ABSTRACT
Dominating the pastoral livelihood of the Matapato, Maasai is the striking contrast between the wetter months especially in the spring and the long dry season that extends throughout the summer into the autumn. Corresponding to the good and bad times in their pastoralism, the Matapato recognise two distinct moods, relaxation and tension. These are not unlike the popular contrast between the restrained behaviour expected of the elders and a certain wilfulness associated with younger men, the moran. In the situation of risk and enterprise, it is the family that forms the principal unit of pastoral management under the exclusive authority of its senior male. The economic significance of Matapato pastoralism should be viewed historically within a broader context. The chapter suggests a more fundamental reason why Maasai generally have not extended their opportunism as pastoralists to the opportunities of the market economy in Kenya.
