The Heartbeat of the Maasai People: A Story of Endurance

When traveling through Kenya, you are likely to come across the Maasai Tribe, a semi- nomadic and pastoral community of people that are fighting to retain most of their traditions. The Maasai people are famously known for their unique customs that are rooted in co-existing with wildlife and the herding of livestock. I was fortunate to spend a bit of time with a local Maasai Tribe learning about their way of life. Honestly, you are both perplexed and inspired by an indigenous community whose way of life and survival is threatened every day. Here’s what I’ve learned about the Maasai Tribe and their endurance to survive….

But First a Bit of History

It is estimated that the Maasai population is about 2 million in East Africa, mostly in Kenya and Tanzania. In the late 1800s and 1900s, they fought the British resisting the slave trade and the occupation of their land, only to be defeated. The British colonizers not only pushed the Maasai tribes into less productive land areas but also violated every agreement they were forced to sign. Sounds all too familiar to the US government’s treatment of Native Americans pushing them into reservations and violating their treaties. After the British left, most of their lands needed for grazing were not returned to them by the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments affecting…