The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Due to their distinctive customs and dress and residence near the many game parks of East Africa, they are among the most well known of African ethnic groups. They speak Maa, a member of the Nilo-Saharan language family that is related to Dinka and Nuer, and are also educated in the official languages of Kenya and Tanzania: Swahili and English. The Maasai population has been variously estimated as 377,089 from the 1989 Census or as 453,000 language speakers in Kenya in 1994 and 430,000 in Tanzania in 1993 with a total estimated as "approaching 900,000" Estimates of the respective Maasai populations in both countries are complicated by the remote locations of many villages, and their semi-nomadic nature.
On my fathers side, I am of the Gogo tribe. This is sometimes the Ugogo tribe, or the Mgogo tribe...but it is all one and the same originated from the Gogo tribe. I think it's pretty cool that the nickname Akira and I chose for our Uncle Topher is Uncle Gogo. We named him my tribe!! The Gogo people are not from Northern Tanzania and are generally found in the Dodoma area of Tanzania. In fact, much of my extended family lives there, and when there was a meeting with my family to discuss my adoption, it was held in Dodoma. There is also a very cool book that Mommy found on the Gogo people...but she has to wait until we get to a place where Amazon.com delivers. Then, we will have a whole book at my house on the Gogo people. Very cool!
So, I am Tanzanian, Massai, Gogo, Norwegian, Mapuga, Bowman, soon to be American and OH SO LOVED!
And so very adorable! What a fine young lady! And growing up so quickly.
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