How Environmental Threats Have Affected the Maasai Culture
 The vast landscapes, vibrant wildlife, and fascinating history of Kenya and northern Tanzania are just a few elements that give these two regions their remarkable energy and exceptional character. But, above all, the most riveting and extraordinary inhabitants of Kenya and Tanzania are the Maasai people.
Adorned with gorgeous red robes and dangling jewelry, the Maasai people of eastern Africa are characterized by their immense intelligence and respect for their ancestors as well as nature. Every aspect in their life complements their beliefs, values, and respect for nature. Everything from the homes they live in to their occupations, and the God they worship to the semi-nomadic and pastoral lifestyle they live, are all harmonious with their core beliefs.
 Although the Maasai continue to uphold many of their ancestral traditions and beliefs, they cannot help but adapt to some of the modern changes that occur in society around them. Some of the greatest impacts on the Maasai lifestyle have come in the form of environmental threats. Due to these current threats, many wildlife conservation efforts have been put into place. Over the years, these efforts have shaped past Maasai traditions into more modern customs.
Below is a comparison between the Maasai’s traditional lifestyle and the lifestyle they have adapted due to modern influences.
Traditionally vs. Today:
 Traditionally, the Maasai are semi-nomadic and pastoral and do not believe in farming. They believe that farming goes against nature and is a destructive element to their pristine surroundings.
Their subsistence and core beliefs are based around their pastoral lifestyle as cattle herders. Warriors, or male Maasai, spend hours and even days, herding their cattle in search of food and water.
The Maasai’s livestock is a huge source of income for the Maasai people as cattle and other livestock are exchanged for money, social bonding, or other livestock. When a goat or cow is given to one individual from another or one family to another, it symbolizes a form of social bonding.
 Today, due to many threats to the land in which the Maasai occupy, many of the Maasai have been forced into areas that are not large enough to raise and keep livestock. Threats to these areas include overgrazing, diversion of natural water supply, land sales to non-Maasai, poaching, deforestation, and human / wildlife conflict.
Because the Maasai have limited land, they must use their land plots for farming—an occupation that goes against their beliefs and often yields very little positive outcome.
 In an effort to help the Maasai adapt to the changes around them, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust has devised educational programs to teach the Maasai about sustainable agricultural practices. These educational programs also provide individuals with primary, secondary, and tertiary education, and work to educate over 300 students per year. These educational programs were established with the hope and conviction that students will use this knowledge and understanding to the advantage of the local community, and therefore shape its future.
Traditionally vs. Today
 Traditionally, the boys in the tribe are required to pass through a rite of passage into manhood. Once they cross the threshold, they will be considered a warrior and granted the honor of protecting the Maasai people and land, and be in charge of herding the cattle. In order to cross into manhood, a Maasai boy must kill a lion with only a spear—a risky feat.
Today, wildlife conservation laws prohibit the Maasai from killing lions as the lion population is drastically decreasing due to overgrazing, diversion of natural water supply, poaching, deforestation, and human / wildlife conflict.
Aside from the rite of passage into manhood, the Maasai have killed lions that enter their farms in search of food and water. These killings have added to the decrease in lion population and have increased human / wildlife conflict.
Because of the decrease in lion and other predator populations, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust has established the predator compensation fund. This fund works to provide compensation to farmers who have lost their livestock due to residential predators. This compensation greatly helps to discourage farmers from killing these predators and from further endangering their population. |
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Our weekend was full of friends and family, and what a perfect way to spend the weekend. We celebrated with a surprise 40th birthday celebration for Meredith at our Lake House. It was so special to see her family and best friend, Eileen, who had traveled down from New Jersey and New York – thank you for making such a great effort to be here, Ulrich family and Eileen! (Here’s a photo of Meredith with her mom, brother and sister – what a beautiful surprise.)
Even with all the rain, our house was filled with laughter and fun times, the kids spent many hours jumping and pushing each other into the lake, kayaking and knee boarding. What a perfect start to summer.
Trip Name: Kruger Safari and Beaches of Mozambique
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