The Maasai are one of the many southernmost tribes of Kenya. They are physically linked, and also in many other forms, linked to Samburu and Turkana. The Maasai have a relatively complex culture and traditions. In fact, for many years it was not heard of. In the late 1800s, we quickly discovered more about the Maasai, mainly through their oral histories. The Maasai are presumed to have come from the north, probably from the Nile Valley region of Sudan. It is also assumed that they left this region between the 14th and 16th centuries to migrate south towards the Great Rift Valley. According to Maasai oral history, they came from a deep crater or valley somewhere to the north, at a place called Endikir-e-Kério. Although many scholars have called this location the southeast region of Lake Turkana, many oral histories say they may have come from further north, near the Nile. Regardless of where it was, the migration was caused by a period of drought. According to the Maasai, a bridge was built and, after half the livestock and people had left the arid area, the bridge collapsed, leaving the other half of the population behind. These people then moved out of the valley and were helped by the present-day Somali, Borana and Rendille peoples. The Maasai then entered Kenya and moved south through the Rift Valley, where there was pasture for their livestock. Because there was very little surface water, the Maasai resorted to pastoralism rather than agriculture. The Maasai have adapted to their environment to ensure their survival and the maintenance of their culture. The Maasai have adapted to the conditions of their environment through their religious rituals, which serve to maintain their political structure and maintain their cattle numbers. The idea of ​​religion in Maasai culture is linked to the importance they place on the stages of life. Spear indicates that for the Maasai, God is close but completely unknowable. Each ritual transition between age groups is a step toward old age and metaphorically a step toward God. According to Emily McAlpin in "Maasai Culture and Ecological Conditions", the most important event of the ceremony is the sharing of meat which brings all participants together...... middle of paper ...... we are in this society, the most power is achieved. The most common form of sharing of goods and their distribution is that of allied groups. There are undoubtedly disagreements between the Maasai at times, which is why most kinship groups have an allied kinship group. These are useful when a luxury item is wanted and one group has it and is willing to lend or give it to the other, not a necessity. When something is necessary for survival, the whole society helps.Bibliography:1.Cronk, Lee2004 From Mukogodo to the Maasai: Ethnicity and Cultural Change in Kenya (Westview Case Studies in Anthropology), Westview Press, pp. 27-352. Hetfield, Johnston1997 The Maasai of East Africa (Celebrating the Peoples and Civilizations of Africa)PowerKids Press; 1st edition, pp. 9-133.Spear, Walker1993 Being Maasai: Ethnicity and Identity in East Africa (East African Studies), Ohio University Press pp. 214-2214.Kituvi, Mukhisa1990 Becoming Kenyans: socio-economic transformation of the pastoral Maasai (drylands research series), Acts Press, pp. 193-2015. Sankan, SS Ole1985 The Maasai, Kenya Literature Bureau, pp. 77-84