Africa: Then and Now
Maasai Clothing
The clothing behind the Maasai tribe also represents social status. During colonial and early post-colonial times, Maasai resisted colonial pressures to modernise as they had no interest in giving up their semi-nomadic lifestyle, starting cultivation, dressing in western clothing, or sending their children to school. (7) The Maasai are famous and easily recognizable thanks to their traditional robe, the Shuka; it is a bright-colored cloth, predominantly red, wrapped around their lean and slender frames. (8) Red symbolizes Maasai culture and it is the color believed by these people to be able to scare off lions even from a great distance.
This picture was taken in the summer of 2019 when my family visited a Maasai tribe in Tanzania. Noticed the immense amount of jewelries on each of the Maasai people and amount of jewelries also represents the status a certain person is in the tribe. Also the people in the photo wore different colors of Shuka
The Maasai people are best defined by their colorful beaded jewellery, especially necklaces, iron rod, and the red shuka. The exact origins of the Shuka may still remained uncertain, but some stories suggested that the shuka derives from fabrics were used as a means of payment during the slave trade and landed in East Africa, while black, blue, and red natural dyes were obtained from Madagascar. (9)
In Maasai culture, different colors of Shuka represent different meaning
Everyone in this image wears a red shuka which is the most fundamental color of the Shuka and in the Maasai culture.
RED is the most important color for the Maasai community. It represents cow blood – which the Maasai drink mixed with cattle milk for added nutrition, power and strength – especially in times of famine. It is also considered important for Maasai warriors to wear it as a way to protect themselves against wild animals. It is held as a sacred color, and is always the basic color of the Shuka, or blanket worn around the shoulders by both men and women.(10)
GREEN characterizes nourishment and production. It represents the land that provides food for the Maasai and their livestock. (11)
ORANGE represents hospitality, warmth, friendship & generosity. (12)
YELLOW is symbolic with fertility and growth (13)
Blue is the color of the sky and represents energy (14)