Maasai Mythology

The Maasai people (also spelled Masai), living in Kenya and Tanzania worship two great deities. The supreme being and creator is Enkai (also called Engai and Ngai) whose domain is rain, fertility, the sun and love. While he is a single deity, he has a dual nature: the benevolent Enkai Narok (Black God) and the vengeful Enkai Nanyokie (Red God). In Maasai mythology, Enkai gave the cattle to the Maasai people. Olapa, Goddess of the Moon, is married to Enkai. According to legend, the deities fought one day, and Olapa inflicted a wound on Enkai. To cover up his wound he took to shining brightly so that no one could look straight at him and see his shame. As revenge Enkai struck out one of Olapa’s eyes, which can be seen when the moon is full. The Maasai believe that Enkai was once a human who owned all the cattle in the world. When the sky and earth split he sent all the cattle down from the sky along a bark rope to the Maasai. A jealous group of hunters who did not receive any cattle cut the bark from the sky creating a gap between the heavens and earth, stopping the flow of the cattle to the Maasai. The Maasai believe that Enkai intended all the cattle in the world for them, and as such, they are at the center of the universe as the chosen people of Enkai. The gods created three groups of people; the Torrobo, hunters and gathers to whom Enkai sent honey and wild animals; the Kikuyu, the cultivators blessed with seed and grain; and the Maasai, owners of all the cattle in the world. The Maasai religion stresses the symbolism of cattle and they believe that the cattle possess the qualities of Enkai. The eating of meat and drinking of milk and blood symbolize the union of man and Enkai. The cow used at ceremonies is publicly slaughtered and then blessed by the elders before being eaten. The Maasai also believe that they receive a guardian spirit during the birth ceremony, sent to protect them and ward off danger until the day the person dies. At the time of death the guardian spirit does one of two things; if the deceased was a bad person they are carried off to a desert, with no water and no cattle; if they were a good person they are carried off to a land with many cattle and plentiful pastures.