Family and Marriage for the Maasai is an interesting topic. Among the tribe there are what are called age-sets. This is a kind of social hierarchy for the Maasai. There are many age-sets that a male can be in. Women are in the age-set that their husbands are in."The image most people have of the Maasai warrior is one of a tall and lean man dressed in a bright red shuka
cloth, or red tartan blanket wrapped around his waist or slung across
his shoulders. In one hand he holds a long-bladed stabbing spear, and
more often than not will be seen leaning against it with one leg off the
ground hooked behind the other."(Finke 2008) This describes a Moran, a warrior. The Morani are the warriors of the tribe. Any man can be part of the Morani but first he must be circumcised. Once the elders decide that a boy is ready for initiation, he will be circumcised and prepared for junior warriorhood. These warriors are trusted with the task of protecting the cattle and engaging in warfare.
The elders will then decide after some time that the junior warriors have done their time and are graduated to the status of senior warrior. At this time they can have a wife or multiple wives and can have a family. After their time as a senior warrior, if they still survive, they are made an elder. Elders make most of the decisions of the clan or tribe. Elders are composed of men and women. Because there are many elders, decisions are made as a group, there is not one main decision maker. This way the decisions are not contested.
The women of the Maasai have a very different life. From when they are born, in most cases, they are already betrothed to a man. Even though they may be betrothed, they still enjoy sexual freedom until they are circumcised at about age 15. If they do not cry out or flinch during this procedure, they are considered clean, pure, and ready for marriage. To be married the man has to pay bridewealth for his bride. This is done to protect the wealth of the family that is losing a daughter.
After the women are married, they may still keep close ties with other men in the tribe. If they do become pregnant from this, their husband will accept the child as his own. Women, once they are married and have children, have to take care of the cattle as well as build the houses for the family. In one village, traditionally, there would be 8-20 houses, today there can be up to 50 houses, this is because of land restrictions. Maasai are being pushed out of their traditional territory. In addition to building the homes, women are expected to care for the home, children, and cattle. They also must fetch firewood and water which may be 30km or more away.
Finke, Jens. "Maasai - Religion and Beliefs." BlueGecko.org. 2000-2003.
11/15/2016. http://www.bluegecko.org/kenya/tribes/maasai/beliefs.htm.
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ReplyDeleteThe Maasai live very different lives than we do. This makes sense though, as the Maasai live halfway across the world. We live in America and the Maasai live in Kenya and Tanzania. They are also an indigenous tribe, so they are set in the ways of their ancestors. Sex, marriage, and family/social structures are very different.
ReplyDeleteIn Maasai culture the idea of sex is very different from our idea of sex. Boys and girls who are not married can engage in sexual relations at a young age. This is very different in our culture as sex is frowned upon until one is married. Before one is married in Maasai culture they must be circumcised. This goes for both men and women. Female circumcision is a strange and very brutal idea to us. It can cause many problems for females, but think about it, no pain, no gain, right? Why do we wear pointy shoes that kill our feet? Circumcision is their way of purifying one before marriage. There is a reason, even if we don’t understand it.
Marriage in Maasai culture is interesting. Although somewhat like our idea of marriage, Maasai marriage is monogamous. Maasai women can still have relations with former boyfriends, from their life before marriage. Another way their marriage is like ours is the way the women are absorbed into the social structure. Maasai women are in the social class that their husbands occupy. This is much like how our social system is set up. If one wants to move up they can marry up. Even though that is not the only way to move up it is a way to move up in our society.
This brings me to the social structure of the Maasai. Their social structure is very straight forward. They are either junior warriors, senior warriors, or children. In our society, there are many social classes. We have ones attached to money and ones attached to age. For example, I am a middle class, college student. Trust me, being a college student is a class all its own. When one graduates from college they become either a grad student or whatever their profession is. There are many ways for us to change classes, but in Maasai culture there are only a couple ways to move classes, that is to marry into one, or the elders find you fit to move up. This used to be done by a test, a junior warrior would have to kill a lion with just a spear.
Maasai culture is very different from our culture, even though some of the reasons behind them are the same. Some see Maasai as a savage and uncivilized people, but they are just doing what they can with what they have.
Good, but not entirely reflexive. remember, Positionality, Situationality, and Biography. How do you relate it to your personal life, your own history, and not needing to go into something personal, just meant as family traditions, beliefs about sex, communication regarding it. How about the POWER relation. You in this context, as a woman in American society, how much power you may or may not have in comparison with women in that particular culture. That would make it entirely reflexive. Pleas,e do so for the final presentation and my final evaluation of this. Good job. Thanks for the responsible work this semester.
ReplyDeleteThe Maasai live very different lives than we do. This makes sense though, as the Maasai live halfway across the world. We live in America and the Maasai live in Kenya and Tanzania. They are also an indigenous tribe, so they are set in the ways of their ancestors. Sex, marriage, and family/social structures are very different.
ReplyDeleteIn Maasai culture the idea of sex is very different from our idea of sex. Boys and girls who are not married can engage in sexual relations at a young age. I was raised to believe that sex before marriage is a sin. Before one is married in Maasai culture they must be circumcised. This goes for both men and women. Female circumcision is a strange and very brutal idea to me. I cannot imagine knowing that to be married I would have to through something like that. It can cause many problems for females, but think about it, no pain, no gain, right? Why do we wear pointy shoes that kill our feet? Circumcision is their way of purifying one before marriage. There is a reason, even if I don’t understand it.
Marriage in Maasai culture is interesting. Although somewhat like our idea of marriage, Maasai marriage is monogamous. Maasai women can still have relations with former boyfriends, from their life before marriage.This is strange to me because I know if my husband or wife was still having relations with someone else I would be very perturbed. Another way their marriage is like ours is the way the women are absorbed into the social structure. Maasai women are in the social class that their husbands occupy. This is much like how our social system is set up. If one wants to move up they can marry up. Even though that is not the only way to move up it is a way to move up in our society. As a strong independent female, the idea that I can only be better is by marrying better, makes me angry. I believe that anyone can be anything they want as long as they are willing to put in the work.
This brings me to the social structure of the Maasai. Their social structure is very straight forward. They are either junior warriors, senior warriors, or children. In our society, there are many social classes. We have ones attached to money and ones attached to age. For example, I am a middle class, college student. Trust me, being a college student is a class all its own. When one graduates from college they become either a grad student or whatever their profession is. There are many ways for us to change classes, but in Maasai culture there are only a couple ways to move classes, that is to marry into one, or the elders find you fit to move up. This used to be done by a test, a junior warrior would have to kill a lion with just a spear.
Maasai culture is very different from our culture, even though some of the reasons behind them are the same. Some see Maasai as a savage and uncivilized people, but they are just doing what they can with what they have. Some customs of the Maasai are strange and brutal to me, but I understand the reasons behind them even if they go against everything I had ever been taught as a child.