Maasai People from Kenya
Type of society
Maasai people in Kenya are in the preindustrial society based on the pastoral society. They originally came from the northern part of Lake Turkana and in 15th century they started migrating (Ole kulet, Auka & Kipchumba, 2013). They pasture animals for food and transportation. Pastoral societies still exist and live in the dessert lands where horticulture and manufacturing are not possible. The art of domesticating animals gives room for a manageable food supply as compared to hunting and gathering.
Storing of goods in pastoral societies comes with desire to developing settlements. This permits the society to remaining in a single place for longer period of time. With stability in the society comes trade of goods between neighboring communities. The Maasai people allow its members to be involved in nonsurvivable operations. In such a society, traders, healers and spiritual leaders exist.
Traditional social order and Social transformation
The Maasai social order is broad since it is based with population being divided into age sets. The society is on a patriarchy kind of rule. It bases its social organization on villages and rites of passage with stages on life with every age set having duties and playing an important part in the society. The Maasai have a mediator who is known as the Loibon among its members.
The Maasai of Kenya have undergone social transformation (Ole kulet, Auka & Kipchumba, 2013). Most of the Maasai people have transformed socially from nomadic life. These changes include becoming business persons and working for government. Some include, change of land tenure from communal to individual ownership to permanent settlements. Education, religion and occupation has led to spatial organization and using new building materials for their houses than mud.
Elements from different societies
Elements from other various societies can be combined to create a modern society (Carlton, 2015). For instance, horticultural and pastoral societies mix their elements based on their products. Their products like domestic animals for pastoralists and growing of crops for horticulturalist combined can produce a surplus food from animals and vegetable sources. It allows them to have large population bringing in wealth and powerful. The greater the wealth the more societies come up with developments hence modernization.
Maasai transformation
In the next 20 years Maasai will transform to another society. This is because, as years go by Maasai face transformations from processes like globalization and modernity. The world continues to become globalized and pastoralist lifestyle is becoming harder to maintain. Several transformations occur affecting Maasai and they are multi-tiered happening globally and locally. For instance, the diet of Maasai was milk, meat and blood but as time goes with human population increasing and decrease in livestock population, Maasai kill wild animals to protect life and do not eat what they kill.
Social transformations in US and Maasai
With changes occurring in Maasai and increasing cultural homogeneity, some young people of Maasai are seeking its cultural roots and sense of identity. It calls for awareness in its sub-cultures to galvanized communities around the country It also emphasizes on institutions perpetuating Maasai Heritage. Their only way is drawing experience of the Navajo in the U.S as they call themselves.
The Navajo in U.S are just like the Maasai in Kenya, they are the icons of native America. Just like the Maasai, they have a rich distinctive culture that has gone through threats from popular cultures in transforming their culture. They have experienced cultural erosion and commercial exploitation. Despite all social changes in sub-culture, the Navajo have maintained and preserved its traditions.
References
Carlton, E. (2015). Ideology and social order. London: Routledge.
Ole kulet, J., Auka, D., & Kipchumba, S. (2013). Effects Of Relational Social Capital On Customer Loyalty. Saarbrücken: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.