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Coronavirus Cancels Maasai Rites Of Passage And Rituals
Posted
May 7, 2020
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May 7, 2020
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1:25Now PlayingIn the remote hills of Kajiado in Kenya, life is changing for the Maasai.
Fears over the spread of the new coronavirus has forced them to cancel all the traditional celebrations and rites of passage they've planned and looked forward to this year.
The Maasai revere their history and their culture, passing down stories and tales of previous lives which pass like a precious heirloom from one generation to the next.
32-year-old David Nina is 'moran' - a Maasai warrior and youth leader in his community. He remembers hearing the harrowing tales of the 'Emutai' which in the Maa language means"to wipe out." It refers to a time when severe drought decimated 60 percent of the Maasai's cattle, then came smallpox which killed Maasai people as well.
"Our history as old to us by our elders tells of a time when our people faced a disease which was brought into our midst by the white man between 1883 to 1902 when these diseases killed many people in the Maasai community and now we hear of this new disease and we are scared that it will kill many of us again," says Nina.
For the Maasai, culture and tradition has had to come to a complete stop.
There can be no coming together of the clans to celebrate the circumcision of young boys and girls as they enter into puberty, or the graduation of warriors into young men. Female circumcision is also known as female genital mutilation (FGM) is illegal in Kenya, but the law is rarely enforced.
The suspension of the Maasai rites of passage is putting everyone's lives on hold. There have been no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus reported among the Maasai yet.
As well as the cultural upheaval, the Maasai are being hit economically. Also suspended are the traditional markets where they sell and trade their cattle, now they won't be able to sell livestock for cash.
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