An iconic tribe of East Africa, the Maasai have a rich culture renowned for their colourful clothing, jumping dances and staying true to their traditions and pastoral lifestyle.  Today this Nilotic ethnic group live mainly in the savannahs of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania where they raise their cattle and live in harmony with nature.

Early in the 20th century, the Maasai were forced to leave Kenya’s most fertile lands. Since then, their nomadic lifestyle has virtually disappeared. With it, their way of earning income has dwindled through more appropriation of their lands and encroaching modernism.

Although other Kenyan tribes have adjusted to modern lifestyles, the Maasai People have steadfastly clung to their unique cultural traditions. Amid dwindling lands and livelihood, they continue to live in mud huts, albeit in more stationary villages. Still without electricity and drinking or running water, meagre food supplies, and little income to pay for their children’s education. And while their main livelihood remains herding cows and goats, they have turned to tourism to help them survive.