The Maasai Diet
The Maasai depend on their cattle for food, thus traditionally makes milk,butter, honey, blood, and meat their staple food, however this does not mean
that they are static.
It´s only now that cereals maize meal, rice, potatoes,
cabbages have started being taken as food supplements, and even making the Maasai
to start cultivation of crops.
Cow blood is taken on special occasions, mostly given to a woman who has given
birth (entomononi), the circumcised youth (olesipolioi), the sick (oltamueyiai)
and regularly to the drunk elders (ilamerak), who use it to alleviate
intoxication and hangovers. Blood is very rich in protein and is good for the
immune system. However, its use in the traditional diet is waning due to the
reduction of livestock numbers.
More recently, the Maasai have grown dependent on food produced in other areas
such as maize meal (unga wa mahindi), rice, potatoes, cabbage (known to the
Maasai as goat leaves), etc.
The Maasai who live near crop farmers have engaged in cultivation as their primary
mode of subsistence. In these areas, plot sizes are generally not large enough
to accommodate herds of animals; thus the Maasai are forced to farm.
Our people traditionally frown upon this. Maasai believe that utilizing the
land for crop farming is a crime against nature. Once you cultivate the land,
it is no longer suitable for grazing.
The diet of a Maasai on this nomadic mission of peace through freedom to unite is meant to adapt to
the environment which s/he finds him/her self, while at the same time
respecting the values and cultures of the hosts without compromising his/her
own health.
Food is amongst the most important activities that can break or strengthen relationships. This means that our
beliefs can be tested through others. If your host eats lizards as a delicacy and
offers you as a meal for being a guest, surely if you’ve never eaten or been
offered, what would be the reason not to. The mission aims at encouraging the
people to think outside of the box that they are used to. All are human and one
is not more important than the other.
Shelter
The Maasai live in loaf shaped houses known as Inkajijik.
The houses are constructed using sticks, mud, cow dung, grass and urine.
This is the duty of the women . We live communally, so that one house holds more than one family.
shelter is viewed starting with the heavens above, which is the first roof that
we cannot run from. Just like the many native cultures and people, they never
depended on anyone to build them shelter for accommodation. No other animal is
as weak and exploitative as “Human” being. Shelter does not define any one at
least not the Maasai and as long as one is able to enjoy the space it is well
and appreciated.
We are all in as a
human race and all is happening
here.
CLOTHING.
Wear shukaa, light blankets which are brightly coloured (mostly red, orange and black. This is in adaptation to the environment that they live in.the present day dressing code is borrowed from the European Anglo material. They just like many other native people were cladding on leather.
One does not need a wardrobe
full of clothes to acknowledge that s/he is clothing. The inner self matter’s
equally to the outside appearance. This will be reflected no matter your
dressing code.
For the Maasai the inner
peace will be disturbed when he see’s others especially children walking naked,
lacking clothing while the wardrobe is packed.
How many pairs of shoes can one put on at a time?
The quality of life is not measured by the material possessions that
one has been able to accumulate, but the contentment that one has been able to
reveal all through the journey of his life.