Spitting is a show of annoyance, disdain, or disagreement in many cultures. The Maasai tribe of northern Tanzania and Kenya have the opposite view.
Despite making up only approximately 1% of the population, this tribe is well-known on a global scale and is now a popular tourist destination. Many well-known African shows, including The Gods Must Be Crazy, have highlighted their own cultural customs and real way of life.
The Maasai people lead a very distinctive lifestyle. Most of them are nomads, and those who aren't serve as tour guides and lead visitors around.
The Maasai people are well renowned for their distinctive clothing, which includes a headdress and countless round beads worn around the neck and waist. Men and worm both dress themselves with Shuka, a red textile that resembles a sheet.
This dispels the Western belief that cattle attack anything and everyone wearing bright red given that they rear livestock.
WHY DO THE MAASAI SPIT?
- To bless a person- in a typical Tanzanian setting, people spit on their hands before shaking each other. This is a sign of endorsement and utmost respect. You don’t spend your precious spit on just anyone!
- To wish a new born baby good fortune- the Maasai tribe believes that if they say good things about a child when it is born, the child will be cursed and may not live a good life. So instead of jinxing the child’s good luck, they say bad things about the child, and spit on the child with the hope that this child wll life a long, happy life.
- To congratulate a bride- the father of a bride, on her wedding day makes a show of spitting on her forehead and breasts. This is to wish her good luck and pray that she be fertile.
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