Maasai Village, Tanzania

Artist/Designer: Maasai People

Project Location: Tanzania

Figure 1: A house ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Jonas Bengtsson )

Figure 2: A house ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: jjmusgrove )

Figure 3: Houses ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: HandsLive )

Figure 4: Houses with some villagers ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Bill Hertha )

Figure 5: Women building a house ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Jerzy Strzelecki )

Figure 6: Exterior shot of the village ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Chris Tilley )

Figure 7: Exterior shot of the village with animals in the foreground ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Alex Berger )

Figure 8: Exterior panoramic view ( Source | Accessed : June 30, 2023 | Photographer: Brutere )

Style/Period(s):
Maasai

Primary Material(s):
Wood, Adobe Brick

Function(s):
Residential Structure

Related Website(s):

Informative Webpage | Accessed : June 30, 2023

Blog Post | Accessed : June 30, 2023

Charitable Trust for Maasai Mara | Accessed : June 30, 2023

Significant Date(s):
No Significant Date Assigned.

Additional Information:
Publications/Texts in Print:
Homewood, Katherine, Ernestina Coast, and Michael Thompson. “In-Migrants and Exclusion in East African Rangelands: Access, Tenure and Conflict.” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute 74, no. 4 (2004): 567–610. https://doi.org/10.2307/3556842.

Additional Information:
The Maasai people are nomadic cattle raisers and their huts are not permanent. The women are the homeowners and will build the two room houses upon arrival of a new site.

Project Description:
The typical village is called Boma and has a circular configuration with the houses, Enkaji, forming a central space. They are made out of a structure of branches that are covered with layers of soil, urine, and cow dung and everything dries in the sun within a few hours.
Typically there is one opening with two rooms. The front room is for young animals and the central room has a fireplace to cook, light, and heat the house. People sleep on beds made of branches.
Each house has a small homestead for livestock and everything is protected with fences.

Building Address:

Supporting Designers/Staff:

Significant Dates:

Associated Projects:

Tags:
Village, Vernacular, Maasai, Tanzania

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