By Marvel Ochieng

Maasai’s are easily recognizable thanks to their famous traditional robe the shuka. Mostly it is a red clothe that is wrapped around their lean and slender frames. In the maasai community red is a symbol of bravery and that they can scare away lions even from a far distance. In the past maasai clothes were obtained from animal hide that were dyed using vegetable pigments, while their jewels were made of seeds and stones found in their surroundings. When the first colonizers came, maasai’s started replacing calf or sheep hide with wool. Their clothing style and colours depended on age and social position. They used to wear sandals made from bovine hide but today these materials have been replaced with old pneumatic tires and plastic strips.

The different colours of maasai garments and jewellery are important because they reflect several aspects of their culture. Red being the most important colour it represents blood, courage strength and unity. They eat milk and blood which is harvested by puncturing the loose flesh on the cows’ neck with an arrow. They live in manyattas that are made of mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and cow’s urine. Livestock such as cattle, goat and sheep are their source of income and they serve as a social utility.