What up African Rotorstone team here and welcome back to another video of African history, culture, and worldview. And welcome back to my series, A Closer Look. Today, we'll be taking a closer look at the Maasai people. By supporting this channel on Patreon, you're helping in the creation of these videos and supporting this content. If you'd like access to full courses and sources, or you simply want to show your support, you may do so by clicking the Patreon link in the description box below.
The Maasai are one of the largest ethnic groups in Burkini Faso numbering over 6 million people and they're composed of a number of different peoples including the Gurunsi, Lobi, and Bobo who mainly speak the Moray Dagbani language of the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo phylum. The The majority of the Maasai live primarily in the central part of Burkini Faso, where they make up 50% of the population, and also live in Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Togo. The Maasai emerged in the 15th century as invaders from northern Ghana whose use of cavalry allowed them to conquer most of the peoples in Burkini Faso.
The Maasai relative to the other Africans in the region are a new ethnic group comprised of various peoples. The elite within Maasai society are the ones who are the most important to the Maasai ones who claimed descent from the legendary Princess Yanenga from northern Ghana and a Mande hunter. Princess Yanenga was renowned for her beauty and her skills as a horsewoman, and she participated with her father's soldiers in defending their lands against attack. Her father forbade her to marry, locking her up to prevent her acting against his will. She escaped, fought heroically in battle, and rode north until she met a famous elephant hunter named Riale.
They fell in love, married, and had a son. The Mausoleum states where weren't a homogenous society, it was more of a composite of socio-political formations that resulted from the conquest of the Mausai elite. Many of the elite and commoners intermarried with the local population and began forming their own kingdom. This process was continued over centuries, creating a new acculturated Mausai society.
Strictly speaking, the Mausai people were simply the holders of political power in the various Mausai kingdoms. The elite within Mausai society were the ones claiming descent from the United States. They were called the Nankomsi, meaning right to rule, and the people they conquered were called Inyonyosi, meaning the ancient ones. It's very interesting that the Mausai have a very respectful way of referring to the peoples they defeated in battle, essentially the people we would deem their enemies.
It seems as though they honored them and humanized them, and by doing so, they were able to rule more peacefully. Their philosophy is that these people were here before them. and are the true owners of the land and have for the most part cultivated it. Therefore, they're referred to as the Tengabisi or the people of the earth. They're not vanquished in Maasai society but incorporated.
It's a very different paradigm to what we may be familiar with historically. The Maasai established a number of kingdoms though they recognized the supreme authority of the Moko Naba who ruled from his capital. The Moko Naba ruled through a council of Naba or chiefs.
They were able to maintain their power and power over the kingdom. their independence from the Songhai, a feat that was very impressive, and they had a fierce reputation as being excellent warriors and great horsemen. Their cavalry was on par with the larger empires of Mali and Songhai. They gave a lot of trouble to both of these empires, and even sacked Timbuktu at one point.
The Maasai's opposition to the larger African states of Mali and Songhai had a very strong religious component to it, as the Maasai refused to confer to Islam. They practiced a traditional African religion, which they held very dear. This drove them in their resistance and gave them much success. In fact, they were among the first to not only refuse Islam, but be successful at it.
Interestingly enough, after the fall of the Songha Empire after the Moroccan invasion, the Moroccans could not at all control Maasai territory and had to withdraw back into Timbuktu. The people within Maasai society resisted conversion to Islam until the arrival of the Dula or Jula, Mandate traders from Mali in the 17th century. The Maasai are renowned for their elaborate masks, which are made primarily by the Inoniosi and usually used in funerals or mounted on gar crops.
Maasai masks are not usually worn, but are passed down from one generation to another. There are three main types of masks. including animal and human forms representing ancestors or clan totems.
In some regions, women and children are forbidden from ceremonies where masks are brought out to be viewed. Mandate traders introduced the art of cotton and silk weaving in the 17th century and the Maasai have become expert weavers. Weaving is considered mostly a male occupation and the cloth is dyed with indigo, producing pieces of alternating undyed white strips and blue dyed strips. Well I'm all out guys.
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