Adamu: The Maasai Moran Dance

The Maasai are one of the oldest communities in the world. They are revered throughout for their cultural traditions and the way they have preserved them in the face of modernity.

For the past few years, we have been collaborating with the Maasai community in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania, to build a community center and museum. 

This central space serves as a tourist center, a space for the women's self-help group to conduct their business and a digital lab for the youth to learn computers.

During our stay with the community, we became particularly fascinated with the dance of the Morans, Maasai warriors. Their dance is called Adamu or Adumu.

This dance form involves a lot of jumping. The Morans first form a circle, wherein one Moran will enter and start jumping high. Their stance is narrow, and they ensure that their heels don’t touch the ground. 

Once the Moran tires, he steps out and re-joins the circle, while other Morans take his place and start jumping. 

The music for the dance is provided by other Morans, who chant and hum, which is also accompanied by loud calls. The Morans sway their bodies back and forth. 

This dance is a big part of the Maasai celebrations and rituals, especially during the coming-of-age ceremony, as it is traditionally regarded as a mating dance. Through this dance, the new Morans display their strength in a bid to impress the women. 

The women respond by joining the dance and singing in their own rhythm. They indicate through their movements if they are interested in the Morans. 

Other than this ceremony, the community also celebrate other rituals by dancing, like marriage or the selection of a village chief.