Time, Space and the Unknown : Maasai Configurations of Power and Providence

Uncertainty is an everyday aspect of life for the Maasai of East Africa. They take ritual precautions against mystical misfortune and place community life in the hands of elders whose collective wisdom is underpinned by a belief in a moral and provident god. This study show how uncertainty and misfortune influence the social life of the Maasai.

First Published in 2004. Uncertainty is an aspect of existence among the Maasai in East Africa. They take ritual precautions against mystical misfortune, especially at their ceremonial gatherings, which exude displays of confidence, and generate a sense of time, space, community, and being. Yet their performances are undermined by a concern for clandestine psychopaths who are thought to create havoc through sorcery. Normally elders seek moral explanations for erratic encounters with misfortune, viewing God as the Supreme and unknowable figure of Providence. However, sorcery lies beyond their collective wisdom, and they look for guidance from their Prophet, as a more powerful sorcerer to whom they are bound for protection. This work examines the variation of this pattern, associated with different profiles of social life and tension across the Maasai federation.