The Red and Black God of Maasai

The Maasai's are monotheist and believe in one God- the Engai. Engai is said to be neither male nor female, but one who has several aspects. The Maasai believe that Engai is creator of everything. There are two main manifestations of Engai: Engai Narok which is good and benevolent and is black; and Engai Na- nyokie, which is angry and red. The mythological tale illustrated here about the Black and Red god tells about their relationship with the Maasai. According to the tale, the black god was humble, kind and loving, while the red god was malevolent and did not care about people. The two gods lived in heaven, but the black god lived below the red god, and therefore, was closer to the people on earth. One day there was famine all over the world. There was neither food nor water for people. Even the cattle were almost dying from starvation. Looking at their plight, the black god told the red god that they should give water to people for they are starving. The red god who did not like people was reluctant at first, but after much pleading from black god agreed. Water was released from heaven to earth and for many days it rained.The red god then told to black god to hold back the water as people have had enough, but black god said to let the water flow for few more days as the famine had left the earth parched. So it continued to rain for more days till the red god again asked to hold the water and the black god released. After a few more days, the black god once again told the red god that they should release more water for the people but the red god refused. This led to an argument between the two gods. The red god threatened to kill all the people for, he argued, they are spoilt. But the black god defended the people and stopped the red god from causing destruction. So when there is a loud thunder, it is the red god who is trying to get past the black god to destroy the people on earth, but when the thunder is not very loud, it is the black god who is trying to prevent the red god from causing destruction.

Advithi Emmi is an Indian artist and art educator. For her art is a reflection of self and the society, it's an inexplicable journey that aids introspection. She believes in collaboration over competence, and have had several stints with different community-based projects and organizations, where she has contributed creatively to their growth while working hand-in-glove with the best in the field. In recent times, her work is mostly based on visual documentation of traditional knowledge and culture. As an art educator, she works towards sharing and instilling her experience with young minds.

In the third edition of the Wise Wall Project, we are collaborating with the culturally rich and one of the oldest communitys in the world, the Maasai community, in Arusha, Tanzania, in partnership with Vikram Solar Ltd., Vijana Inspiring Foundation, Lions Club of Dar es Salaam and Arusha City, and Google Arts and Culture. Along with building an on-ground community centre and museum for the community, we are bringing an exclusive insight into the life, lifestyle and learnings from this inspiring community.

The Wise Wall Project is an initiative of Project FUEL that aims to document, design and strengthen the wisdom of rural communities and marginalised villages using art and community outreach programmes. The arts lead the way to raise support for the challenges these villages face today like migration, quality education and access to basic amenities like water and roads.