The Massai warriors are one of the most prominent and respected ethnic groups in Kenya. The warriors are so feared that it is said that lions and cheetahs will flee or stop pursuing game animals if a Massai warrior is near. As soon as a Massai warrior is initiated, his spear and shield are decorated with red paint, symbolizing his status in society.
The central unit of Massai society is the age group. Although little children are sent off with the calves and lambs as soon as they can walk, the children’s childhood is mostly playtime. Girls are responsible for tasks such as cooking and milking. Every 15 years or so, a new generation of individually named warriors will be started. This involves most boys between the ages of 12 and 25 who have reached puberty and are not part of the previous age group. A rite of passage from childhood to the status of a young warrior is a painful circumcision ceremony, performed without anesthesia. The maa word for circumcision is emorata. The boy must endure the operation in silence. Expressions of pain bring dishonor, even temporarily. The healing process will take 3 to 4 months, and children must remain in black clothing for a period of 4 to 8 months.
During this period, the newly circumcised boys will live in a “manyatta”, a “village” built by their mothers. The manyatta does not have a barricade surrounding it for protection, emphasizing the warrior’s role in protecting the community. Further rites of passage are required before attaining senior warrior status, culminating in the eunoto, “coming of age” ceremony.
When a new generation of warriors is started, the existing warriors will graduate to become junior elders, who are responsible for political decisions until they become senior elders themselves.
The warriors are in charge of the security of society and now spend most of their time wandering the Maasai lands, beyond the confines of their sectional boundaries. They are also much more involved in livestock trading than they used to be, developing and improving basic livestock through trade and barter instead of stealing as in the past. The children are responsible for herding the small livestock. During the dry season, both the warriors and the children take on the responsibility of herding the cattle. The elders are directors and advisers for daily activities. The women are in charge of making the houses, as well as supplying water, collecting firewood, milking the cattle and cooking for the family. One myth about the Massai is that every young man is supposed to kill a lion before being circumcised. Although lion hunting was an activity of the past, and lion hunting has been banned in East Africa, lions are still hunted when maiming Massai cattle, and the young warriors who engage in traditional lion killing do not face significant consequences. Growing concern over lion populations has led to at least one program that promotes accepting compensation when a lion kills livestock, rather than hunting and killing the predator. However, killing a lion gives one great value and celebrity status in the community.