subject: Some Weird Things about the Kenyan Masai [print this page] Some Weird Things about the Kenyan Masai Some Weird Things about the Kenyan Masai
Most Masai have refused to fully embrace the western way of life like other communities in Kenya. Some are still living a very primitive life though the government is doing all it can to educate them on the need to be enlightened and mix with the world. They have the strongest and most famous culture in the country. Most people from oversees just come to experience how it would feel living as one of the tribe even for a day. Some have ended up getting married and raising families with these people. The Masai are monotheistic and they believe that their god, 'Engai' lives on the 'Mt. of God', Ol Donyo Lengai.
It is from its base that they do most of their worship and sacrificial ceremonies. When a Masai child is born, it is not full accepted into the home and society at large until it is three months old. This is as a result of the high mortality rate. The baby is not even given a name until it reaches this age. If it makes through the first three months of life, it is shaven and given a name in a ceremony witnessed by the entire community. When a person dies, he is not buried for they think this can pollute the soil. The body is thrown away to be eaten by scavengers. You will find them smearing cow blood and fat on the body to entice the hyenas to eat it. A corpse that is not eaten by the scavengers can bring a bad omen to the community thus the need to entice the animals to eat it.
Another weird thing is that the women are the ones who build houses in this community. This they do by helping each other out. The women are the ones who milk the cows and do most of the heavy work in the community. When the boys are being initiated into adulthood, this is done without the use of any anesthesia. This is a very painful procedure that demands that the boys be brave. Any attempt to show signs of pain or discomfort can bring shame on the individual's family.
