A Maasai Song for The Lion

The Morans are young men of the Maasai people, from the ages of 14 to 30, who are trained as warriors to provide protection to society. They are considered to be the bearer of the community. 

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 cum museum. This gave us the opportunity to witness the Lion song.

Cows are considered wealth by the Maasai. And when killed by a lion, it causes the tribe a considerable loss.

When there’s a lion in the vincity, the Morans come together and sing “The Lion Song”.

Amos, a Moran shared, “When I kill a lion after it killed our cattle, I gain experience and people respect me more."

There are some exercises that Morans do in preparing themselves to defend the cattle, like, practising throwing spears. They also ensure to eat and drink healthily to gain strength.

The Morans also walk long distances, sometimes from one district to another. All of this together makes them fit for the task.

When they encounter a lion, they together start humming the song. The belief is that the vibrations from the song cause the lion to faint. That's when they attack and kill it.

“When we come home with the lion skin, the women get so emotional. They cry as a sense of relief that they now have nothing to fear.", Amos shared. The killing of the lion is a big victory for the community.