Book

The Masai: ethnographic monograph of an East African Semite people

Dietrich Reimer (Ernst Vohsen) • Berlin • Published In 1910 • Pages:

By: Merker, Meritz, Schütze, Frieda.

Abstract

This extensive ethnography of the Maasai people was written by a Captain in the German 'Protectorate Troops' who, in his capacity as a military officer spent more than 8 years among the Maasai. Part One contains a discussion on the origins of the Maasai and presents Merker's hypothesis that the Maasai are descendants of the nomadic Semites whose ancestral home was on the Arabian peninsula. Part one also identifies what Merkert considers to be the three branches of the Maasai people, the Wakuafi (Kwafi), the Asa, and the Maasai proper, and discusses the sequence of their migrations from the Arabian peninsula to their current location. Part Two contains a thorough ethnographic description of the Maasai proper and the Kwafti, while Part Three contains a briefer, somewhat sketchy ethnography of the Asa. In Part Four, the author compares Maasai myths and traditions with those of the Bible and with traditions from Babylonia. The remarkable similarity between the traditions of these three peoples is used as corroborating evidence for Merker's belief in the common origin of the ancient Israelites and the Maasai.

HRAF PubDate

1996

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Eastern Africa

Document Type

Book

Evaluation

Creator Types

Soldier

Government Official

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Helen Gunsher Bornstein ; John Beierle ; 1972

Field Date

1895-1907

Coverage Date

1895-1907

Coverage Place

Kenya and Tanzania

Notes

Meritz Merker

As the Asa are currently considered to be a branch of the Dorobo, information in Part Three has been indexed only for the Dorobo (FL06) collection.

Translation of: Die Masai: Etnographische Monographie eines Ostafrikanischen Semitenvolkes.

The original German text is not included

Translated for the HRAF files by Frieda Schütze

LCCN

ltf90027003

LCSH

Masai (African people)