The Effects of FGM on the Masai Tribe

Changing your body is usually a personal decision yet in the Masai tribe in Africa women are kidnapped and have their genitals cut without undergoing anesthesia.  FGM stands for female genital mutilation.  This gruesome act is a long-time tradition in the Masai tribe demonstrating the beginning of the trail to womanhood.  

Masai leaders have been encouraged to end FGM and instead remain true to tradition through other ceremonial activities including shaving their hair, drinking the blood of sacrificed animals and dancing in brand new beaded clothing.  “We are encouraging people to change one part of Maasai culture, but not give up all of what makes us proud to be Maasai,” Sarah Tenoi who is a Masai woman from Loita Hills.  The Masai tribe are based firmly on tradition and the entire tribe has still not changed over to the less gruesome traditions on the path to womanhood.

FGM is not only gruesome it has no medical benefits whatsoever.  Male circumcision prevents the spread of HIV however FGM is quite the opposite.  FGM is often performed in an unsanitary environment with unsanitary tools.  The procedure exposes girls to an easy infection and can cause problems during childbirth.  In 2011, the Kenyan government passed a law against FGM which even prevented people from commenting on women who have not undergone the procedure.  However, the law is not strictly enforced in the tightly wound tribes of the Masai.  In 2013, a study was conducted showing that over 73% of Masai women had undergone FGM.    

The Masai’s reasoning behind FGM is Masai Warriors want to keep their wives “uninterested” in sex staying faithful while they are off hunting for months.  From this aspect the Masai warriors are extremely selfish with no care for the woman of the tribe.  Woman are treated like objects as they are kidnapped and undergo FGM without any amnesia.  This is all done just to prevent the Masai wives from sex while they are off hunting.  Some Masai still do not realize how wrong FGM is.  Masai Warrior Ole Lelein Kanunga is one of the few who realizes the gravity of the topic.  “We morans are one step ahead of our people. They are still saying it is good for the health of the girls and the health of babies, that it is too important to stop. They say we are destroying our traditions. But we are not telling the Masai to leave our culture, just what is causing us problems.” (The Times)  Kanunga’s quote shows his personal thoughts on FGM.  The procedure is thought of as acceptable by many Masai because it is a long lasting tradition.  The government is working extremely hard to change the Masai tradition.  Even through all the government’s effort to make and enforce laws against FGM one of the major cures of FGM is in the morans.  The morans are the young men of the Masai aging from ages 15-30.  They are the key to success in changing FGM.  Through the Morans resisting FGM all the other influences in the Masai tribe are canceled out.  These include the girl’s relatives and the elders of the tribe.  Often the girl’s parents and relatives greatly influence the girl to undergo FGM.  The Morans are standing up to FGM by marrying girls who have not undergone FGM.  This shows to the girls that they will still be able to marry without undergoing this awful procedure.  

The reason that FGM is being resisted by the morans is not because of the brutality of the procedure or that it makes childbirth dangerous.  In reality, FGM is being resisted because of the fear that the Masai tribe is losing the traditional power that is thought of when the Masai tribe is mentioned.  Resistance of FGM is also due to the fear of the Masai losing popularity to other tribes in Kenya.  As the entire world changes throughout the years so must the Masai and their tradition of FGM.     

Works Cited:

Dixon, Robyn. "Masai Women Rebels by Insisting on Being Equal." LA TImes. N.p., 10 Feb. 2015. Web.

"Tanzania Selling off Land Belonging to Masai Tribe to Dubai Royal Family to Use It as Game-hunting Resort." DNA. N.p., 21 Nov. 2014. Web.

Bennett, Rosemary. "The Young Masai Tribal Warriors Battling FGM in Kenya | The Times." The Times. The Times, 27 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

Cowan, Samantha. "As One Group Modernizes, Becoming a Woman Won't Mean Permanent Scars." TakePart. Takepart, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.

Senthilingam, Meera. "Staying Alive: Why Measles Won't Take down the Maasai." CNN. Cable News Network, 11 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.