In pre-colonial times, the Maasai were Olmaa speaking, nomadic cattle herders and warriors, well respected and feared by neighbouring Indigenous tribes (CTC, n.d.). Their lands consisted of the traditional grazing areas that ran from Lake Victoria in the west to Mount Kilimanjaro on the east, spanning between Kenya (south of Nairobi) into Tanzania (CTC, n.d.; Gatimu, 2008; and MCPP, n.d.). By the late nineteenth century, European settlers began moving into traditional Maasai lands, bringing cattle and human disease to the Maasai people; up to 80 percent of their cattle was lost (CTC, n.d.). Droughts, famine, and disease decimated the Maasai population (CTC, n.d.), and British colonization initiatives saw the Maasai moved on to reserve land, their traditional nomadic/pastoral ways being restricted, and their children faced with assimilation in the colonial education system that favoured the usage of English language, and the teaching of Western subject matter (CTC, n.d.; and Gatimu, 2008). Loss of the freedom to move cattle across traditional lands meant loss of Indigenous identity to the Maasai people. Colonization has reduced Maasai lands and population — today the Maasai population is 150,000 in Kenya and 150,000 in Tanzania; its reserve land is 500km x 300km in area; their religion is traditional and monotheistic; language spoken is Olmaa (CTC, n.d.).
The modern education system in Kenya is still based on the British colonial (1920-1963) education system, which consists of eight years of primary education, four years of secondary education, and four years of university. It incorporates standardized testing at the completion of primary education (one time only pass/fail testing), and secondary education, which is biased toward urban knowledge and urban educational opportunities (MERC, 2014). If a learner fails either standardized test, they are not permitted to continue with the next level of education (MCPP, n.d.). Primary school tuition is free; however the cost of all uniforms, books, and additional expenses are the responsibility of the learner (MCPP, n.d.). English and Swahili are the languages of instruction, with no curriculum incorporating traditional Indigenous languages or traditional Indigenous knowledge and ceremony (MCPP, n.d.; and MERC, 2014). Kenya falls short of every Article written in relation to education, cultural preservation, subsistence, under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), not only in the treatment and lack of governmental support for the Maasai peoples, but for all Indigenous peoples within its borders.
Maasailand came under British colonial rule for a mere 43 years (Gatimu, 2008); however the effects of colonialism are still felt to this day. Their experience mirrors the Canadian colonial experience; forced assimilation, removed from traditional lands and communities, language and culture lost to Western influence, inadequate educational supports in both traditional and Western educational systems (MCPP, n.d.). The decolonization efforts are much slower in creating social change for the betterment of the Maasai people. Currently there is one Maasai based public school, Merrueshi Public School, originating in 1998 with 13 students (Maasai Association, n.d.). As of 2010 the student population consisted of 350 male and female students (30% are boarders) aged 4-13; curriculum is delivered in Maasai, Swahili, and English (Maasai Association, n.d.). There is one secondary school, Maasai High School, with a student population of 200, aged 14-18 yrs; currently employs 10 teachers with 50% of salary paid by Kenyan government; curriculum delivered in Maasai, Swahili, and English, with Maasai oral literature and traditions taught as extracurricular activities (Maasai Association, n.d.). Efforts are underway to create higher education opportunities for the Maasai, with the establishment of Maasailand University, in effort to promote Indigenous led research focusing on Indigenous rights; cultural survival; environmental conservation; and social justice/ social change (MCPP, n.d.; and MERC, 2014.
References
Countries and their Cultures (n.d.). Maasai [Web forum]. Retrieved from: http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Tajikistan-to-Zimbabwe/Maasai.html
Gatimu, M.W. (2008). Rationale for critical pedagogy of decolonization: Kenya as a unit of analysis. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 7(2), 65-97.
Maasai Association (n.d.). Maasai Association Schools [Website]. Retrieved from: http://www.maasai-association.org/Maasai-high.html
MCPP (n,d.). Maasai Community Partnership Project Current Programs [Web log post]. Retrieved from: https://maasaicpp.wordpress.com/current-programs/maasai-education-research-and-conservation-institute/
MERC (n.d.). Maasai education, research, and conservation institute [Website]. Retrieved from: http://www.maasaierc.org
