Do the Maasai really only behave in "tribal" ways?

In a total of 17 articles for BBC.co.uk, only nine contained content about the Maasai, while the other eight discussed the Masai Mara.  Almost half of the articles mention or discuss the Maasai in an essentializing way, largely as tribal people.  This type of representation denies the Maasai an opportunity to create a contemporary image of themselves that reflects their currently livelihood.  Today the Maasai are engage in a number of different economies to make a living (anywhere for making jewelry for tourists, to farming, to working an office job in Nairobi). 

Three out of the four articles only mention the Maasai in a single line or phrase that is based on the colonial language of “tribal”:

A BBC profile on John Galliano, a British fashion designer, starts that his shows “are inspired by history and his own travels around the world - everything from ancient Egypt to Masai tribesmen and 18th century equestrians.”  This two-word mention essentializes the Maasai as tribesmen, perpetuating the colonial idea that Maasai are uncivilized.

In another BBC article coming from Wem England states, “A group of 17-year-olds leaves on Sunday to spend a few days in Nairobi before going to the Maasai tribe lands.”

Such a short mention of the Maasai in the above ways does contribute to a readers notion of who the Maasai are today if they have had no other information about this community. Unless time is taken to truly find out who the Maasai people are, what their current struggles are, what type of lifestyle they live and how varied it can be, Westerns will accept/participate in this community of interpretation.