The Maa community culture is slowly fading due to the changing world and more exposure for the formerly inward-looking society. 

Despite efforts by governors from the counties largely occupied by the community-Joseph Ole Lenku (Kajiado), Patrick Ntutu (Narok) and Jonathan Lati Leleit (Samburu) to start the Maa Cultural Week, to promote and celebrate the diverse cultures and foster unity, the strong traditions simply fading away. 

According to some, this is a result of a paradigm shift following the introduction of education and religion, which have led to the discarding of some beliefs that have been so etched in the community for years. 

For instance, while young boys could go for ‘Enkipaata’, as they waited for initiation before becoming community warriors, seclusion is no longer practised by some families. This is because many boys and men go to school, denying them enough time to go for the seclusion. 

‘Enkipaata’ was a highly-coveted practice in the Maa setting. During ‘Enkipaata’ the boys are inducted into the aspects of their culture and their new and future roles defined in the community. 

The boys are taken through a rigorous programme in the bushes for several days. The ceremony is led by a top group of community elders picked to conduct the training for the boys. 

This writer grew up in the Maa setting and has seen how this cultural practice today has been forgotten and just viewed as a relic from an archaic era. 

After the initiation, the warriors- or morans- would graduate and were obliged to marry and become senior warriors in a ceremony is dubbed ‘Eunoto’. 

Generational bridge 

This ceremony depicts the rich culture of the Maa community. 

An elder, Danson Sitelu says ‘Enkipaata’ and ‘Eunoto’ played a crucial role in morans transition to adulthood. ‘Eunoto’ helped foster unity among age groups, address challenges affecting them and act as an umbrella to address their concerns. 

‘Eunoto’ also acted as a bridge between the junior and senior age sets. 

According to Mzee Sitelu, ‘Eunoto’ differentiates the age groups 

He however regrets that over time, the culture was being abandoned because of education. 

“The introduction of formal education has led to the fading of this heritage which was a laurel, and a landmark that defined the Maa people,” he opines. 

The other reason why morans are rare to find these days is the changing times and seasons that have led to a decrease in the number of livestock owned by the Maa people due to droughts. The community members now own few livestock unlike decades ago. 

The popular Maasai Manyatta (traditional huts) are also on the decline due to land sub-divisions and disposal of their land, even urban centres and populations rose. 

Some of community members, elites and intellectuals have further switched to building modern houses. 

There is further rise of elites and an intellectual class that has risen above those who once believed education is for children born out of wedlock. A majority of the community has embarrassed education for both boys and girls, shunned early marriages and female cut. 

This comes as plans are underway by the community to host its cultural day in Amboseli National Park later this year. 

Paul Saitoti from the Kajiado County government confirmed the Maa cultural festival will be held at the Amboseli National Park. 

Cultural platform 

“The highly coveted and anticipated Maa cultural week will be held in the historic Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County,” Saitoti revealed. 

The cultural week aims at celebrating and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the Maa-speaking communities, fostering cultural understanding, promoting social cohesion, and providing a platform for cultural exchange and economic opportunities. 

The festival is aimed at preserving the rich Maa culture. 

The Maasai is a small Nilotic group believed to have its roots in South Sudan in the Horn of Africa. Known for their nomadic lifestyle, they eventually settled in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, specifically Tanzania and Kenya, in the savannah grasslands. 

They have a distinctive culture that sets them apart among many communities in Africa and elsewhere, their distinctions include their beadwork and age-set system, which has continued unbroken for centuries. One of the notable traditions in the Maa culture is their distinctive attire, which has attracted local and international attention. 

According to the 2019 Kenya National Population Census, the Maa population stands at about 1.2 million in Kenya. In Tanzania, the community stands at 800,000. 

The Samburu and Ilchamus are also related to the Maa people.