OLAIMUTIAI, Kenya (AP) — Boys become warriors in an ancient initiation ceremony in Kenya’s Maasai community. This rite of passage is known as “Enkipaata.” It has been declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO but has had to adapt to modern times.
The training was traditionally a year and involved. But now it’s been condensed to a month time to coincide with school holidays. The latest cohort is made up of 900 teenage boys. This new generation of Maasai leaders faces unique challenges.
Kenya’s 1.2 million Maasai people are profoundly affected both by climate change and the shrinking of the grazing land available to them both because of urbanization and agricultural expansion.
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