• The 25-35 age set will stay in manyatta houses with their families for months.
• The ceremony is practised by all Maasai communities in Kenya, especially those in Narok, and Tanzania.
Image: FELIX KIPKEMOI
Once every 10 years the Maasai shift their attention to a carefully selected place for an elaborate ritual ceremony known as eunoto.
More than 15,000 morans from the populous Purko clan are expected to congregate for the final rituals at a manyatta in Rotian village, Narok North.
The last ceremony was held in 2010 and the latest one was to be held last March but was postponed because of Covid-19 restrictions. The 25-35 age set will stay in manyatta houses with their families for months.
The ceremony is practised by all Maasai communities in Kenya, especially those in Narok, and Tanzania. It is often a festival of different cultural activities that mark the coming of age of community warriors, otherwise known as the morans.
It is a vital male rite of passage that offers a culturally vital transition to manhood—a process known as Ilmirisho. The morans are made elders.
The event is the most highly celebrated, typified by colourful and unique customs that are honoured in the life of a Maasai.
It involves the building of manyattas, selection of leaders, dancing and celebrations, shaving hairs, feasting on meat, anointing with oil and milk blessings.
Once morans from Purko clan have gathered, elders will choose a holy place within the area for the final rite of passage before the morans are officially crowned to join eldership.
The warriors will feast on about 3,000 bulls and 30,000 goats and sheep donated by their fathers and leaders.
During the final ceremony, their long hair will be cut by their mothers and a special black bull slaughtered. Elders will feast on the meat before blessing them.
Three weeks ago, the morans from the lower region of Mau in Nkareta joined others at Rotian manyatta led by area MCA James ole Kiok.
This came after the first group from the upper region in Mau area trooped to the manyatta. The group was accompanied by parents and leaders, among them former nominated councillor Kipila ole Naitutae.
They were adorned in shuka, their heads dowsed with red ochre. They also had swords. They used cars, lorries, motorbikes, pickups and tractors to access the manyatta. The vehicles snaked through Narok town, causing traffic tailback.
Morans from Mosiro and Narosura manyattas are expected to join the group in a few days.
Kiok said eunoto is for all the people regardless of their status in society and all those in the age set must undergo the rite.
“Once all the morans joined these ones at Rotian manyatta, they will head for a sacred place where they will conclude their Ntalengo (final rite of passage), which is part of moranism.
“Such events have helped us ensure our community preserves a culture that has all the time attracted many people from across the world,” he said.
The initiation begins with the Maasai community in Tanzania. Traditional chiefs call a declaration of eunoto in Tanzania, as they are the first people to undergo the ceremony.
After that, each traditional chief in Kenya and Tanzania prepares eunoto for his village.
“This will now set the stage for a new life for these morans and we expect them to go back home and engage in development matters that will uplift their living standards and stick to community culture and values,” Naitutae said.
Traditional chief Joseph ole Lemara of Irkisaruni age set (age group of the fathers of the morans) termed the ceremony a respected event in the Maasai culture and they want it dispensed with so the young people to be allowed to continue with the daily activities.
“After this ceremony, the morans will now be permitted to marry and allow them to engage in the decision-making processes in the community to prepare them to become future elders,” Lemara said.
On Sunday, Narosura-Maji Moto MCA Stephen Kudate hosted the morans at his Narosura home before preparing to depart the manyatta and join the rest at Rotian manyatta.
“The morans who I invited here are of my same age group and those who are preparing for the Eunoto ceremony and this, purely on conserving our culture,” Kudate said.
He urged every individual from the community and Kenyans at large to continue preserving the culture, saying the Constitution recognises cultures as the foundation of the nation.
Nairobi nominated MCA Leah Ntimama said Maasai culture is rich and has been preserved for generations.
Joseph ole Yenko, a traditional chief, said that as the morans stay in the manyatta before graduating into elders, the community will feed them and their families by giving out livestock and money, among other basic requirements.
Amos Tikani, the current age set leader, will be in the manyatta for an unknown period of time before graduation.
"We are extremely happy because we are almost turning into elders and it was through the support of the community and parents we are now heading to a new stage in life,” Tikani said.