Maasai people
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Kenya
|
841,622 (2009) |
 Tanzania
|
800,000 [approximate] (2011) |
| Languages | |
| Maa (ɔl Maa) | |
| Religion | |
| Maasai mythology, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Samburu, Turkana, Kalenjin, other Nilotic peoples | |
The Maasai (Kenyan English: [maˈsaːɪ]) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress. The Maasai speak the Maa language (ɔl Maa), a member of the Nilo-Saharan family that is related to Dinka and Nuer. They are also educated in the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. The Maasai population has been reported as numbering 841,622 in Kenya in the 2009 census, compared to 377,089 in the 1989 census.
The Tanzanian and Kenyan governments have instituted programs to encourage the Maasai to abandon their traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, but the people have continued their age-old customs. Recently, Oxfam has claimed that the lifestyle of the Maasai should be embraced as a response to climate change because of their ability to produce food in deserts and scrublands. Many Maasai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their villages to experience (for a non-trivial fee) their culture, traditions, and lifestyle.
The Maasai speak a Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the African Great Lakes region and arrived via the South Sudan. Most Nilotic speakers in the area, including the Maasai, the Samburu and the Kalenjin, are pastoralists, and are famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers. Like the Bantu peoples of the region, the Maasai and other groups in East Africa have adopted customs and practices from the neighboring Cushitic-speaking groups, including the age set system of social organization, circumcision, and vocabulary terms.
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