The Maasai: A brief
history
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The migration from the
Nile Valley
 Maasai came from the north,
Probably from the region of the
Nile Valley in Sudan
 They left this area sometime between 14th and 16th centuries
 Migrated south toward Great Rift Valley
 Maasai oral history states they come from a crater or
deep valley (Endikir-e-Kerio)
 Exact location unknown, but they did migrate south after a drought
 Entered Kenya to the west of Lake Turkana and quickly spread
south through Rift Valley
 Fertile grasslands ideal for cattle
 Reached present-day Kenya and Tanzania around 17th or 18th
centuries
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Maasai territory
The early 19th century
 Until 1930s Maasai a cohesive nation and formidable
fighting force
 Land expansion necessary to feed ever-increasing
cattle herds (essential to life and culture)
 Their neighbours lived in fear – those in open country
put up defence works and others lived on higher
ground unsuitable for cattle
 Other tribes opted for trade and marriage alliances,
others became experts at rituals
 Maasai power not confined to neighbours, the Arabs
who traveled the caravan routes had to cede to the
Maasai
The arrival of “those who
contain their farts”
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The Europeans arrive…
 More and more Europeans arrive in Kenya the last half
of the 19th century
 Missionaries were first to arrive and their attitude of
moral outrage set the tone for subsequent colonial
history
 Missionaries had little impact and are frustrated in their
efforts at converting these “heathens” to the presentday
 Explorers had damaging and lasting impact
 Maasai land targeted for colonization because of
climate and natural resources – to provide homes and
lands for white settlers
 British Army also came during this time
The rinderpest epidemics
of 1880-1890
 Series of disasters occurred that were associated with
arrival of British – greatest catastrophe Kenyan tribe
would suffer
 Epidemic of pleuro-pneumonia which decimated herds
 Next came febrile rinderpest which by end of 1880s
reduced Maasai herds by 80%
 Maasai people were hit with cholera, drought, famine,
smallpox which took population of 500,000 to 40,000
 Remaining Maasai forced to submit to colonial rulers
rather than fight them
Colonial (mis)rule
 British colonization began in earnest around 1885
when railway construction began linking Mombasa on
the coast with Kampala (in present day Uganda)
 1904 after years of warfare thousands Maasai killed
and they had no choice but to accept loss of their land
 1904 Maasai Agreement reduced territory by 2/3 and
forcible ‘relocation’ took place 1911-1913 to distant
reserves in southern Kenya and Tanzania
 British government racist and felt they were “protecting”
the unintelligent Maasai
 British stole the Mau Escarpment near Lake Naivasha,
which was one of the Maasai spiritual lands promised
to them by God (white settlers continue to live there
today) – also lost access to fresh water all year round =
disastrous
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Colonial Rule continued…
 Maasai petitioned courts from 1914 onwards for return
of some of their lands – finally given some back but lost
over half their territory for good
 1930s further land loss when British encouraged
neighbouring tribes to settle in Maasai territory
 By late 1930s government introduced poll taxes to
force Maasai to sell their livestock – intended to reduce
Maasai’s need for land
 WWII colonial administration reduced quota of cattle
Maasai allowed to have – 2,000 a month to be sold to
meet food reserve for military
Independence – more of
the same…
 Things were no better after Kenyan independence –
more Maasai land taken by agriculturalists, land
redistribution programs, and game reserves
 Poverty results and social disorganization did not
convince the Maasai to settle
 Since 1979 Maasai useful in politics versus other tribal
enemies
 Governments in Kenya and Tanzania persist in trying to
convince the Maasai to make permanent agricultural
settlements and to give up their traditional way of life in
favour of formal education and cash economy
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