1. Young Maasai girls often become sexually active when they are pre-pubescent. Boys close to their own age, however, are not considered husband material.
2. Virginity before marriage is not required or valued. Girls who are not virgins may be suspect as undesirable.
3. Girls and boys are circumcised in their teens. The group of peers who get circumcised together are “age mates” or an “age group.” The age of those in the group may vary from 2-10 years.
4. Maasai men do not marry until they are “elders.” Young girls typically are sold by their parents for a bride price and married to men far older.
5. Maasai men take several wives.
6. A Maasai wife belongs to her husband and his age mates.
7. An age mate who is in a hut with one of the many wives who belong to his age group puts a spear in the ground outside the door to indicate his presence. The other men stay away.
8. A woman who has several children is expected to give away at least two of her children as a permanent gift to her childless sister, with the consent of her husband.
9. Only sons, not daughters, can inherit property from their parents.
10. Education for girls is considered unnecessary, especially once they are circumcised and no longer considered children.
There are no words.
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