14 Traditional Tools of the Maasai

These are big wooden logs that are cleaned and placed against the trees for support. The logs are then eventually cut down and used in building bomas (traditional homes) or kraals (cattle enclosures).

These big wooden sticks are used to form the boundaries of boma and cattle enclosures or kraals.

This is a sickle that is used to cut grass, which is later used to make the thatched roof of a boma.

Ormuyuko is a kitchen tool, used as a spatula to stir while cooking.

It is made of a gourd or calabash, from a fleshy, trailing plant, like a pumpkin. The insides of the gourd are scraped and burnt in order to clean it, after which the shell is left to dry in the sun and then used as a storage container, mostly for liquids like milk or porridge.

The spear is the most precious possession of a Moran which is used for stabbing, defending cattle and the community against predators, thrown in cases of emergency. The spear is about 6-7 feet long made of a strong steel blade, connected with a wooden stick.

Rungu is a handheld wooden club that is meant to be thrown or used as a baton. It bears special symbolism and significance with the Morans. It is an emblem of warriors and is seen as more of a baton of status than a weapon. It is now largely used as a tourist souvenir in East Africa. Local women are widely employed in sewing decorative beads onto the handles of those made for the tourist trade.