The Origin of Cattle

In the beginning, the Maasai had no cattle. They were poor hunters. The sky god, Enkai, saw their plight. He took a long leather rope (olokat) and began to send cattle down it from the sky to the earth. The cattle flowed down the rope in a great, endless stream. The father of the Maasai people, Leeyo, stood in wonder as his wealth grew. However, a man from a neighboring Dorobo group, a clan of hunters, saw what was happening. Overcome with jealousy at the sight of this immense gift, he severed the rope. The connection between heaven and earth was cut, and the flow of cattle stopped. Enkai was angered by this act and withdrew from the world. This is why the Maasai believe that all the cattle on earth rightfully belong to them, as they were a divine gift that was cut short by the envy of others. Raiding cattle from other tribes was not seen as theft, but as reclaiming what was rightfully theirs from the original divine inheritance.