Cell-Phones and Spears: Indigenous Cultural Transition Within the Maasai of East Africa

Abstract

The Maasai of East Africa are excellent examples of Indigenous culture in transition. In spite of pressure from the outside, Maasai currently maintain their cultural identity to choose which parts of western culture and modernity they accept or reject. The major issues they now confront are Christianity, Education, Technology, and Tourism. Education is likely the most catalytic for long-term cultural change from the outside, but tourism is the most pressing of these issues. This article is not a study of colonized domination or the imposition of change from the outside~in, but of the internal dialogue among Indigenous people themselves about their relationship with the western world. It reveals a surprising degree of cultural autonomy and a dynamic culture that is adjusting to a new, globalizing world.