Kenya’s most identifiable community is abandoning hunting lions with spears for javelin throwing at a biannual event called the Maasai Olympics.
Maasai women spectators watch the Maasai Olympics in Kimana Sanctuary, southern Kenya Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. The sports event, first held in 2012, consists of six track-and-field events based on traditional warrior skills and was created as an alternative to lion-killing as a rite of passage.
During his youth, Samanya killed two lions to show he was a man and that is how he received the “lion name” Mingati in the Maa language. His name at birth was Naiganya. “During our time, we killed lions and did not benefit with anything. Right now, when the morans throw a javelin and run, they get money. Previously, we got nothing. It was just poverty instead of providing for our family,” Samanya told The Associated Press.
The lion population in the Amboseli ecosystem which includes the Kimana Sanctuary has increased 10 times over the last 20 years, according to Millar. He attributed this to various initiatives like anti-poaching law enforcement and compensation programs to alleviate the loss of Maasai-owned livestock to predators.
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