The Maasai

The Maasai  is a tribe who mostly live in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, and is bordered by 5 other African nations and the Indian Ocean. Some Maasai live in Tanzania to the south of Kenya.

Kenya is famous for its scenic landscapes, vast wildlife reserves and stunning, and often ferocious, wildlife.

The Maasai Mara is a large national game reserve in Kenya, named in honour of the Maasai tribe. Also called just 'The Mara', it adjoins the Serengetti National Park in Tanzania. 'Mara' means 'spotted' in the local Maasai language, and it is used to denote the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape. 

Maasai is sometimes spelt 'Masai', but this is an error. The tribe is named Maasai because the language they speak is the Maa. Most Maasai also speak Swahili and English.

The Maasai are semi-nomadic, and have resisted the attempts of their government to persuade them to become farmers. There are almost 1.2 million Maasai living in and around Kenya.