MAASAI PEOPLE

The Maasai people of East Africa live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands. The Maasai occupy a total land area of 160,000 square kilometers with a population of approximately one half million people. Popular tourists’ destinations such as the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Maasai Mara, Amboseli, and Tarangire Game Reserves are home to the Maasai people.

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who live under a communal land management system, where water and grazing rights are decided by the council of elders. The Maasai love the cattle, which is the primary source of income. The Maasai must move cattle all year around in search of pasture and water. There are sixteen sections that make up the Maasai tribe. Each section is distinguished by a dialect and manages its own territory.

Although the Maasai are one of the last remaining tribal groups in East Africa, their culture is in the verge of change. Influences from the outside world have arrived. The Maasai Cultural Art Museum provides the Maasai and visitors to the museum the opportunity to see and celebrate Maasai cultural heritage through colorful and vibrant collections of intricate art pieces, exhibitions and learning programs, emphasizing Maasai culture and its people.