{"name":"Maasai","self_name":null,"also_known_as":["Masai","Maa-speaking people"],"slug":"maasai","era":"living","lives_in_voluntary_isolation":false,"region":"Africa","countries":["Kenya","Tanzania"],"homeland":"African Great Lakes region, including the Great Rift Valley","population":"about 2.1 million (2019 Kenya census, 2024 estimate for Tanzania)","population_number":2100000,"language":"Maa (Maasai), Swahili, English","language_family":"Nilo-Saharan","beliefs":"Maasai religion (worship of Enkai), Christianity, Islam","official_status":null,"ways_of_living":["Herding"],"known_for":["age set","cattle","beadwork","rites of passage","pastoralism","ear stretching"],"summary":"The Maasai are a Nilotic people native to Kenya and northern Tanzania, numbering over 2 million. They are widely recognized for their pastoral way of life, distinctive dress, and strong cultural traditions, including age-set systems and elaborate rites of passage.","key_facts":[],"sections":{"who_they_are":"The Maasai are a Nilotic people living mainly in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Their society is held together by a shared language (Maa), a strong tradition of cattle herding, and a system of age-sets that organize social roles and responsibilities. The Maasai are known for their distinctive dress, beadwork, and rituals. Despite pressures to change, they maintain many of their traditional ways and values, including their belief in the importance of cattle and the central role of elders and warriors in community life.","homeland":"The Maasai live in the African Great Lakes region, especially in the Great Rift Valley, stretching from central and southern Kenya into northern Tanzania. Their lands include open grasslands, savannahs, and areas near famous wildlife reserves such as the Maasai Mara and Serengeti. Traditionally, their territory was much larger, but much of it has been taken for national parks and conservation areas.","language":"The Maasai speak Maa, a Nilotic language related to Dinka and Nuer. Maa is still widely spoken, especially in rural areas, though most Maasai also speak Swahili and English, the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania. The language is a key part of Maasai identity and is used in daily life, ceremonies, and oral traditions.","livelihood":"Cattle herding is central to Maasai life. Cattle are a source of food, wealth, and social status. The Maasai also keep goats and sheep. Milk, meat, and blood from livestock are important in their diet. Their houses, called manyattas, are built from mud, sticks, and cow dung. Tools and ornaments are often handmade, and beadwork is a notable craft, especially among women.","society":"Maasai society is organized by age-sets, with boys, warriors, elders, and women each having distinct roles. Clans and family lines are important, and marriage is arranged by elders. Decision-making is collective, often involving councils of elders. There are over twenty sub-groups, each with its own customs and dialects. Social life is structured by rituals marking transitions such as circumcision and marriage.","beliefs_and_culture":"The Maasai traditionally worship Enkai (also called Engai), a single deity with both benevolent and vengeful aspects. Rituals and ceremonies are central, including rites of passage for boys and girls. The laibon acts as a spiritual leader and healer. Many Maasai now also practice Christianity or Islam. Beadwork, body modification like ear stretching, and elaborate dress are important cultural expressions.","history":"The Maasai migrated from the north, likely from South Sudan, and expanded across the Rift Valley in the 19th century, sometimes displacing or assimilating other groups. Epidemics and drought in the late 1800s caused great loss of life and livestock. Colonial and later governments took much of their land for parks and reserves, forcing the Maasai to adapt. Despite these pressures, they have preserved much of their culture and resisted efforts to settle permanently.","today":"Today, the Maasai number over 2 million in Kenya and Tanzania. They face challenges from land loss, changing climate, and pressure to adopt farming or urban life. Many still herd cattle and maintain traditional practices, though some have taken up wage work or education. Activists work to protect Maasai rights and address issues like female genital cutting, which remains common but is increasingly debated."},"faq":[{"a":"The Maasai live in Kenya and Tanzania, in the African Great Lakes region, including the Great Rift Valley.","q":"Where do the Maasai live?"},{"a":"Our sources give the Maasai population as about 2.1 million (2019 Kenya census, 2024 estimate for Tanzania). Counts of peoples vary with who is counted and when.","q":"How many Maasai people are there?"},{"a":"The Maasai speak Maa (Maasai), Swahili, English, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan family of languages.","q":"What language do the Maasai speak?"},{"a":"The Maasai are known for herding. Like most peoples, they combine several ways of making a living, and these have changed over time.","q":"How do the Maasai make a living?"}],"sources":[{"title":"Maasai people on Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people"},{"title":"Encyclopaedia Britannica","url":"https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maasai"},{"title":"More photos on Wikimedia Commons","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maasai"},{"title":"Wikidata record","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q163022"}],"photo":{"url":"https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Masai_woman-child.jpg/1280px-Masai_woman-child.jpg","author":"William Warby","license":"CC BY 2.0","source":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masai_woman-child.jpg"},"last_refreshed":"2026-10-02T19:41:01.455Z","url":"https://kabila.cleartrust.cc/p/maasai","note":"People pages are derived from Wikipedia and Wikidata with AI assistance and may contain mistakes. Cite the url.","published_by":"Kabila, a ClearTrust publication"}