Who were the Masai?

The Masai tribe was, and still is, located in East Africa. It's history goes back hundreds of years, much of it coming from tales passed by word of mouth through the Masai tribe. Many people belive that the Masai have existed for 3000 years

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They were Nomadic people (moving from place to place) to keep their cattle fed and watered. They were also great warriors and the tribes grew .in size as they conquered neighbouring lands and stole cattle

The Masai used to live in small houses, made of cow-dung, and built by the women of the tribe.

They ate meals made from meat or milk; the meat was eaten first with corn and grains. Then they ate the milk course which was a mixture of cow's blood and milk.

The Masai wore a lot of red clothing, this stands for power. The women's wraps were called kanga and the men's were kikoi; the men used to colour their hair red with clay. Teenage boys used to scar their bodies with heated spears to prove their braveness.

However, towards the end of the 1800's much land was taken from them to form wildlife areas and eventually to make the Nairobi National Park. Also missionaries arrived to try and civilise the savage tribes, but the Masai were, and still are, a very proud people.

  the Masai Flag