Exploring Relationships in Masai Culture

Death: Three brothers, Edward, Sangwa, and Matteo, stand over their recently deceased mother’s grave, which has become overgrown with thorns. They do not have the funds to provide her with a proper grave.

Cows: The Masai have a sacred relationship with cows, they are a source of wealth, milk, and blood. Cow blood provides protein, calories, and nutrition. They shoot the jugular vein with a bow and arrow in a precise way that does not kill the cow.

Father and daughter: Sangwa kisses his daughter, Nditolai, lovingly. As daughters grow up, their relationship with their father will become more polite and interactions more scarce, as this is the discipline of their culture.

Maize: Matteo is roasting freshly picked maize, on a fire he made, in front of a pile of trash they will burn later. Maize is a primary crop of the Masai diet and they use it to make Ugali (a thick type of porridge), which is a staple food throughout Tanzania.

Brother and sister: Kimani (L) and Nditolai (R) stand side by side outside of their family hut. Nditolai will learn to do household chores from her mother, while Kimani will herd cows until his circumcision ceremony, which will mark his entry into respected manhood.