Maasai

Maasai Warriors Dancing The Maasai (also Masai) are a semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the most well known Indigenous People in all of Africa, due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near wildlife areas in East Africa which are now considered game parks.

The Maasai speak Maa, which is a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family. The Maasai population has reported as numbering 840,000 in Kenya in the 2009 census, compared to 377,000 in 1989.

The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs. Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to climate change because of their ability to farm in deserts and scrublands. Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their village to experience their culture, traditions, and lifestyle.

Indigenous Peoples in Kenya

Corporate Colonialism: The Ethnic Cleansing of the Maasai People of Tanzania

May 6, 2013 • In late March 2013 it was announced that ‘the government of Tanzania is establishing a corridor of 1,500 sq... Read More

Maasai Women Taking Bold Stance to Protect Land Rights

Apr 24, 2013 • April 17, 2013 ARUSHA – More than 2,000 Maasai women are taking a bold political stand in a move... Read More

The Tanzanian Government Insists on Grabbing Maasai Land in Loliondo

Mar 26, 2013 • The Tanzanian government, through the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Khamis Kagasheki, is moving forward with a plan... Read More

Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Ignored as Tanzanian Govt Protects Foreign Investors

Feb 21, 2012 • Despite years of outcry by international human rights institutions and local activists urging the government of Tanzania to recognize... Read More

Underreported Struggles #50, May 2011

Jun 2, 2011 • In this month’s Underreported Struggles: The Triqui people issue an urgent call for solidarity and action; Canadian company admits... Read More

Tanzania: Pastoralists Refuse to Leave Maswa Game Reserve

May 17, 2011 • Hundreds of Maasai, Sukuma, Barbaig and Taturu pastoralists are refusing to leave the Maswa Game Reserve because of their... Read More

A New Day for Indigenous Rights in Kenya

Aug 11, 2010 • As the United States considers its support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and... Read More

Landmark Decision for Indigenous Land Rights in Africa

Feb 11, 2010 • In a landmark decision this month, the African Union endorsed a 2009 ruling by the African Commission on Human... Read More

Loliondo is Burning

Sep 12, 2009 • Loliondo is Burning provides documentary evidence, testimony, and background information surrounding the recent eviction of Massai in Loliondo, northern... Read More

Underreported Struggles #29, August 2009

Sep 1, 2009 • In this month’s underreported struggles: Mapuche communities mobilize to reclaim land; Tens of Thousands Join Protests for Democracy in... Read More

Maasai evicted and imprisoned for hunting concession

Aug 24, 2009 • The Hadzabe community of Yaeda China valley, Tanzania, aren’t the only ones facing eviction and starvation so the commercial... Read More

Milking the Rhino: Conservation in Post-Colonial Africa

Oct 25, 2008 • Milking the Rhino, is a new documentary film that attempts to get away from the cliches of nature documentaries... Read More

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