![Click to view slideshow Click to view slideshow](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_02.jpg)
![The Maasai lead an impromptu dance in front of The Watering Hole. Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_02.jpg)
![The Maasai Dancers circle around and sing for visitors. Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_03.jpg)
![The one piece of musical accompaniment the Maasai used was the hollowed horn of a kudu antelope. Photo by Francisco Guerra, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_04.jpg)
![A member of the Maasai dances with a Kenyan basket weaver at the Ngoma Stage. Photo by Brian Barger, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_07.jpg)
![The Maasai trade dance steps with visitors while Chepchumba performs on the Ngoma Stage. Photo by Walter Larrimore, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_08.jpg)
![Nelson Ngotiek wears a head dress made from monkey fur. Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_09.jpg)
![Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution](/images/galleries/2014/kenya-maasai-dancers/images/maasai_10.jpg)
The Maasai people of southern Kenya are known for their boldly colored jewelry, extensive body adornment, and “warrior” lifestyle. The boys in a village are brought up together as the morani, or junior warriors; their coming-of-age process begins with a ritualized circumcision and ends with a multi-day ceremony that includes the competitive adumu dance. Literally translating to “jumping up and down in a dance,” it involves the young men forming a circle, singing together, and taking turns jumping high in the air to show off their physical prowess and impress the women.
The Maasai Dancers at the Folklife Festival accompanied land-use advocates and beadworkers. Although they did not have any scheduled performances, they were often seen roaming the shaded Kenya program site, demonstrating the jumping dance for visitors and enjoying the music of their fellow Kenyans.
Semengur Kishoyian
Selina Sekut
Lemomo Naimodu
Ruth Sankaire
Parsimei Karia
Florence Partungas
Joel Lenkoko Surum
Agnes Paan
Philip Ikanga Ole Kisaika
Sororua Sengeny
Nelson Lemeria Ngotiek
Erustus Sanamwala Lemein
Ezekiel Kipngetich Ronoh
Margaret Nenkai
Maikonge Reb Naanyu