1. The Maasai
Kelly Fetterolf

2. ● Southern Kenya & Northern Tanzania
● Language: Maa
● Around 1 million (hard to take census of)
● 16 'sections' of people

3. ● Began in the north and migrated south
● 17th and 18th century accumulated most of
population as they migrated to present day
locations

5. Conflict Begins
● Traditional land agreement: no one should
be denied access to natural resources such as
water and land
● 1911- British evict over 60% of Maasai lands
to make room for settlers
● 1961 and 1963, Creation of Tanzania &
Kenyan Independence
○ Wildlife reserves and National Parks

6. Conflict begins

7. Loliondo District Conflict
● 1992 Ortello Business Corporation
● 1,500 sq km for OBC
● Displace 30,000 Maasai and affect many
more

8. Current Conflict
1:55-3:04

9. "Without land we cannot live"
● Women left jobless while men go to find work in cities
● Women's outcry halted movement but President Kikwete and
ministry of tourism stand firm
○ 2009 drought, Kikwete blocked Maasai from vital water
source to protect OBC- killing more than half of Maasai
cattle

10. City Life

11. City Life

13. How others view them
● Backwards
● Lazy, just don't want to conform
● Unintelligent and useless to society
● Often are refused service
● Poor treatment by employers
○ Often attacked at night
○ Paid near $1 a day

14. How they view others
● No desire to modernize more than they have to
● 'Dirty', 'Dangerous', 'Hostile', 'Disease', 'Unkind',
'Exploitation'
● "Government is trying to strangle us economically,
socially, and culturally every way that they can that
serves an interest to them, attempting to destroy any
sense of identity we have left"

15. Modernize or not?
● "The very culture the government and
society rebukes as 'backward' and attempts
to modernize through narrowing our lands
and invading our culture is the same
culture they are exploiting to the outside
world, both locally and internationally,
now explain THAT to me"
- Elder Olol

16. ● Luxury hotels and gift shops
● Brochures and postcards
● Actors and Actresses pose as Maasai
● Same companies that refuse to hire the
Maasai use them in their marketing
campaigns
● " My boss will force me to put on my Maasai
clothing when he has guests from Europe
visiting to take pictures with them"
● Promotes the Maasai in an incorrect manner

17. Maasai Market Place, Nairobi, Kenya

22. Strong Cultural Identity
● Defying odds of civilization
● Traditional dress
● Continuing traditional rituals and
customs
● Holding true to their belief systems