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 & RivingtonLondon • 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 Despite the outdated theories used occasionally to account for racial and linguistic affinities of the Maasai and the subjective approach to 'strange' customs, the book is valuable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.
Subjects
Culture summary
culture
Maasai
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)