CATTLE AND THE MASAI
The Masai believed they had been entrusted with the responsibility of
safeguarding all the world’s cattle. In a traditional Masai settlement,
everyone took part in caring for the cattle, the men herding and the
women milking. The meat and milk of the cow was the staple diet of
the people, its hide was used to make clothes, and its horns and bones
were made into utensils. People even drew blood from a cow if there
was nothing else to drink. So the number of cows kept by a family was
an indication of their wealth and their status in society. Even today,
cattle may be used as currency when Masai
people are buying and selling other goods.
ENKAI THE CREATOR
In many Masai myths, the creator god Enkai is a central character.
Enkai is the sky god who represents both the sun and the rains,
and lives in the sky with his wife, Olapa, the moon. Once, Enkai
told the people to leave their kraals (enclosures) open at night, but
not everyone obeyed. Those who did discovered in the morning
that Enkai had given them cows, sheep, and goats. These people
became the Masai. The Dorobo became hunters and the Kikuyu
took up farming for their livelihood.ORIGINS OF POLYGAMY
The Kikuyu farming people of Kenya have a history of intermarriage
with the Masai. Kikuyu clans carry women’s names and yet the men
are allowed to take more than one wife. Their mythology says that the
opposite arrangement once prevailed, with each
woman taking several husbands. The
men rebelled, changing the custom
when all the women were pregnant
and powerless to defend their
rights. So the men gained the
power to have several wives, but
the women insisted that the clan
names stay with the female line,
threatening to kill their boy
children if the men tried to
impose male clan names.
THE FIRST CATTLEMasai bride
When a Masai man marries, his family
traditionally has to pay a bride-price to
the woman’s family, and this payment is
usually made in cattle.
Status symbol
Masai families own around 15 head of
cattle each, sufficient for a regular supply
of milk and meat, with enough left over
to breed and to exchange in transactions.Dorobo hunter
When the Dorobo ignored the creator’s
generosity, they were left without livestock
and so had to continue being hunters. But
nowadays most of them live as cattle-herders.Masai herders
The Masai myth about
ownership of livestock is
often used to justify their
right to raid others’ cattle.Kikuyu man with his wife
This Kikuyu couple are wearing
their traditional tribal dress. The
shield and spear are generally
used today in ceremonial dances.Kikuyu farmers
The Kikuyu are Kenya’s prominent farmers.
They claim the supreme god placed their
ancestors on the fertile soil of Mount Kenya.131