk, Ilooldokilani, Ilkaputiei, Moitanik, Ilkirasha, Samburu, Ilchamus, Laikipiak, Loitokitoki, Larusa, Salei, Sirinket and Parakuyo. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, and raw blood from cattle. Ultrasound scanning showed that the Maasai have a great amount of fat around their inner organs. When the time comes to take off and move on to new pastures, the Maasai shake the dry dung and soil down the walls, dismantle the pole frames, and carry all the material to a new site, where a new settlement appears in a few days. [34][35], The monotheistic Maasai worship a single deity called Enkai or Engai. [52] Women wear various forms of beaded ornaments in both the ear lobe and smaller piercings at the top of the ear. Usually it takes around 24 hours. The staff they lean on helps them stand straight. U.S. and Canada: 5 feet, 4 inches. It is most common in the grazing season when the savannah plains are full of fresh grass. Well, we can bet that modern Maasai cling to the traditions of tribal communities, feed on cattle breeding, are ignorant in writing and reading skills but good at swords, spears and bows, make fire by friction and reject almost all creature comforts that we, modern people, are so spoiled with in our 21st-century world. Their heads look large. Milking is a womans task. Usually an important marker of cardio-vascular diseases, this normally unhealthy fat distribution seems to have no real negative impact for the Maasai. The dance is called the amudu. Frequent randomizing of birth dates and other bio-data are not uncommon when it comes to actually counting the Maasai. (2003). We think of them as tall and lean, with long sticks in their hands, jumping into the air for no apparent reason - what is it? Even though the average height of women has increased, Indian women are slightly lower than the world women population. The tribe of nomads and warriors who steadfastly refuse the temptations of civilization and have been living their ancestors' way of life up to this day. [103] This influenced British colonial policymakers in 1951 to remove all Maasai from the Serengeti National Park and relegate them to areas in and around the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). McCabe, Terrence. The female rite of passage ritual has recently seen excision replaced in rare instances with a "cutting with words" ceremony involving singing and dancing in its place. The Maasai pay little attention to appeals to stop wandering and switch to a settled way of life, and are always ready to pack and go in search of new pastures for the animals entrusted to them by the ancient god. [48][49] Nevertheless, killing a lion gives one great value and celebrity status in the community. But they are connected with the tradition for the moran warriors to live in separate camps, which is now becoming obsolete. Today we have an opportunity to observe the life of tribal society in its natural manifestation. As a rule, there is only one wide passageway for people and cattle in and out of the settlement. The tallest women could be found in Latvia, with an average height of 170 centimetres (5-foot-7). Bulls, goats, and lambs are slaughtered for meat on special occasions and ceremonies. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, and raw blood from cattle. The pole replaces the spear for warriors today though the spears are not uncommon among modern Maasai as well. For a woman raised in the United States, the average height is currently 5 feet 4 inches. More often, they stay in their home village and help the elders manage the household. [74][75], Maasai music traditionally consists of rhythms provided by a chorus of vocalists singing harmonies while a song leader, or olaranyani, sings the melody. Maasai law forbade the pursuit of a drought-ridden lion or one that had been poisoned or caught in a net. 1 [deleted] 4 yr. ago [removed] Altezza Travel will be happy to arrange your trip to an authentic Maasai village in Tanzania. You have probably heard that the Maasai are not squeamish about the blood of cows and bulls. [43][44], Traditional Maasai lifestyle centres around their cattle, which constitute their primary source of food. You wont find a real Maasai warrior among them. Climb Kilimanjaro and go on safari with us! [7][8][9] Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visitors to their villages to experience their culture, traditions, and lifestyle, in return for a fee. (2005) tested various Sub-Saharan populations, including 26 Maasai men from Kenya, for paternal lineages. . German doctors in the same area claimed that "every second" African had a pock-marked face as the result of smallpox. In Tanzania and Kenya, female genital mutilation is illegal. [106], Many Maasai have moved away from the nomadic life to positions in commerce and government. And this is of high relevance to the Maasai, who practice polygamy and sharing wives with all peers except close relatives. "Maasai" literally means "one who speaks the Maa language. This ancient language is currently used by at least half a dozen ethnic groups, constituting the sub-tribes of the Maasai people. In the US, the average male is 1.77 m tall. [27] Tishkoff et al. This leads some clans to begin cultivating small vegetable gardens. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1980. page 79. Ethnic group located in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, "Maasai"_Tepilit Ole Saitoti 1980 Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, New York, Nelson, Jimmy. It is another restriction of the official laws imposed on the Maasai, which, however, contributes to preserving the traditions in possession of edged weapons characteristic of tribal society. Most likely, the custom is relevant only for periods when the moran warriors depart from the village to live separately, and they go to special places under the tree branches to cook meat there, and women are strictly forbidden to enter such places. [17], Because of this migration, the Maasai are the southernmost Nilotic speakers. This concept was later proven false by anthropologists but is still deeply ingrained in the minds of ecologists and Tanzanian officials. In some cases, the number of wives could be as high as thirty. Young men stealing cattle from other clans are looked upon as something usual. After all, absolutely all peoples on earth have passed through this stage. We accept: Visa | Mastercard | American Express, In June 2022 by Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Maasai warriors performing the amudu dance, Maasai warriors wearing traditional shukas. [42] A corpse rejected by scavengers is seen as having something wrong with it, and liable to cause social disgrace; therefore, it is not uncommon for bodies to be covered in fat and blood from a slaughtered ox. All the huts are lined up, encircling a cattle pen in the center. The Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics", "The Maasai and Their Neighbors: Variables of Interaction", "The Maasai Tribe - Maasai History And Culture - Kenya Travel Guide", "The Genetic Structure and History of Africans and African Americans", "The genetics of East African populations: a Nilo-Saharan component in the African genetic landscape", "Ancient west Eurasian ancestry in southern and eastern Africa", "Contrasting patterns of Y chromosome and mtDNA variation in Africa: evidence for sex-biased demographic processes", Appendix A: Y Chromosome Haplotype Frequencies, "Phylogeographic Analysis of Haplogroup E3b (E-M215) Y Chromosomes Reveals Multiple Migratory Events Within and Out Of Africa", "The phylogenetic tree based on SNP data Y-DNA haplogroup E-V22", American Journal of Physical Anthropology, "Kenyan crossroads: migration and gene flow in six ethnic groups from Eastern Africa", "African water symbolism and its consequences", "Kenyan Tribes & Religions | Travel to Africa", "Lion Killing in the Amboseli-Tsavo Ecosystem, 20012006, and its Implications for Kenya's Lion Population", "Maasai Ritual of Female Circumcision: Genital Cutting Practiced throughout Africa and Middle East", "In-depth: Razor's Edge - The Controversy of Female Genital Mutilation", "Legislating Change? As of 18 June 2022, approximately 30 Maasai people had been injured and at least one killed, at the hands of the Tanzanian government Field Force Unit (FFU) while protesting the governments plans of what it claims are delimiting a 1500 sq km of land as a game reserve, an act which violates a 2018 East African Court of Justice (EACJ) injunction on the land dispute, per local activists. Mean adult height by year of birth, males vs. females. They wear bracelets on their wrists and shins. Beadwork is favorite among many peoples of Africa, but the skilled Maasai artisans seem to have outdone everyone in their desire to stand out and become the most visible on the continent. Those settling closer to the urban areas discover the luxury of modern construction materials such as slate, tin sheets, polycarbonate, and iron. The plot tells a fictional tribal legend in which young warriors must go on a quest to find and kill a ferocious lion, thus placating the Red God and returning long-awaited rain to the Maasai lands after a prolonged drought. Relative increase in mean heights of females born in 1996 vs. 1896. From 4'1 ft, it has slowly increased to 5 ft. Alone and in twos, in rhythmic succession, tall young men clad in red blankets demonstrate their best skills. It is a painful and risky procedure, as it is performed without a single hint of hygiene and disinfection and, moreover, in plain sight of the other villagers. And squandering such a valuable belonging is an absolute no. Mbalilaki JA, Masesa Z, Stromme SB, et al. Civilization is penetrating deeper and deeper into Maasailand, bringing about significant changes in economic patterns, everyday life, traditions, and even in the diet of the Maasai. Most of the tested Maasai belonged to various macro-haplogroup L sub-clades, including L0, L2, L3, L4 and L5. While the Kenyan government counted about 1.2 million Maasai individuals during the 2019 census, Tanzanian takers are doing worse, failing to factor ethnicity into census collection. Everybody benefits from the popularity of the dance, and thus the amudu can often be seen performed by other African peoples. [109], A 2019 United Nations report described OBC as a luxury-game hunting company based in the United Arab Emirates that was granted a hunting license by the Tanzanian government in 1992 permitting the UAE royal family to organise private hunting trips in addition to denying the Maasai people access to their ancestral land and water for herding cattle. Maasai men who leave their villages and accept wage labor are often hired as guards, for example in national parks, in remote hotels and other tourist areas, or even as private bodyguards. They only fought a lion on the open plain to be on an equal footing with it. Alongside the jumping dance, the clothes have become a distinctive feature of these nomads. According to the CDC report, that measurement you're looking for the average height of a woman in the United States is 5'4". Beadwork is also a woman's job. [96] From this, they can decide on roles and responsibilities associated with the particular stage of their lives. The exception is found in extremely remote areas. On average, women are almost 12 centimetres shorter than men. Experienced travelers note that the Maasai are always neat and well-groomed. Lion hunting was an activity of the past, but it has been banned in East Africa yet lions are still hunted when they maul Maasai livestock. Arrows can drive away small predators. They have demanded grazing rights to many of the national parks in both countries. Though the Maasai's entire way of life has historically depended on their cattle, more recently with their cattle dwindling, the Maasai have grown dependent on food such as sorghum, rice, potatoes and cabbage (known to the Maasai as goat leaves). Thank you for making the payment. The Maasai tribes are settled next to huge national park areas of Tanzania - across a territory currently known as the Maasailand. Who are the Maasai and why are they important? Another example, The White Maasai, is the autobiography of Corinne Hofmann, a Swiss woman who went on a trip to Africa with her fianc in 1986 but never returned. [53] Among Maasai males, circumcision is practised as a ritual of transition from boyhood to manhood. Moran warriors now become junior elders; they have their hair shaved off and are exempted from compulsory labor. [32] The second most frequent paternal lineage among the Maasai was Haplogroup A3b2, which is commonly found in Nilotic populations, such as the Alur;[30][33] it was observed in 27% of Maasai men. Blood tests showed that there is a high content of healthy omega-3 fatty acids in their erythrocyte membranes, the cell walls of the red blood cells, even though these acids are not ingested. The Maasai are fearless warriors, and in the past, there were indeed two types of lion hunting: personal and group hunts. They also often stand for long periods in the middle of the savanna while their cows graze around them. The process of raising awareness among the Maasai is progressing albeit slowly. Wooden bows with arrows are not so rare. However, many Maasai have a command of English and Swahili ever since English and Swahili were introduced as the official languages of Tanzania. "Pastoral livelihoods in Tanzania: Can the Maasai benefit from conservation?" They would not accept city life and modern technology for the world. Women are divided into groups, unlike men, who are divided into three groups or life stages, childhood, warriorhood and senior warriorhood, women only go through two age-sets: the first one consists of little girls and teenagers up until the age of 16; the second gathers women from the age of 17 onwards, those who had to overcome a ritual of Tanzania and Kenyas Indigenous Maasai People, Coming of Age Rituals and painful Circumcision. Fruits and vegetables are almost never on the regular menu of nomadic warriors. Pink, even with flowers, is not shunned by warriors. We will tell you below whether it's really true. The average height of females has steadily increased over the past few years due to increased nutrition and higher standards of living. What is the population of Maasai in Kenya? Is organic formula better than regular formula. As you first step out of the Tanzanian arrivals terminal, you might see local guys and young ladies, festively dressed and welcoming travelers. In rural Kenya, a group of 95 children aged between six months and two years were examined in 1991/92. The Maasai constantly practice throwing their spears. But pygmies are not a dwarf variant of the Black Africans. Rice, potatoes, cabbage, and other agricultural products also make their way into the Maasai diet. The plan for the NCA was to put Maasai interests above all else, but this promise was never met. All the roles were played by nonprofessional actors, young Maasai fellows. Ochre-dyed hair, crouched huts, a lonesome shepherd tending his skinny humped cows amidst the savannah - arent these all the images coming to your mind when you try to describe the indigenous people of Africa? The average US-american woman reaches 14 cm less with a height of 1.63 m. Male Female Heights by continents A pure list by country may be helpful when it comes to classifying yourself in your environment. When water is scarce, which is typical of the tropical climate, cow urine is used to moisture the building material. A hunting concession already situated in Loliondo is owned by OBC, a company that has been allegedly linked to the significantly wealthy Emirati royal family as per Tanzanian lawyers, environmentalists as well as human rights activists. The average height of a Maasai is believed to be 190.5 cm / 6.25 feet, which makes the Maasai ethnic group one of the tallest, together with the Tutsi people. [11] Most Nilotic speakers in the area, including the Maasai, the Turkana and the Kalenjin, are pastoralists and are famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle rustlers. More customs will become a matter of the past. The wife must give her consent. [45][46], All of the Maasai's needs for food are met by their cattle. So the women have to cut to the chase themselves. Near the Tanzanian coast, kikoi kerchiefs are added to the garment; these are less bright and usually have a checkerboard pattern. 100 metres). If you are a Maasai, cows are your true meaning of life. Maasai. The Maasai (/msa, msa/;[3][4] Swahili: Wamasai) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine the Maasai not wearing their colorful wraps. Blood is also boiled and used in cooking or drinks, accompanied with ugali (monono). Almost every photo shows the Maasai men and women wearing bright red, or sometimes blue or lilac capes. Nilotes in Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan and other parts of East Aftrica are 6ft 4 to 6ft 6 inches tall without adequate nutrition which is taller than all European nations. In addition to initiation rites and major rituals that elevate the status of warriors, the Maasai tribe has other customs. Bracelets, necklaces, and ornaments for head and ears made of multicolored beads are obligatory attributes of any self-respecting Maasai. Possession and carrying of firearms are strictly prohibited. Then these women have to retell it to their fellow tribesmen. Local souvenir stores and markets sell a variety of beads, wooden accessories, and other knick-knacks. [78], Women chant lullabies, humming songs, and songs praising their sons. The Maasai people stood against slavery and never condoned the traffic of human beings, and outsiders looking for people to enslave avoided the Maasai. Each day they are sent further and further away from the village. Maasai Diet As a result, most of the Maasai people have a dangerously low life expectancy. [47], One common misconception about the Maasai is that each young man is supposed to kill a lion before he can be circumcised and enter adulthood. Like most poor women in African nations, the majority of Maasai women in Kenya are destined to live a life of poverty and cultural oppression. As the boys and girls reach the age of seven, they get their ears pierced. It is the faithfulness to the ancestors' precepts and steadfast adherence to tribal laws that has ensured the vitality of Maasai culture as we know it. The estimate first put forward by a German lieutenant in what was then northwest Tanganyika, was that 90% of cattle and half of wild animals perished from rinderpest. Thus, if an unruly young warrior attacks a member of another clan or, God forbid, a stranger from a wide civilized world, the whole village will be liable to pay the fine (in cows, of course). Please provide company email, requests from personal mail are not processed. Average Female Height in India. The best throwers are able to send a spear flying at a distance of up to 100 meters. The third most frequently observed paternal DNA marker in the Maasai was E1b1a1-M2 (E-P1), which is very common in the Sub-Saharan region; it was found in 12% of the Maasai samples. There is a stunningly beautiful feature film called Maasai, The Rain Warriors. The adamu is part of the Eunoto ceremony, where boys transition to men. Speaking of the positive changes, female circumcision is becoming increasingly rare, and Maasai women are being educated and with it the opportunity to have much more influence over their living conditions arrives. A woman from the tribe with enough experience then takes a dirty blade and cuts off a part of a young girls genitalia as the girl screams and thrusts in pain. It is very rare for lions to attack Maasai herds; this can cause damage to the nearby people especially if there is a small child around. Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, honey and raw blood from cattlenote that the Maasai cattle are of the Zebu variety. The club is made of wood and is shaped like a femur (a thighbone). If this happens, the defiled food will be thrown away. Current Issues in Tourism. Herds of cows and goats are the main care-about and the only value recognized within Maasai. Warriors who do not have sexual relations with women who have not undergone the "Emuatare" ceremony are especially honoured at the Eunoto gathering. It is believed that the Maasai constitute about two million of the countrys population as of today. Tepilit Ole Saitoti with photos by Carol Beckwith. The global average height of adult women born in 1996 is 159 cm, or 5 foot and 3 inches. It can be used in close-quarter combat. Anuradha Mittal, the executive director of the environmental think-tank, Oakland Institute cited that OBC wasnt a safari company for just everyone, it has operations for the royal family. [79][80][81][82] When many Maasai women gather together, they sing and dance among themselves. Judging by European standards, children are brought up harshly. Male elders control the strict observance of traditions in the village. It is right to take this news in the same way that we take the rare shocking messages about stray dogs attacking children in remote and sparsely populated areas of Russia. The warriors' natural pride does not allow it. [38] The "Mountain of God", Ol Doinyo Lengai, is located in northernmost Tanzania and can be seen from Lake Natron in southernmost Kenya. Whatever power an individual laibon had was a function of personality rather than position. It results in a wide diversity of sub-dialects changing from one Maasai settlement to another. Goat and beef are the first choices for meat because it is almost a crime to slaughter cows for food. In the past, animal skins were used in boma construction for better protection from the stresses of weather - some tribes practice it even today. And the average waist circumference? These are called shuka and are worn in the same manner as the ancient Roman toga. Here is another one of the seemingly strange Maasai traditions: women are not allowed to cook food for men, are not allowed to be present when it is cooked, and are not even allowed to look at it. The Maasai culture feeds East Africa, and, at least in Tanzania and Kenya, the attributes of this nomadic tribe are in high demand among tourists. [99] Maasai near the coast may wear kikoi, a type of sarong that comes in many different colours and textiles[100][101][102]. They often sell those right from the ground by the roads near the villages. To survive they are forced to participate in Tanzania's monetary economy. Once the lion population began to decline, the Maasai stopped the practice of hunting lions, turning from hunters into defenders. At the age of 30 or 35, the men go through another ritual that raises their status. Fresh milk is drunk in a calabash (gourd) and is sometimes mixed with fresh cattle blood. The Maasai say that if they abandon their way of life to create some new one, it will take thousands of years.