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
