Two individuals in colorful traditional attire and beaded jewelry stand outdoors against a blue sky with scattered clouds, embodying the pride of their tribe. One looks directly at the camera, while the other gazes to the side, with a grassy landscape in the background.
A group of Maasai people in traditional attire, with an air of pride, hold wooden sticks and gather around a Maasai Olympics Amboseli-Tsavo banner in an open field. This vibrant tribe appears to be celebrating or posing cheerfully.
A close-up of a majestic lion with a thick mane, embodying pride as it looks into the distance. The background is a soft blurred golden hue, evoking a savannah landscape.

Tribe versus Pride

Nature & Wildlife·1 x 50 min·Completed

Once a lion-hunting rite, the Maasai’s rite of passage now honors bravery through athletics, preserving both tradition and Africa’s lion population.

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Genre
Conservation
Cultural Heritage
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 × 50 min
Audio
5.1
Status
Completed
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Synopsis

The Maasai people of Kenya have an ancient ritual. Their young men must prove their skills and courage – by killing a wild lion.

A Maasai warrior band of brothers runs out into the grassland, looking for their next conquest. The game is simple – gather as one around a lion, and move in. It’s tribe versus one of the pride. Spears are thrown, the raging lion defends itself. Sometimes warriors are killed and maimed, but those are considered the brave ones. Trophies are taken home, stories become legends, bonds are strengthened, and the brotherhood gets stronger.

For thousands of years, this was an essential tradition for the Maasai to celebrate the rite of passage from boy to man. To earn the respect of his brothers, a young man had to engage in direct combat with a lion. His face would be painted in traditional colours, representing Gods, enemies, and the lions they honoured – yet still needed to kill.
But these times are over. Fifty years ago, an estimated 450,000 lions lived alongside the Maasai in Africa. Today, these numbers have changed dramatically. There are now two million Maasai – but only 20,000 lions left in the whole of Africa.

As a means to stop the falling lion numbers, the Maasai have decided to change one of their culture’s most defining traditions. And as a result, the African lion, respected as one of the fiercest predators, gets another chance.
The Maasai elders proposed a different form of this rite of passage, a big and important step for them, as culture and rituals are not changed in a heartbeat. But this particular case was recognised as so important that it was agreed by all the Maasai.

The young men of the Maasai now compete in a different physical test – athletics. In 2008, the Maasai Olympics were founded, now taking place in Kenya biannually. The competition is organized in three levels – local, regional and ecosystem-wide competitions. Instead of killing, the young Maasai athletes are running, jumping and throwing spears.

Even more important, conservation education has become blended with sports. Today, the hunt is for medals – not lions. They are trophies of a different kind, but are regarded with the same importance and approval within the communities. Bravery can still be tested and expressed, while the lion, friend and foe of the Maasai, may continue to roam the African savannahs.

Team

Written and directed by Dereck Joubert
Executive producers Ivo Filatsch, Sabine Holzer
Production companies A Terra Mater Factual Studios and Wildlife Films production

Awards & Recognitions

Chicago, USA US International Film & Video Festival Gold Camera (Category: Environment, Ecology) 2018
61st CINE Golden Eagle Awards for Professional Media Winner Category of Nonfiction Content: Feature – Environment and Science 2018
Bratislava, Slovakia IFF Ekotopfilm - Envirofilm Festival Prize of the International Jury 2018
Netherlands Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam Nomination 2018
Wyoming, USA Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Special Jury Award 2017
Lihula, Estonia MAFF Matsalu Film Festival Nomination (Category: Man & Nature) 2018
Gödöllö, Hungary International Nature Film Festival Nomination (Category: Nature Films) 2018
Montana, USA IWFF - International Wildlife Film Festival Nomination (Category: Conservation) 2018
New York, USA International Big Cats Film Festival Nomination (Category: Issues and Solutions) 2018
New York, USA International Big Cats Film Festival Nomination (Category: People and Big Cats) 2018
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