Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, forebearers of an ancient East Africa Empire

The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, forebearers of an ancient East African Empire…?

Vast areas of Kenya and Tanzania bear Maasai related names, a sign that the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania were once the dominant community in East Africa. For instance, Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is drawn from “Enkare Nairob”, which means “Place of cool waters” in Maasai. Mt. Kenya is “Eru Kenya”, meaning “Snow from Laikipia”. Nakuru, Kenya’s third largest city, is also a Maasai name.

Then across a vast length and breadth of about 1,000 kilometres and 800 kilometres respectively, transcending both Tanzania and Kenya, are numerous locations that have either Maasai names or Samburu names. The Samburu of Kenya are close kin of the Maasai, and the Maasai and Samburu converse with each other without much difficulty.

The Maasai/Samburu names of key locations that spread across both Tanzania and Kenya include Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest mountain, Mt. Oldonyo Lengai also in Tanzania (“Oldonyo Lengai” incidentally means “Mountain of God”, meaning that there are two “Mountains of God” in Tanzania, because the Maasai also alternately refer to Mt. Kilimanjaro as “Oldonyo Lengai”), Uasin Gishu, Olduvai Gorge, Narok, Kajiado, Nanyuki, Nyeri, Namanga, Magadi, Kiserian, Rongai in Nakuru, Rongai in Nairobi, Laikipia, Ol Moran, Transmara, Oldonyo Sabuk and Amboseli.

The distance between Olduvai Gorge in Kenya and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania is about 1,000 kilometres, in between which are several locations with Maasai and Samburu names. The distance between Nairobi and Nakuru is 200 kilometres, while the diagonal distance between Transmara and Laikipia is about 800 kilometres. One interpretation of this can be that the Maasai reigned supreme in East Africa from about AD 1,000 to about AD 1,500, when their power, clout and influence began to gradually wane, as has indeed happened with all other Empires in history.

Indeed, it must have been the Maasai who put a stop to the epic northwards 19th century Ngoni migration from South Africa, that proceeded unhindered through Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, a distance of about 3,000 kilometres, before the Ngoni migration came to an abrupt halt in Tanzania.

The Maasai, like the Greece and the Greeks, are not seemingly the mighty ancient Empire that they used to be, but they still feature prominently e.g. the first Kenyan Medical Doctor was a Maasai i.e. Dr. Jason Likimani, while the first Kenyan Veterinary Doctor, Dr. Joseph ole Tameno, was also a Maasai.

Interestingly also, independent Kenya’s founding Premier and President, Jomo Kenyatta, from Kenya’s Kikuyu tribe, also dropped his initial surname Ngengi, in favour of the name Kenyatta. “Kinyatta” is a beaded Maasai belt, which for some reason, greatly fascinated Jomo Kenyatta to the point of inspiring a change of his surname. Even Jomo Kenyatta was sufficiently awed by the heritage, legacy & legend of the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania

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