Mission:

The iCross-Cultural Citizen Project is a cultural anthropology course-based project meant to raise critical consciousness about the rich cultural diversity in our indigenous world. Being totally aware of the limitations of being outsiders, we are a group of multidisciplinary undergraduate students who believe in cross-cultural sensitivity and participatory agency aimed at disseminating information about indigenous realities as accurately as possible.

Vision:

The iCross-Cultural Citizen Project’s vision is to create an online cross-cultural space for students, professionals, and youth to learn and exchange cross-culturally sensitive information about contemporary indigenous experiences. From that outsider student’s perspective, we will try to theoretically explore possible collaborative solutions to problems that affect the indigenous populations of our planet. Finally, we hope for the future creation of a space where indigenous youth can share their experiences and their realities with us for real mutual collaboration to take place.

Values:

We value the maximization of benefits to indigenous peoples and other vulnerable populations in the world.

We value the respect for persons all over the world.

We value the equal treatment of people, and we are against the exploitation of vulnerable groups around the world.

We value collaborative cross-cultural learning and critical thinking.

Background Information

Background Information:
The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people who live under a communal land management system. The Maasai live in Kraals arranged in a circular fashion and the fence around the kraal is made of acacia thorns to prevent lions from attacking the cattle. The Inkajijik are loaf-shaped houses made of mud, sticks, grass, cow dung and cow's urine and woman are responsible for making the houses as well as supplying food and water for the family. The men are usually warriors and the boys are responsible for herding livestock. Elders are directors and advisers of the village and are a symbol of leadership in the community. The Maasai have a subsistence economy and are aware of private ownership.

Maasai Association
2015 The Maasai People. Electronic Document, http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html, accessed February 9, 2015

Geographic Location

Geographic Location:

East Africa in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley on semi-arid and arid lands.

Maasai Association
2015 The Maasai People. Electronic Document, http://www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html, accessed February 9, 2015

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Family Life Following Marriage: The Maasi

In the Maasai culture, the process leading up to a marriage and the outcome of the family life resulting in marriage is very interesting. It starts off with the marriage being arranged by the brides elders without her consent. Most men practice the ideals of polygamy, and the men usual die before the woman because they are much older than them in the marriage. It is not accepted for woman to remarry if their husband does die. A man is the only person who can be responsible for a family. After his death, the power goes to the oldest son. If the husband does die and the woman has no sons, she is considered to be in danger and unprotected. When the marriage takes place, a woman is gifted a herd of cattle that will be raised by the eventual sons. The fathers have cattle as well, so when the parents die, the oldest son gets the father's cattle and the youngest son gets the mother's cattle, while the daughters do not inherit anything. At young ages, boys are taken away from their older brothers and expected to learn how to survive in the warrior village. Girls are treated in a stern way, and it is normal for them to fear their elders. The females must have a lot of respect towards everyone. 

Advameg Incorporated
     2015 Countries and their cultures: Maasai - Marriage and Family. Electronic document,                      http://www.everyculture.com/Africa-Middle-East/Maasai-Marriage-and-Family.html,                      accessed March 25, 2015.

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1 comment:

  1. UnknownApril 19, 2015 at 8:22 PM

    I think that the way the Maasi people live is really interesting. The way the inheritance of the cattle works is a complicated, and interesting process, that I am sure many anthropologists take an interest in. This can relate to my life because of things that have been passed down in my family for years and inherited by the oldest to the next youngest of the family line. For example, in my moms family there have been Christmas Ornaments passed down through the generations.

    I think that it is interesting that just the cattle mean almost more than human life to the Maasi people. The cattle is an essential part of the relationship between a husband and wife, and I feel as if their most important task of marriage is to be able to maintain their cattle to hand down to their sons. I feel as if the Maasi people "worship" cattle as if humans would with money. I don't represent or support the way the Maasi value the cattle more than human relationships, because in our society I feel that it is more important to marry for love than for money. Our ethnocentric views place value on relationships between people, rather than putting more value into materialistic aspects of a relationship. I know that in my religion marriage is valued as a special relationship between two people for the love they share.

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