This post studies the content of online NYTimes articles on the Maasai, using both spellings, from January 1, 2011 to November 13, 2011. The most surprising detected pattern was the repeated discussion of Maasai checks in high fashion. The next most common pattern were short paternalistic or "tribal" descriptions. Below is a full discussion of my findings.
Out of a total of 30 articles, four articles spelled the Maasai with the correct spelling and 17 articles spelled it the incorrect way, “Masai.” Included in this search were nine articles that were not discussing the “Masai” people but the Masai Mara National Park. In all 21 articles discussed or mentioned the Maasai people bringing to light distinct patters, both metaphysically and literally.
In nine of the 21 articles, the Maasai were discussed in the context of their latest contribution to high fashion. The pattern of the Maasai shuka (a Maasai fabric of usually red with a checked pattern) in which designer from Louis Vuitton Kim Jones stated “the vivid red and purple-blue of Masai blankets are a striking new take on the famous LV Damier check. And the classic squares also are given a splotchy water-color look and texture for both shirts and scarves.” Another designer just barely mentions Maasai "primitivism" in regards to Maasai jewelry.
Seven of the remaining twelve articles discuss the Maasai in a very general, paternalistic and tribalistic way and for the purpose of a phrase long description.
- “They documented the meager meals of a Masai goat herder.” ("WELL; Breaking Bread Everywhere, Plentifully or Pitifully")
- “a Masai child isolated on a vast plain” ("An Exhibition Whose Curator Is 17")
- “The intractable problem was Africa. The disease was in 32 countries there, and many had pastoralist tribes like the Fulani, Masai, Dinka and Afar, who lived on the borderless fringes and drove cattle up to 50 miles a day, having virtually no contact with governments and getting no veterinary bulletins." ("Rinderpest, Scourge of Cattle, Is Vanquished")
- “the couple are to take part in a Masai wedding ceremony at the Whistling Thorn Camp in Tanzania, which is to be conducted by two Masai elders, Kirikindawa Ming-Arana and Sakaya Lomnyaki” ("Carla Stuart and Habib Azar")
Moving on, one article out of the 21 focused on discussing Maasai livelihood, but only in the sense that it sold a tourist experience, relying on the adventure motive to draw in customers. This article, titled Treading Lightly in the Simanjiro Plains of Tanzania, discusses a safari experience in Tanzania that relies on Maasai as guides for the tourists. “Nine khaki-clad travelers and a local Masai guide in a traditional red-checkered shuka cloak” are surrounded by zebras. On a guided adventure off the beaten track of the main tourist destinations to see wildlife, this particular outfitter takes tourists to the Simanjiro Plains.
Even though the article goes into some detail, the Maasai are still generalized as tribal people living as one with wildlife: “the area is home to several villages of Masai tribesmen, who have been grazing their cattle on these lush grasses for centuries. Apart from occasional encounters with lions — several Masai we met during our five days in the bush showed us the deep scars they’ve earned protecting their cows — they coexist peacefully with wildlife migrating in and out of the region.”
Through a partnership with local Maasai villages, this outfitter gained access to the wildlife rich lands, while having the Maasai provide guided tours. The Maasai receive a portion of the cost of the trip as payment for their services. The article claims that the best part about this experience is that there are “no safari lodges, no souvenir shops selling postcards or pith helmets, no tourist infrastructure of any kind. The raw thrill of discovery hasn’t been tempered with kitsch, and there’s no rush to consume nature as if in a zoo.” Here both the wildlife and the Maasai are treated as untouched and creates the idea that the Maasai are living completely separate lives then that of modern society.
Two other article by NYTimes journalist David Brooks briefly mention the Maasai and their role on his family vacation to Kenya and Tanzania. He talked of Maasai as hunters (but they are pastoralists): “Two of the Maasai guides led my youngest son and me on spontaneous mock hunts — stalking our “prey” on foot through ravines and across streams.” In his second article he provides an example of a Westernized business employing Maasai to make their jewelry for sale world-wide. The Leakey Collection enterprise “employs up to 1,200 of the local Maasai, and sells designer jewelry and household items around the world”.
In many cases, some of the patterns I have detected were seen in the same article.