The Maasai Tribe of Tanzania

The Maasai people are semi-nomadic ethnic group from East Africa, settled mainly in northern
Tanzania and Kenya. They speak the Maa language derived from Nilotic languages, most
specifically falling under the category of Eastern Nilotic. According to their oral history, they
migrated originally from around Lake Turkana, an East African lake situated in Kenya’s
territory. They migrated to their present territory between the 17 th and 18th centuries and
displaced some of the other tribes that were previously living in the region, while others were
assimilated into their culture.

Maasai Religion

Maasai people are monotheists. Their god, Engai manifests in two forms: the benevolent black
god and the vengeful red god. The Laibon who is like a priest or a shaman, is the most important
person in their religion. The laibon’s duty include healing and prophesying among others.
Currently, some of the Maasai tribe members are Christian and they are few of them who are
Muslims.

Economic Activities

Cattle herding is the main economic activity of the Maasai people, and cattle is central to their
lifestyle. Wealth is measured by the number of children and cattle you have: A man with many
children, but not much cattle is considered poor and vice versa. Maasai women are good in bead
making. They express their position in the society through beadwork. They used materials such
as clay, shells, and ivory before trading with the Europeans in the 19th century. These materials
were replaced by colorful glass beads, which allow for more detailed beadwork and color
patterns. Each of the colors used is meaningful. For instance, white symbolizes peace, blue is the
color of water, and red is the symbol of bravery. The most common piece of clothing worn by
the Maasai is the shùkà, a sheet of fabric worn wrapped around the body. Animal hides were
used up until the mid-20th century, when cotton was introduced instead. There is division of
Labor. The main role of Maasai women is to have children, who are introduced to cattle rearing
as soon as they are able to walk. The children are responsible for a lot of hard labor. The women
equally perform most of the chores in each village. The men are warriors and create wealth from
their herds of cattle.

Political System

The Maasai culture is predominantly patriarchal, with a council of elders overseeing the daily
running of the village and administering matters on the basis of an oral body of law. Execution
and slavery are unknown in Maasai society, and arguments are usually settled through cattle
payment. In the current Maasai culture the laibon who are like the priest belong to the elders’
council.

Maasai Warriors
Maasai people are well known warrior tribe. Their warrior caste is referred to as il-murran in
Maa language. They formed a new group of soldiers, from the age groups of 12 to 25, every 15
years or thereabout. The new soldiers undergo strict training for specified period of time which is
concluded with initiation rites. Circumcision is the most important of all the rites. It is done with
traditional instruments, without anesthetics, due to their belief that the ability to withstand pain is
most important for these young warriors’ transition from boyhood to manhood. Maasai warriors
are revered and Maasai boys see it as a privilege to be one of them. The warriors provide
security, protecting their families and animals from predators. The warriors are usually dressed
in red. The warriors are traditionally known for their jumping form of dance. This dance is
known in Maa as adumu or aigus. The Maasai warriors form a semicircle and take turns jumping
at the center, as high as possible, without letting their heels touch the ground. As each man
jumps, the others sing a high-pitched song whose tone depends on the height of the jump

Housing

The Maasai are herders and are accustomed to moving every 3 to 4 years, after they have
exhausted the pastures in a particular location. They built temporal shelter from small branches
and brushwood, covered by manure, clay, mud and dry cattle dung. These homes are easily
identifiable by the small cluster of cow dung huts with straw roofs. There are no windows, but
there is always a fireplace. The mud floor covered with animal skin serve as their sleeping place.
It is often the women’s job to build these huts, they equally carry the material needed for it on
their shoulders from one place to another.

Diet

Traditionally, the Maasai diet consists mainly of raw meat, raw blood, and milk.

Marriage and Cultural Practices

Traditionally, Maasai people favor polygamous marriages because the more wives a man has, the
more he is respected and the less task each of them have to perform. A married woman marries
not only her husband but his entire age group. Traditionally, a man was expected to give up his
bed to a visiting male guest. This custom is now disappearing, but it is common for the woman
of the house to join the guest in bed, if she so desires. Most Maasai men and women shave their
head during rites of passage such as marriage and circumcision. Maasai warriors are the only
ones allowed to let their hair grow, and usually wear it in thin braids. The Maasai also stretch
their earlobes using stone, wood, and bones. They usually wear beaded earrings on the stretched
earlobe and smaller piercings on the top of the ear. Traditionally, both men and women stretched
their earlobes, because long, stretched lobes were seen as a symbol of wisdom and respect. But
now this custom is disappearing, especially among young men. Despite being forbidden by
Kenyan and Tanzanian legislation, female genital circumcision has long been widespread in the
Maasai culture. But thanks to activist campaigning this practice is now decreasing, substituted by
a symbolic cutting with songs and dances rather than blades.

The Importance of Cattle to the Maasai People

Maasai cattle is valuable because it is a form of currency used in exchange for various kinds of
goods. It is also their main source of food and resources. For instance, the skin and leather is
used for shields and bedding, while dung is smeared on the walls of the houses. They have a
genuine relationship with their cattle, as they believe that it is their duty to take care of all the
cattle in the world. As a result, they practice their semi-nomadic lifestyle in search of pastures
with food and water for the cattle.

The period between 1883 and 1902 is the darkest time in Maasai history. It is referred to as the
emutai, meaning to wipe out in Maa language. It was estimated that about 60% of the Maasai
people lost their lives during this period as a result of smallpox, drought, and starvation, after an
animal disease known as rinderpest killed almost all of their cattle.In the early 20th century, a
huge part of the Maasai land were converted into national parks and wildlife reserves. The
Maasai, understandably, were not happy about this development. About the same time, the
government started pressuring the Maasai to give up their traditional semi-nomadic herder
lifestyle in favor of farming and a more sedentary lifestyle.

The Traditional States in Nigeria

The name Nigeria came into existence in the 19th Century.

 The state, in anthropology, is a centralized polity involving large numbers of people

within a defined territory who are divided into social classes and organized and
directed by a formal government that has the capacity and authority to make laws
and use force to defend social order.
 State societies based on agriculture, industry, or in the contemporary world, a post-
industrial service economy. They have formal governments and political
organizations.
 Political power is centralized in a government.

The states that were in existence in Nigeria before this period are;
1. The Hausa states 1000-1800
According to history, the oldest Hausa states were Daura and Biram. The other five include
Gobir, Kano, Katsina, Rano and Zaria. These are the true Hausa states. The Hausa states
referred to as false states are Zamfara, Kebbi, Yauri, Gwari, Kwararafa (Jukun), Nupe and
Ilorin. Hausa people are immigrant from different places.
2. The Oyo Empire 1388-1800
Early Yoruba history stated that the people are originally from the Nile valleys, Arabia or
Ethiopia. In recent times, some scholars believe that Yoruba people possibly came from
Niger-Benue confluence living in the western and central Sudan. The first great Yoruba
kingdom Ile-ife was founded by Oduduwa. Till date, the city of Ife is viewed as the cradle of
Yoruba civilization. Yoruba art was closely connected with religious rituals. The main
Yoruba God is Olorun, there are other lesser gods such as the Ifa, each of which has its own
cult and shrine. The legendary founder of the new empire established with its center in old
Oyo is Oraniyan. He was believed to be the founder of the Benin ruling dynasty. Oyo
conquest was majorly because of the use of cavalry (they bought horses from the Hausa).
Their armies recorded more successes in grassland than in forests. ‘Oyo authority was
extended over Nupe, Ekiti, Egba, Egbado, Owu and other neighboring people. The empire
has important trading contacts with Hausa land and outlets to Badagry and Porto Novo on the
coast.
Government: The head of the state is the Alafin who was selected from the royal family by
a group of chiefs called the Oyomesi. The leader of Oyomesi was the first minister of
Bashorun. The council checked the activities of the Alafin. They could demand for the
suicide of the king and his eldest son as a result prevented the establishment of hereditary
tyranny. The Alafin ruled directly in the metropolitan Oyo through his appointed officials
and indirectly through local chiefs in the provincial Oyo.
Reasons for Oyo Greatness
1. There was good leadership
2. The nature of their constitution: There was spread of power among kings, chiefs and
commoners. Oyo constitution kept a subtle balance of power among the Alafin, Bahorun
and Oyomesi. The Ogboni cult, mostly free men play an important part in the central
government.
3. Political Unity: This was stressed through regular royal and religious festivals
4. Fine Army: The cavalry was irresistible to Africans who were not familiar with horses.
The infantry was efficient.
Decline and eventual collapse of Oyo Empire
a. Size of the Empire: some scholars opined that the fall of the empire was as a result of the
enormous and diverse entities under its control which made it difficult to govern. This
was worsened by difficulties in communication.
b. Constitutional crises: some scholars attributed the fall of Oyo Empire to the weakness of
its constitution. The unwritten constitution gave lots of power certain state officials and
dignitaries, unfortunately, some of these officials abused their power. Some tried to carve
out small provinces for themselves, for example, between 1754 and 1774, the Prime
Minister Bashorun Gaha, the head of the Oyomesi used his power for his own personal
gains. He used his power as the head of the Oyomesi to condemn up to nine successive
Alaafin (the king) to death and upset the balance of power in the Empire.
c. Weak leadership: towards the end of the 18 th century, there were weak leaders, Alaafin,
who lack the required skills to lead the Empire in difficult times. These Alafins took bad
decisions that affected the states negatively.
d. Restive vassal states: – the fall of the Oyo Empire can also be as a result of the numerous
subdued states under its control, who agitated for their freedom. For instance, Borgu,
Nupe, and Dahomey, etc.
e. Demoralized army: – the once powerful army of Oyo Empire were neglected and were
demoralized as a result, they were unable to defend their empire
f. Slave trade: – some scholars opined that the abolition of slave trade in Britain in 1807,
affected Oyo Empire adversely because it was their major source of revenue.
g. The Ilorin factor: – by the time, the jihadists attacked the empire it was already weak as a
result of internal crisis. This resulted in instability and lack of unity in fighting its
enemies. For example, in Ilorin, the Afonja in trying to carve out a province for himself
invited an Islamic preacher to help him but the jihadist eventually killed him and took
over the province.

3. Benin Empire
Benin Origin and Culture: Oba Eweka I, the son of King Oranniyan (born to the king by a
Yoruba woman) established the second Benin Empire. Benin culture is similar to that of the
Oyo. Historians believed that the similarities was as a result of common origin at the Niger
Benue Confluence. Benin had a fine artistic tradition particularly in bronze sculpture.
According to historians, Benin was already well established as a powerful state by 1450. One
of the greatest conqueror was the Oba Ewuare (Circa 1440-Circa 1480) who captured 201
towns and villages in the land of the Idos, Ekiti, Kikuriku, Eka and Ikare. He fortified Benin
City and built roads and established a strong administrative system as well as appointed a
new state council. He received the first Portuguese captain to visit the Bight of Benin. Later,
Portuguese traders and missionaries started working in Benin Circa1500). Benin exchanged
ambassadors with Portugal. The European traders brought guns to Benin which helped in
further conquests. Benin got to the heights of its power in 16 th Century under such Obas as
Esigie, Ebengbuda and Ahuan.
Political Life: The Oba was an absolute leader and was more powerful than the Alafin of
Oyo. The state council (Uzama) had a ritualistic and advisory role. The Oba appointed all the
leading officials and could not himself be removed from office.
Economy: Trading especially with Europeans was very important. The Edo people
exchanged slaves, ivory, leopard skins, pepper and palm kernels for gun, cloth and a variety
of manufacturing goods. Benin people obtain copper and other goods in exchange for slaves,
ivory and cotton from Sudanese merchants. Only merchants approved by the Oba were
allowed to trade and special officials organized into guilds were controlled by the Oba. Benin
city became an impressive and wealthy capital.
Decline of Benin Empire
Benin Empire declined between 1600 and 1800 for the following reasons;
1. The growing power of the Oyo
2. The rapid growth of the European trade which made it possible for the people in the
southern part of the empire to obtain guns and made a bid for independence. Itsekeri and
Urhobo were among the regions which were virtually independence by 1800.
The Tiv People (Segmentary Society)
Tiv people are the largest ethnic group in the middle Benue basin of Northern Nigeria. Tiv
people reckon descent patrilineally. According to oral tradition, the name Tiv refers to the
founding father and the language. The people value the spirit of brotherhood because they
believe they are from one father and a lineage.
Socio-political organization
Traditionally, the socio-political system of Tiv people was unique. It was a classic case of
segmentary or decentralized system of government. The society is a hierarchical society with the
individual at the lowest level, followed by the family and the extended family, kindred, clan and
then the Tiv. ‘Tsombor’ was the name of the family group and was the biggest recognized entity.
‘Mbavessen,’(elder) was the head of a unit. In Tiv traditional system, each family was divided
into smaller groups.

The Tiv had no administrative divisions, no chiefs nor councils. Leadership was based on age,
influence and material possession. The leaders' functions were to furnish safe conduct, arbitrate
disputes within their lineages, sit on moots and lead their people in all external and internal
affairs.

Economic Activities

Tiv people are predominantly subsistence farmers. Their soil is fertile and good for agriculture.
They cultivate mainly grains, and tubers. These include millet, guinea corn, rice, yam tubers, and
sweet potatoes, among others. Land is communally owned in Tiv land and cannot be sold. Men
and women work in the farm.