Masai customs

I am often being asked how I managed to adapt to the Masai culture as it is so different from my European background. The answer is: I managed because I wanted to.
Moving to a different country, surrounding yourself with new people and an unknown culture is always a challenge but one, that can teach us great lessons about life and make us stronger.

My mother-in-law milking a cow with my son Yannik on her back

I would like to share with you today, some of the lesser known, smaller Masai customs and taboos that I had to get accustomed to and that sometimes make me roll my eyes, but more often than not, put a smile on my face.

1) when lying down outside because of illness or tiredness, one has to make sure, one lies in such a way, that one's head points towards the sun.

2) when you pour milk out of the traditional enkoti, the dried out pumpkin shell in which milk is stored, make sure you do not empty it completely, leave a few drops inside.

3) when putting logs on the fire, make sure, the big end of the log goes into the flames.

4) when sitting on a chair, and encountered by someone older than you, give that person your chair and sit on the floor or on a log.

5) never step over a man's stick, walk around it.

6) when shaving your head, do not let the wind disperse your hair, collect it and bury it somewhere secret.

7) Masai clothes are always tied together on the right shoulder, exposing the left.

8) when you see the new moon rising, pick up a pebble and throw it at it.

A group of warriors eating meat outdoors.

9) warriors are not allowed to eat inside a woman's house, recognised by the presence of 1) enkisojet, the tree twig with which the enkotiook (pumpkins used to store milk) are cleaned, 2) olmasarr, the cow tail which is used to disperse ashes inside the enkotiook as a means of preserving the milk and 3) ilkiperre, the specially carved tree stick with which emutu, the Masai's staple meal of maize flour, is stirred.

10) when milking a cow, make sure you stand on her right hand side, where her branding is.


How many of these querky Masai customs are you familiar with? Let me know if you have a questions or would like to know more about a particular one. Of course there are more, but I think ten is a good number to stop for now 😊.

Wishing you a lovely Sunday.

Speaking Masai language (Maa)

It has been nearly a month since my last post - I hope you can forgive me!

In the Masai Steppe, cattle often take over the roads.

It is not like I got tired of sharing stories with you. It is because I was so super busy running my crowdfunding campaign, Stephanie's Masai Education Fund, to bring environmental education to the Masai community I live in.
It was a successful campaign and we raised enough to take part in a three day Bootcamp in land management and conservation at the Mara Training Centre in Kenya. I am so excited by the change and opportunities this project can bring for us!
I will keep you posted!

So the last two months, I was glued to my tablet all day long sending emails, replying to donors, posting updates, etc. All my energy and inspiration went into this project and it left little time for anything else. Now I am back and would like to share with you another beautiful aspect of Masai culture: their language.

In the western world the Masai language is often called Maa. I do not like to use this term, as it is not what the Masai call it themselves. When they mention their language they call it: Enkotok te Masai, which literally translated means: the mouth of the Masai.

Myself (right in red), my family and my friend Nare from Armenia.

Here are some basics and their translation to English. Masai language is pronounced as it is read. Vowels are pronounced seperately and treated as syllables. For example the number two is pronounced: A~Re, three is: U~Ni, six is I~Le.

Numbers:     nabo                        one                                      
                       are                           two 
                       uni                           three
                       omwan                    four 
                       imieyet                    five
                       ile                             six
                       napischana            seven   
                       isiet                         eight
                       endoroit                  nine
                       tomuon                   ten

To say yes, you say: E-Eh     and no is: A-Ah 

Greetings:     supai                      greeting for boys, girls, warriors and old men
                        hapa (ipa)             reply to 'supai'
                        takwenya              greeting for women
                        iko                          reply to 'takwenya'
                        kiduaye                  we will see each other
                        sere                         bye
                        kadake                   later


Basic vocabulary:    sidai                  nice, beautiful, good
                                    torronok           bad, ugly, unpleasant 
                                    enketeng           cow
                                    enkine               goat (female)
                                    enkir                  sheep (female)
                                    enkerai              child
                                    enkema              fire
                                    enkaji                house
                                    Enkai                 God, higher spirit
                                    enkolong           sun
                                    olappa               moon
                                    lolkirr                star
                                    oljetta                tree
                                    enkoitoi             path
                                    enkarre             water
                                    endaa                 food, ugali
                                    endito                girl
                                    olaiyoni             boy
                                    enkitok              woman 
                                    olmorani           warrior (circumcised boy)
                                    olpaijan             old man 
                                    owaou               grandmother
                                    kuyaa                 grandfather
                                    esepata               true
                                    muluki                false, untrue



Colours:         naiborr           white
                        narok              black
                        nanyuki           red
                        nanyorrei       green
                        pus                   blue


I hope you find their language as beautiful and interesting as I find it and enjoyed this post. Drop me a comment if there is a particular word or expression you would like to know. Wishing you a lovely week and promising to not keep you waiting for too long for my next post! 😉