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

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Ceremonies and Rituals



The link above explains the commonly practiced rituals of the Maasai, including Emurrata (circumcision), Enkiama (marriage) and even Orngesherr (junior elder ceremony).  These ceremonies are explained chronologically by one of the Maasai men.  Unfortunately due to cultural boundaries he is not able to explain the ceremonies that Maasai women experience, but he does tell of ceremonies practiced everyday in our own culture, along with the ceremonies unique to his.  Gender is very important in the Maasai culture, as it is in our own, it describes who we identify as and how we want the world to view us.  The Maasai man explains that a woman in his culture is identified not by her own age, but by the age of her husband, that is, after marriage.  He goes into detail about how every ceremony is a new life, somewhat like the catholic or christian religions practices of baptism or communion, and that each ceremony grants a right of passage to the men as they grow within their own society.

Maasai Association
     2015 Maasai Ceremonies and Rituals. Electronic document, 
          http://www.maasai-association.org/ceremonies.html, accessed March 24, 2015.
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1 comment:

  1. MatthewCSeguiApril 17, 2015 at 12:05 PM

    I believe the Maasai traditional ceremonies are very similar to the ceremonies I experienced in my own catholic upbringing. The Maasai have ceremonies the practice at birth, late youth and throughout their lives just as the catholic religion does. Although the Maasai practice a greater number of ceremonies than the Catholics, the repetition of ceremonies throughout time are comparable. One of the biggest differences between the ceremonies of the Maasai and the Catholics is the deviation of ceremonies based on gender, within Catholicism there is no separation of ceremonies between genders, but with the Maasai people the gender of each person determines which ceremonies they will experience and genders are not allowed to share information about their own ceremonies with the other gender. Although both cultures have ceremonies, it is apparent that they each unique ways of performing and discussing what goes on within these ceremonies. I feel that the ceremonies are ways of to make people feel accepted, while each ceremony has a different meaning, the overall purpose is to give prestige to a certain person, or group of people, this helps a culture grow together in my eyes.

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