Why do maasai jump

As the men get closer, the volume of their chants rise, the intensity of their movement increases, converging into steady rhythm. Up, bend, forward. As the men approach the crowd inside the circle of the corral, young women launch into song. Two men, now in the centre of the circle, jump straight up, each time higher than before.

As energy flows into and through the corral, the men circle back, offering their own chant in return, a sort of call and response, their voices growing in volume and pitch. This is the essence of the signature Maasai adamu , or jumping dance. A rising beat, sweeping emotion into its path. A universal rhythm. To witness the gathering of Maasai from across villages in northern Tanzania is a stunning experience — visual, cultural, and human. For the Maasai, theirs is a celebration to mark the rite of passage, to welcome young men to the next stage of their lives.

Song and dance binds us together, from all corners of the globe. Singing, dancing — those are things we all do and have been doing since we first walked the earth. But how and why each culture sings and dances carries a stamp of uniqueness, telling so many stories about the culture, history, and beliefs of its people.

For the Maasai, important rites of passage in life are marked by ceremonies filled with song and dance. Boys are divided into age groups and throughout their life are identified with and by those stages. Song-and-dance-filled Maasai celebrations last for days on end, and offer an opportunity to bring people together and assemble members of the different clans from around the region.

These gatherings are among the ways the Maasai preserve their social fabric and continue the traditional culture in the face of external pressures and societal evolution. The final event of the day was the high jump. Whereas other competitors -- jumping vertically from a standing position, Maasai-style, with intense encouragement from the rhythmic chants of their warrior brothers gathered around the jumping circle — would take a first leap to get the rhythm, then a second one higher, and then a third or fourth leap to stretch for their maximum height, Tipape would simply step to his mark under the device and jump once — clearly touching the string suspended overhead with the top of his head, then step back.

He was not only dominating his competitors, he was saving his energy for the later rounds as the string would be raised higher and higher until only one competitor achieved that height. That one competitor was Lekatoo Tipape. After the ceremony is over, the morani shave off their long hair as a sign of their new status as full-fledged warriors. They can now return to the community, marry, and start families of their own. Read More. Male sable antelopes maintain an awkward, flexed-neck posture even when galloping.

It makes them appear more physically imposin The adumu is a part of Eunoto , a long-observed coming-of-age ceremony that includes 10 days or more of singing, dancing, and traditions. Dances are a big part of Maasai tradition. There are dances for all kinds of important social occasions… Men and women prepare for the dance by painting designs on their faces and bodies with a red, earthy pigment called ochre.

They wear intricate, colourful beadwork necklaces and shawls….