The destiny of the Maasai

Maasai (not Masai) is the correct spelling of this noble tribe: it means people speaking maa. Masai was the incorrect spelling of the British settlers and has remained in current use.

The Maasai have always been special. Their bright red robes set them apart visually. Spear in hand, they are calm and courageous regardless of the danger. The armed British troops who drove the Maasai from their lands in the late 19th century had great respect for these fearless tribesmen. Up until recently, the only way for a Maasai boy to achieve warrior status was to single-handedly kill a lion with his spear.
When you see a Maasai for the first time, you will likely agree with what Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) wrote about her experience in East Africa in her book Out of Africa: "A Maasai warrior is a fine sight. Those young men have, to the utmost extent, that particular form of intelligence which we call chic; daring and wildly fantastical as they seem, they are still unswervingly true to their own nature, and to an immanent ideal. Their style is not an assumed manner, nor an imitation of a foreign perfection; it has grown from the inside, and is an expression of the race and its history, and their weapons and finery are as much a part of their being as are a stag's antlers."

Kenya recognizes over fifty tribes of native people. The Maasai were the dominating tribe at beginning of 20th century. They are one of the very few tribes who have retained most of their traditions, lifestyle and lore.
In common with the wildlife with which they co-exist, the Maasai need a lot of land. Unlike many other tribes in Kenya, the Maasai are semi-nomadic and pastoral: they live by herding cattle and goats. The Maasai's god is Engai. They believe he created them, gave them all the cattle in the world, and later made other human beings.

The Maasai refer to the neighboring tribes of farmers and hunter-gatherers as "Ndorobo," meaning poor folk. Maasai measure wealth by the number of cattle, so people without cattle are considered poor.
Maasai did not have villages with permanent buildings. Instead, they constructed a "enkang" (corral) for a group of families. The enkang is a circle of huts, one per family, enclosed by a circular fence of thorn bushes. The woman of each household constructs the hut from cattle dung and clay. Periodically, the groups would abandon their enkang and construct a new one in an area with better water and grazing. This old way of nomadism is almost gone, there is no more land where to roam to.

The main goal of Campi ya Kanzi is to protect the land of the Maasai; 280,000 acres of Kuku Group Ranch, to enable the Maasai community to keep living according to their traditions, if they so wish.
Your visit to Campi ya Kanzi contributes tremendously to achieving this goal. Don't forget that for every day you spend at Campi ya Kanzi, a $100 conservation fee is set aside to assist the Maasai community and to protect their wildlife.