We noticed this topic as a fashion on the social media, where different tourists spending short vacation at Zanzibar are talking and convincing people about fake maasais at beaches of Zanzibar. What exactly "a fake maasai" should be I don't really know but let us to explain this topic more deeply.
First of all you can be sure - there are no fake maasais on the beach. It means that all those young or older men in red shukas who are just walking on the beach, or who are selling souvenirs, or who are bothering tourists with love-bombing and lies, who are jumping in the hotels on the evening show - all these people are real maasais. There is nothing that much amazing on being a maasais now-days. It's more a shame. How sad. Proud and honest people from maasai tribe from the past are slowly dying and disappearing and the beaches are covered and crowded by maasais cowards, scammers and criminals (mean and cruel people) who will do all possible for the money. But still - they are real maasais - shame of the maasai tribes. We can divide the maasais to 4 main groups just for better explanation.
1. MAASAIS FROM THE VILLAGES / FROM THE BOMAS IN THE BUSH
This group represents a majority of maasais you can meet in Tanzania. At Zanzibar the most of these people are from Tanga region, from the villages like Kiberashi, Kwediboma especially Elerai, but also Handeni, Songe, Gitu, Chalinze etc. Maasais are never (or maybe very rarely) living directly in the villages (except of Elerai), they are mostly living in the bushes near to those villages. In the villages are living local - tanzanian people, which have with maasais often not very good relationship. They often fight together. So if you will meet a person in red shuka on the beach, you can be almost sure he is from this group. These people are often lying to you that they are from Arusha or Killimanjaro or other places but mostly not. In this group you can find two different "sorts" of maasais, depends of origin. Parakujo (no idea how to write it) and Kisongo but this is not important for this article. There is no difference in behavior on the beach between them, they themselves only know about this - who is who. For me it's the same and I can hardly recognize them. These people are the biggest criminals and the most dangerous maasais you can meet. For us and also for employers. Dishonest, fake people pretending attention and interest in you or at work. Many times drunks, stealing money, making frauds and crimes using each opportunity for it. Almost all big liars. Living in lies whole the time, trying to get as much your money as possible, pressing you to take them to Europe and then easily kick your ass. Whatever you will do for them, they will delete you from the life soon. So beautiful people :) with so big hearts. Yes, they have big heart (all of them for money, some of them for own maasai families in the bush but no-one for the white people). That's it. Also this is a good question how big heart they have for their families when they are able to be without own children long months if not years.
2. MAASAIS FROM THE CITIES (MOSTLY FROM ARUSHA).
Maasais from the cities like Arusha are different in many things. They are really not many on the beaches because these people are living different life style than those from the bush. They are also real maasais, speaking language Maa, having still some cultural differences and habits in comparison to locals but they are more civilized in general. Also their families are living in different ways, they are mostly educated, their women have some human rights and are more equal to men. Maasais from Arusha don't like to be dirty beachboys, they are not living in typical maasais life anymore (as those from the bush), just you can feel the differences. But to meet a maasai from Arusha is not common and not easy on the beach. Not that easy as to meet maasais from the country side.
3. MAASAIS SELLING SHOES
To be honest - I am not completely sure from where these guys exactly are. Maybe from Kilimanjaro and from areas near to national parks, but I am not sure about that .You can recognize them easily. All of them have always very short hair (never dreads and never artificial hair of warriors and they are just selling shoes and they really don't bother white women with love bombing. They are modest and quiet, they will offer you shoes in very nice way, without pressure and hunt. I like them. Often you can see them instead of in red shukas in blue ones. But they speak very bad English (because they are not beachboys and they don't have any experiences with white women), so you can't hardly ask them something, they mostly don't understand anything. But when you will try to speak to them in Maa language, they are impressed and honestly happy. They don't have that hatred to white people, at least I don't feel it and they are quite ok. Just selling shoes, mostly flippers from the leather or flippers with some beads. They are not dangerous for us. No-one from them never tried to hunt me or speaking nonsenses. And one "no thank you" is enough for them.
4. MAASAIS FROM KENYA
Sometimes you can meet the guys from Kenya but in very rare cases. And those from Kenya who are at Zanzibar are mostly really selling souvenirs. Kenya has also maasais beachboys (those terrible animals who are hunting white women and making prostitution on the beaches, but they are mostly at home in Mombasa. They also speak Maa language but if I met 5 of them in whole my life - is too much. But of course they are also real maasais.
So now back to the topic of "fake maasais". What can happen (theoretically)
1. Swahili beachboy has a Instagram account where he is acting like he is a maasai. Some swahili people believe that white women like maasais more, so that's why. But this can happen only on social media like Instagram, TikTok etc. Or at least I saw ONE swahili guy who is trying to pretend he is a maasais. You can recognize maasai by face, so this guy from Instagram, just one look and you know he is not any maasai but Swahili guy from Mainland. People from Zanzibar are not doing this, even not on social media. They don't respect maasais and they mostly don't like them, they would never pretend they are maasais :)
2. I also met a guy with a wig. He is a maasai but he is old one. Old maasais (out of warrior age set group) can't wear those artificial long hair. How those hair are making - maasais have very short hair and on this short hair they will make extension from some kind of wool. It's connected with their own short hair with some kind of red thread but ONLY warriors can have it on the head. Otherwise it's not allowed for other maasais. But one guy has a WIG :) But he is a maasai, only not warrior. He has always many beads and that wig - to attract people more or I don't know why.
And that's it.
They are two big reasons why it's not possible - to be a fake maasais.
1. Locals Zanzibarian people REALLY don't like maasais. They would never wear shukas and pretending to be maasais. No way.
2. Swahili people from mainland are also not doing that. Maasais KNOW EACH OTHER well. There is a whole ORGANISATION managing maasais at Zanzibar. Once fake maasai would be on the beach, other maasais would beat him with the stick and they would throw him out of the beach in 2 seconds.
So nonsenses like the buses are coming to hotels with FAKE maasais who will change the clothes somewhere in hotel wardrobes for jumping shows and then the buses will take them back to StoneTown after show to their homes it's a bullshit. And also the belief that MAASAIS ARE PROUD PEOPLE WHO WOULD NEVER HUNT WHITE WOMEN and something like REAL MAASAIS ARE ONLY IN THE BUSH, so that's why those who are on the beach are fake maasais :) it's the biggest bullshit ever. Maasais need money as everyone else, they mostly can't find the money in the bush or at least NOT ENOUGH to feed their families.
Don't forget - maasais can't do any craft and they are mostly uneducated. There is no way for them how to make enough money. They only can be a security (those without any education what is still the majority) but they REALLY don't like to work. Really. They can work for a short time only and after they will RUN to the beach to bother and to catch someone there. Always - really always by using lies and manipulation.
Real maasais definitely are hunting white women today on the beaches and it's their main job and main source of money and the way how to feed their big families. (I don't know any maasai who is not married already, they are married in age around 20 - 23 - 25, to meet a maasai on the beach around 30 who is still not married is not possible). These people are supported by all their family members (including mothers, fathers and their own wives) in this crime and nobody from them has ANY PROBLEM with using and abusing white women. They all (women including) will smile at you, knowing they are going to destroy your life and steal your money. This is who the real maasais are today and you can easily meet them daily on the beach of Zanzibar in hundreds - bothering people, pretending the love and lying for getting more and more money. This is the reality - the only one. What a pity. A pity for a maasai tribe. And a danger for all good people.
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