The Maasai of Matapato: A Study of Rituals of Rebellion (Routledge Classic Ethnographies)

When first published in 1988, this classic study was the first to relate the dynamics of the Maasai age organisation to the tensions within the family. Together, these provide the twin strands of a man's career, opposed ritually and reflecting a fundamental ambivalence in Maasai thought. The analysis is illustrated with extensive case material from the the Matapato, selected for this study as a typical Maasai group. "First published in 1988, The Maasai of Matapato has become a classic of ethnography. This detailed study of the Maasai of the Matapato region of Kenya builds up a full and engaging picture of the rituals and ideals of life amongst the Maasai. It deals with the cultural phenomenon of age organization, and looks particularly at three central questions: how men and women are controlled by age organization for the majority of their lives: how men and women develop age-sets and turn them into ongoing concerns: and how age-sets are connected to the management of households; particularly the control of women, children and cattle. Spencer examines the age system, marriage and family to consider how the Maasai's social values and relationships are expressed in, and shaped by, concepts of age."--Jacket

This study is the first to relate the dynamics of the Maasai age organization to tensions within the family. The analysis is illustrated with extensive case material from the Matapato, selected for this study as a typical Maasai group.