When I started my research, I knew I wanted to focus on the culture and traditions of tribes in Africa, but I had no idea where to go from there. After doing a little research, I decided to focus my paper on the Maasai people of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. I chose this tribe because they are still around today and they still hold on to the same cultural and religious practices as they did hundreds of years ago. The Maasai have so many interesting and unique qualities that there is more than enough information to focus my paper solely on them.
There are a lot of qualities the Maasai have that I found to be very unique. Cows are a very important aspect of their tribes. They use cows as currency and worship them. Cows never die of natural causes, they either sell them to someone outside of the Maasai or they slaughter them. Some cows are considered holy based on how they act. If a cow is not scared of humans or predators, they are considered holy and a special ceremony is held for them. They also hunt lions. A boy is considered a man and a warrior once he has killed a lion single handedly. I am going to focus my paper on the unique culture and how it has remained untouched through an ever changing world.
I think it is very interesting how animals are a big part of every culture. Animals have always seemed to be significant one way or another in developing a society. I love this topic you choose because I have never heard of the Maasai before. I would love to learn more about this tribe and their past. Great post!
ReplyDeleteJocelyn, this is such a cool topic! I don't know much about native tribes, especially in Africa, so it would be interesting to read your essay. I've heard about the way boys become men when they first hunt. It reminds me of the Aborigines when they would believe hunting to be a spiritual experience. Are there any connections that you have made between the Maasai and the Aborigines?
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