Women and girls at Masai wedding (1936)
The women at this Masai Wedding in Arusha in Tanzania carry on wedding traditions that persist to this day. The day before the wedding, the groom and best man brought a dowry to the bride’s family, which makes the marriage legitimate in the family’s eyes. On the same day, the bride’s head is shaved to symbolize the new chapter of her life. She is anointed with oils and decorated with imasaa, Masai beads, to complete her wedding dress.
The groom’s relatives make the wedding dress, not the bride and her family, as a show of unity. The bride is blessed by elders when she leaves her home and village. As she makes her way to her husband’s home, villagers greet her with light-hearted teasing and wedding gifts. For each gift, the bridge ties a knot on an enkariwa wedding necklace to note how many gives she received.
