Blacksmiths a feared lot among Maasai

Members of the Maasai community in a meeting [Photo:Standard]

 

By Lemomo Ole Kulet

Among the Maasai there are distinctive groups — sub-tribes — that play an important role in ensuring the Maasai culture is upheld. The groups are also indicative of the jobs they do.

They include the ilkunono, Iltorobo and the iloibonok.  The ilkunono are feared due to their secretive nature and their way of life. The ‘Iltorobo’ are scorned and are seen as poor. 

They are treated as a lower caste or underclass among the pastoral community.  In fact to some sections of the Maasai such as the Purko, marriage among the ‘ilkunono’ was prohibited, but due to education things are now changing. It is possible for a Purko man to marry from the ‘ilkunono’. The ‘iloibonok’ are respected and revered due to their expertise in rituals and herbal medicine.

‘Ilkunono’ are blacksmiths and are mostly found in Suswa and also in Narok town. They also engage in trade and have no much attachment to cows.

Occasionally, They move from place to place selling cowbells, belts, bangles, arrowheads, spears, ornamental earrings, swords and also bracelets.

 “They were feared among the Maasai since they were seen as merchants of death by the fact that they made things like arrows, spears, swords and many other warfare equipment and weapons,” says Kiraitu Masinga.

He says the fact that they engaged in trade was seen as a pollution of the Maasai culture.

“There was an impression of uncleanliness attached to blacksmiths and their food. Other Maasai feared visiting the ‘ilkunono’ at home. They were considered unclean and were ranked the lowest among the Maasai,” he says. 

Lesiamon Turanta says the skills of the ‘ilkunono’ are unmatchable, but that has not won them respect.

“They are gifted and they have business acumen that other Maasai do not have.  Unfortunately, most of the other groups of the Maasai do not recognise them at all. Some like the Purko did not even allow intermarriage. It was a taboo to marry from the clan due to stereotyping,” he says.

Considered secretive

He believes if the blacksmiths were not despised, the Maasai would have undergone a kind of industrial revolution and development that has been elusive so far.

The ‘ilkunono’ are known to be secretive unlike the other section of Maasai. They are believed to practise black magic — the more reason they are feared. Among the Maasai a rich man was considered one with many cows and many wives, and the ‘ilkunono’ could not fit. These preoccupation with raring of cattle has become ‘difficult and unsustainable due to erratic weather pattern, decimated grazing areas, diseases and many more environmental issues.

The ‘iltorobo’ were also looked down upon. ‘Iltorobo’ is translated to mean poor people without cattle. They were hunters and gatherers. They occupied parts of the Loita and also the Mau forests. They lived on fruits, insects, honey and hunting. Among the Maasai it was a taboo to eat wildlife. Consequently, whoever hunted wildlife for food was considered an ‘iltorobo’.

 “They did the work the other Maasai abhorred. They were the circumcisers and run errands for the other Maasai community. They also sold honey and ceremonial skins,” says Kiranto Lemein.

 The ‘iltorobo’ no longer roam in the forest have been largely been assimilated into ‘mainstream’ Maasai and those in the Mau forest have been mostly integrated among the Kipsigis while most have remained as Ogiek.

The last group is the ‘iloibonok’ the medicine men and the ritual experts. They are from a sub-clan known as ‘inkidong’i’. They are mostly found in Liota in Narok County. Unlike the first two groups, the iloibonok command respect in the community. They are seers and have the power to predict calamities and also prescribe remedies. They have a huge social and spiritual responsibility.

Most revered sub-tribe

 “They were always consulted during major ceremonies and events taking place among the Maa community; such as wars, promotions of age sets, cleansing ceremonies and other important ceremonies,” says Mzee Robert ole Masikonte.

Due to their vast knowledge on medicinal plants they were the community doctors. Their tools of trade comprise a gourd known as ‘enkidong’ normally used by the ‘laibons’.

There are many ‘laibons’, but there is only one chief ‘laibon’. He presides over all important social events and ceremonies among the Maasai community. This position is normally inherited.  Once the Chief Laibon felt it was time to hand over the mantle he would select one of his sons to be his successor. Christianity has largely transformed how this group operates.