The Maasai

Kenya is a nation of tribes; there are more than 40 tribes in the nation of Kenya. One of the most recognized is the Maasai tribe. The Maasai are the Mennonites of Kenya. Most of them still wear the traditional dress of their ancestors long ago and practice many of the same customs. Spotting Maasai on the streets is relatively easy; there traditional dress is called a Shúkà, made up of three sheets (usually red) with one worn over each shoulder and the third over the top of the other two. They also pierce and stretch their earlobes. Their lives are centered around cattle and a man’s wealth is determined by how many cattle he has. Maasai tradition says that God gave all the cattle on the earth to the Maasai so cattle rustling from other tribes is considered taking back what is right fully yours. This has been a very difficult time for the Maasai due to the drought. Many of their cattle are dying and the Maasai people are really suffering.

I have seen many Maasai during my travels through Kenya but never had the opportunity to speak with any of them until now. I had the privilege of traveling to Maasai Land this week to talk to some Maasai pastors. Of all the things I have ever done in Kenya, this may top the list. One of the pastors I met was a man named Simon. When I asked him how old he was he said 69 or 70, I don’t think he knew for sure. He had just become a pastor a few years ago and when I asked him how long he planned on pastoring, he told me he promised God he would preach the Gospel until he died. One of the traditions I had heard about concerning Maasai boys was that in order to prove themselves a man, they had to kill a lion with a spear. Because of all the national parks in the country this is not done anymore, but when I asked Simon about it, sure enough, when we was a boy, he killed a lion!

The cool thing about the Maasai is that many of them are coming to Christ. Their struggles with Christianity remind me a lot of the early church in Acts. The first Christians were Jews and when the Jews became followers of Christ, many of them struggled with what part the Law played in their walk with God and whether they still had to keep the Law and if so what parts. With the Maasai, it’s the same thing. They still practice things like polygamy and female circumcision, but because they are a fierce warrior people, when they become Christians, they become fierce advocates for Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the Maasai people as they struggle with day to day survival and wrestle with their faith.