Daily Life

The Maasai are herders, which means their lives are centered around caring for their cattle.

 

WOMEN

    The women have many different jobs.  They feed and milk the cows.  They also make houses.  Maasai homes are called Inkajijks, and are built with sticks, cow dung, cow urine and mud.  Another job that the women have is to cook.  They also find water and firewood and make clothes and beaded jewelry.

MEN

    The men have the job of protecting the enkang, which is the Maasai word for village.  They make a fence out of acacia thorns that surrounds the enkang.  The fence keeps the predators outside the village.  It also keeps the cattle inside the village at night so they will not wander away.

    The men must also herd the cattle.  They protect them from predators, like lions.  They also search for better pastures and watering holes for their cattle.

    The men do not steal cattle from other tribes like they once did, which means being able to fight is not as important as it used to be.  Even so, the Maasai warriors need to be trained to fight so they can protect their cattle from predators.