Maasai is an ethnic group; which lives in East Africa at the border of Kenya and Tanzania. According to their history, the Maasai migrated to their Kenyan home from Sudan and established themselves around the Rift Valley; while others moved to the Tanzanian residence. The fact that the Maasai have maintained most of their traditions and customs despite the fact that Kenya has developed into a more modern industrialized nation; makes this ethnic group famous and exclusive in nature.
It should also be noted that the Maasai ethnic group is conventionally semi-nomadic with a status of being a violent warring ethnic group with a total population of 883,000. On the other hand, the Maasai culture which is patriarchal permits the practice of Polygamy where Maasai men marry more than one wife. It is further of importance to note that, the Maasai are monotheistic; referring to their God as Enkai.
Additionally, the Maasai huts (Manyattas) are constructed by women who use brushwood and grass; then cover the huts with a blend of cow droppings and mire. In this case, many huts are constructed at one place to form a village called ‘enkang’; where the men enclose the structures with thorn tree branches in the process of preventing the families from a wild animal attack. It is further of importance to note that, the Maasai consider cattle as their wealth and hence believe that all the cattle in the world are theirs (Saitoti, 1990).
It can be argued that the Maasai from their identities by women wearing enormous plate like bead ornaments and bangles; while men put on red tartan ‘shuka’. In this case, the Maasai culture has a significant aspect of making good-looking ornaments for aesthetic purposes. Importantly, Maasai warriors brightly paint their faces and their hair with red ochre; in addition to courageously carrying spears and ball-headed clubs. From this, the Maasai forms their personalities and identities.
The other way of personality and identity formation includes the language spoken. In this case, the Maasai community has adopted Maa as a speaking language; which identifies them from the other communities. On the other hand, there are socialization groups like age groups and sets; where training and socialization occur thus further shaping their personality and identity (Saitoti, 1990).
In addition, Maasai boys are sent to look after calves and lambs while little girls do the milking and cooking; as taught by their mothers. On the other hand, there is a transitional circumcision practiced ritually as a rite of passage from boyhood to the fighters’ stage. During this process, the boys being circumcised are supposed to endure the pain without any signs of fear; as it is believed to bring dishonor. Among the Maasai, young women also undergo female circumcision as a rite of passage; where they are educated and advised regarded their new roles. In this case, the Maasai personalities and identities are shaped through training the children on what is required of them.
Based on this, through rites of passages like male and female circumcision among the Maasai; initiation candidates are taught about their ways of living. Moreover, the other identity among the Maasai is their body modifications where they pierce and stretch the earlobes by the use of piercing materials like thorns and stones. On the other hand, the Maasai traditionally consumed milk and meat as their main diet which also forms part of their identity (Saitoti, 1990).
On the other hand, the Japanese culture has developed significantly over time from the country’s primeval ‘Jomon period’; to its modern cross-culture which is greatly influenced by Asia, Europe and America. Since Japan is an island, the Japanese view themselves as different from other Asian communities. Additionally, there are two main religions in Japan which include ‘Shintoism and Buddhism’. In this case, one of the Japanese personality and identity formations is the agglutinative language spoken. Further, the Japanese mode of writing combines three scripts (hiragana, katakana, and kanji) from a Chinese origin; forming their identity.
It should further be noted that; the Japanese are good at painting where the brush is used as a traditional writing device. Based on this, the Japanese use traditional ‘Sino-Japanese numerals’ as a form of identity writing. On the other hand, Japanese identity and personality are formed by the traditional Japanese attire like ‘Kimono’ which differentiate them from all other nations worldwide. Further, it can be seen from the Japanese culture that, most Japanese men put on Kimono at home or in a much laid-back surrounding; which further forms a personality identity trait (Varley, 2000).
It should further be noted that the Japanese train their warriors through a method called Koryu; which consists of a well-ordered collection of martial arts. Additionally, modern types of Japanese popular culture offer amusements as well as a runaway for the modern Japanese from the troubles of the developed world. It can also be argued that the Japanese form their identity through their diet where they are known to put more consideration on eating. Based on this, the Japanese diets consist of soybeans, tofu, miso, and natto (Varley, 2000).
As a matter of fact, a tribe’s culture describes the ways of living, identities and personalities taken to by its members within their distinctive physical and relational community. It is further of importance to note that, every community has its own specific culture which is shared and learned within the given community. In this case, for one to understand a certain tribe; the knowledge of its culture is very crucial.
Reference lists
Saitoti, T. (1990). Maasai. New York: Harry N. Abrams Publishers.
Varley, H. (2000). Japanese Culture: 4th Edition. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press.