One hundred years ago the Maasai ruled over much of East Africa. Their feared warriors, or moran, were renowned for their bravery and cattle-stealing escapades. With the coming of the modern age, the Maasai were restricted to a reservation in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They continue to cling tenaciously to their culture and customs, while the pressures of the modern age build up all around them. Their many rites of passage - rituals that transport the participants from one stage of life to the next - give life a meaning and purpose that is often lacking in other cultures.
