The Native Races of East AfricaHambly, Wilfrid D. (Wilfrid Dyson)
History
The Native Races of East Africa
Hambly, Wilfrid D. (Wilfrid Dyson)
Indigenous peoples -- Africa, East
Boys of the Masai tribe have a very hard, unhappy life, for not only
are they made to do all the hard work of carrying, milking and driving
cattle, but in addition every one treats them harshly, and a boy
may not even speak to one of the warriors. Presently the conditions
improve, and elder boys go out shooting birds with bows and arrows,
in order to get feathers for making mantles worn by warriors. At
last the youth reaches an age at which he is allowed to live in the
warriors’ camp, where there is strict training, and no excess in eating
or drinking is allowed; smoking is quite forbidden. As the military
training advances, the boy becomes the proud possessor of a painted
shield, a spear, a sword, and a knobkerry or club. These weapons are
kept in perfect condition, the spear-heads being brightly polished with
a hard stone. Warriors are the only people allowed to grow their hair,
and each fighting man possesses a “pig-tail,” of which he is very proud.
Before making an attack, Masai warriors chew bark from the mimosa tree.
This acts in such a way as to make them nearly mad with ferocity,
and when all are very wild and excited the enemy is engaged. Enemies
face one another in long lines, and instead of a general attack being
launched single pairs are engaged in combats which are a fight to the
death. In case of success the victors will seize the best cattle,
which are driven off to the pastures of the conquerors. It is said
that the Masai never attack by night or by stealth; there is always
a preliminary warning and invitation to “come out and fight to the
death.”
Although young boys have such a hard time in order to make them fit to
be trained as fighters, girls of the tribe are very kindly treated.
Young maidens spend a great deal of time in singing, dancing, and
ornamenting themselves; as a rule, they do not even cook their own
food. Old women have all the hard menial work to perform, and very hard
is their lot in building huts, carrying loads when the tribe moves,
collecting firewood, and keeping night watches. Speaking of old women
in the Masai tribe, Mr. Hinde says: “As long as she can crawl about she
continues her labours, and death is the only release she can hope for.”
As a rule, a girl becomes the wife of a man who can afford to pay goats
and cattle for her; but the Masai parents consider their daughter’s
wishes, and she is not obliged to become the wife of a man she does not
like.
The life of Masai people depends almost entirely on herds of goats and
cattle, which are driven from pasture to pasture. Reptiles, birds,
insects, and fish are never eaten, grain only at times when meat is
scarce, while a favourite food is blood, drawn from the neck of a cow
by making a small puncture with an arrow, in such a way as to avoid
injuring the animal severely. Herds of cattle, though very docile and
easily managed by small children, are extremely fierce, and well able
to protect themselves against attacks made by hyenas or a leopard.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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