Maasai shepherd in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.

Maasai Way

The pastoralists of Ngorongoro

Tanzania

2023

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Leonotis nepetifolia lion's ear flowers Ngorongoro
Maasai woman from Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.
Maasai boy from Ngorongoro by Ekaterina Juskowski 2023
Maasai Cow by Ekaterina Juskowski. Tanzania, 2023
Ngorongoro crater zebras by Ekaterina Juskowski 2023

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans vast expanses of highland plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests. Established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing, it includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera.

Maasai child from Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.
Maasai woman from Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.
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Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.

The property has global importance for biodiversity conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species, the density of wildlife inhabiting the area, and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains. Extensive archaeological research has also yielded a long sequence of evidence of human evolution and human-environment dynamics, including early hominid footprints dating back 3.6 million years.

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Maasai shepherds from Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.
Maasai Elder by Ekaterina Juskowski. Tanzania, 2023
Maasai young woman
"Embarbal e papa" Maasai song by Paulo Mollel

Paulo Mollel sings "Embarbal e Papa" / "The Red Flock of My Father" song of Maasai shepherds. The song was recorded on June 8, 2023 in Ngorongoro Conservation Area where Paulo lives. The lyrics of the first few lines are in Paulo's handwriting.

Paulo Mollel, a Maasai leader from Ngorongoro.
Maasai shepherd in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ekaterina Juskowski, 2023.
Despite being praised by world-renowned ecologists for their contribution to preserving wildlife, the Maasai community of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is currently being forced out of their ancestral land.