book chapter

Through Masai land: a journey of exploration among the snowclad volcanic mountains and the strange tribes of eastern equatorial Africa

Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington • London • Published In 1887 • Pages:

By: Thomson, Joseph.

Abstract

Mr. J. Thomson, an explorer, was sent by the Royal Geographic Society in 1883 to investigate the possibility of a direct route from the sea to the southern end of Victoria Nyanza. His journey took him through hostile Maasai land. Thomson's book is a colorful personal account of his adventures. The sections on the Maasai contain valuable early information on their apparel, war leaders and raids, decorations, topography, care of cattle and weapons. Thomson describes the life cycle of a hypothetical Maasai man and woman to illustrate many aspects of the culture. Despite the outdated theories used occasionally to account for racial and linguistic affinities of the Maasai and the subjective approach to 'strange' customs, the book is valuable for the glimpses it offers into Maasai culture prior to intensive contact with European cultures.

HRAF PubDate

1996

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Eastern Africa

Document Type

book chapter

Evaluation

Creator Type

Traveler

Document Rating

3: Good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent

Analyst

Amal Vinogradov ; 1965

Field Date

1883

Coverage Date

1883

Coverage Place

Kenya and Tanzania

Notes

by Joseph Thomson, F.R.G.S.

Note by Sir John Kirk

Includes index

Only pp. 75-86 and 234-266 are included here.

Pp. 75-86 contain data on the Chagga that have been indexed for that collection.

LCSH

Masai (African people)