Oral Literature of the Maasai

Oral Literature of the Maasai offers
an extensive collection of types of oral literature: oral narratives;
proverbs; riddles; and a variety of songs for different occasions. The
versions in this book were collected by the author from a specific
Maasai community in Kajiado County of Kenya. The author listened to many
of the narratives and participated in many proverb and riddle telling
sessions as she grew up in her Ilbissil village of Kajiado Central
Sub-county. However, she recorded most of the examples of oral
literature in the early seventies with the help of her mother, who
performed the role of the oral artist. Many songs were recorded from
live performances. The examples ring with individuality, while also
revealing a comprehensive way of life of a people. The images in the
literature reveal the concrete life of the Maasai – people living
closely with their livestock and engaged in constant struggle with the
environment. But like all important literature, the materials here
ultimately reveal a people with its moral and spiritual concerns,
grappling with questions of human values and relations, struggling for a
better social order. 

This book recommends itself to the general
reader. However, the book is more than this: it includes stimulating
discussions of examples, as well as review questions and exercises. The
book is highly recommended to students of oral literature at secondary
school level and at the university.