Maasai Shuka

Product : a traditional shuka checked blanket made in Kenya, and worn traditionally by the Maasai people of this region. To be used as a throw or as a shawl.

The story : the Maasai are a semi-nomadic people from East Africa who are known for their unique way of life, as well as their cultural traditions and customs.

Living across the land along the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania and Kenya, the Maasai population is currently at around 1.5 million, with the majority of them living on the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya. They are known to be formidable, strong warriors who hunt for food in the wild savannah and live closely with wild animals.

The Maasai identity is often defined by colourful beaded necklaces, an iron rod (as a weapon) and of course the shuka cloth wrapped around their bodies. The blankets are known to be durable, strong, and thick — protecting the Maasai from the harsh weather and terrain of the savannah.

Although these cloths are seen every where today, before the colonialization of Africa, the Maasai wore leather garments. They only began to replace calf hides and sheep skin with commercial cotton cloth in the 1960s. Much of what you see on the market i Tanzania or Kenya is actuallt manufactured a long way away in China, however there are a small number of locally produced Shukas, and these are the manufacturers we have chosen to work with.

Trying to establish a clear story on the origin of the Shuka is not easy, people tell you different things. There are a few schools of thought. One of them is traced back through centuries — fabrics were used as a means of payment during the slave trade and landed in East Africa, while black, blue, and red natural dyes were obtained from Madagascar. There were actually records of red-and-blue checked “guinea cloth” becoming very popular in West Africa during the 18th century. For those who know Scotish Tartan - the cloth will seem very familiar, and another explanation is that the Maasai cloth was brought in by Scottish missionaries during the colonial era.