People
The Maasai Shuka: Origins and Other Facts About the Traditional Garment
The Maasai Shuka cloth is also referred to as an African blanket, but it is attributed to the Maasai of East Africa as their traditional attire.
The Maasai of East Africa are some of the most prominent people in Africa. According to history, the Maasai originated from the north of Lake Turkana (northwest Kenya) in the lower Nile valley. They began migrating south in the 15th century and in the 17th and 18th centuries they reached the long land tribe that stretched across central Tanzania and northern Kenya.
The Maasai Territory reached its dominant size in the 19th century when it covered most of the Great Rift Valley and adjacent areas from Dodoma and Mount Marsabit.
So today they live in arid lands along the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania and Kenya and are known for their unique way of life as well as their cultural traditions and customs. However, a majority of them live in the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya.
The Maasai population is currently around 1.5 million
The stories of the Maasai are often tales of strong warriors who used to prove themselves in the tribe by hunting and killing wild animals. However, the Maasai have recently joined the fight to conserve wildlife and channeled their warrior energies to other avenues such as the Maasai Olympics.
They lead a semi-nomadic life, their homes are loosely built and semi-permanent. The houses are usually small round houses built by the women from mud, grass, wood and cow dung.
Maasai people are often identified in images with a traditional costume that includes: the Maasai Shuka cloth, colorful beaded necklaces, and sometimes an iron pole.
The dress code for the Maasai varies according to gender, age and location. For example, young men wear black for several months after they are circumcised. Although red is a preferred color among the Maasai. Black, blue, plaid and striped fabrics are also worn, as well as multicolored African garments.
The Maasai Shuka cloth is often colored red with black stripes. The red color of the traditional Maasai Shuka resembles the uniform of the Maasai soldiers who fought for the Roman Empire.
The shuka cloth can alternatively be blue, striped or checked and known to be strong and thick to protect the Maasai from the harsh weather and terrain of the savannah, hence the nickname; the African blanket.
Origin of the Maasai Shuka fabric
According to history, during the pre-colonial era, the Maasai people did indeed dress in leather clothing, but in the 1960s they began to replace sheepskin, calf skins, and animal hides with a more commercial material that is wrapped around the body – the material became Shúkà in the Maa language called.
These claims are not 100% authentic, so the origin of Maasai Shuka fabric remains a contentious issue.
One side insists that the Shuka cloth appeared when fabrics used as currency during the slave trade that landed in East Africa were dyed with black, blue and red natural dyes from Madagascar.
Another site simply states that the Maasai cloth was brought by Scottish missionaries in colonial times. The two explanations have a historical basis that makes them difficult to fully discount.
However, the production methods of Maasai Shuka fabric have evolved. It is typically made in Dar es Salaam and even China and has the text “The Original Maasai Shuka” on the plastic packaging.
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Even more interesting is the fact that the Maasai Shuka fabric is gaining international prominence. The cloth has appeared frequently in the global fashion world. So, in its spring-summer 2012 collection, Louis Vuitton presented red and blue Maasai shuka, from which hats, shirts and scarves were made.
