MAASAI DEATH TRADITIONS

When a Maasai person's life is coming to an end, they traditionally grieve their loss
without holding a ceremony. They merely left the corpses out for the scavenger, much
like a hyena. Since the Maasai believe that burial harms the soil, burial has historically
only been performed for great chiefs. Your passing just signifies that you are gone in
Maasai culture. The Maasai do not adorn their dead with gravestones and lavish
coffins, despite how primitive this may sound.

Traditions have changed, and now it is customary to perform a little ceremony. When
an ox or sheep is killed, the fat is applied to the corpse. The person who passed away is
covered in ox skin and laid to rest. Pyramid-shaped stones are used as a particular type
of grave marker. As a symbol of respect, those who pass by the burial scatter stones on
the mound.

Law Inheritance after Death

Inheritance rules are a significant aspect of Maasai family life. A Maasai is given a cow,
ewe, and female goat while they are still young. These creatures are referred to as
"birthright cattle," or ingishu emisigiyoyi. These animals will have matured into a
respectable herd by the time the Maasai are of age. When a family's father passes away,
the cattle are given to the eldest son. The youngest son of a mother inherits livestock
once she passes away. When the middle boys marry, they take the cattle from their
sisters.