Engitati Project:

Funded by Cultural Survival Under Keepers of the Earth Fund (KOEF)

Engitati Project

Engitati is a traditional Maasai belt worn by women who have already given birth. It is carefully made from cow skin and, in some cases, beautifully decorated with beads. Beyond its cultural value, Engitati serves an important medicinal and spiritual function. It is traditionally used as a remedy after childbirth, helping to support the waist and lower back, relieve post-partum pain, and restore strength and balance to a woman’s body. The Engitati Project draws inspiration from this Indigenous knowledge system to highlight the deep connection between women, traditional healing practices, spirituality, and ecosystem protection within the Maasai community. In Maasai worldview, human well-being especially women’s reproductive health is inseparable from the health of livestock, land, and natural resources.

Engitati And Environment

The project recognizes that effective ecosystem protection in Maasai territories cannot be achieved if traditional knowledge systems and spiritual attachments to nature are ignored. Indigenous practices such as Engitati embody sustainable relationships with the environment, respectful use of natural materials, and intergenerational knowledge transmission led by women. Through the Engitati Project, Indigenous women’s knowledge is elevated as a critical pathway for ecological conservation, cultural continuity, and community resilience. Protecting ecosystems therefore goes hand in hand with protecting Indigenous cultural practices, women’s roles, and spiritual relationships with the land.

We are aiming to protect land, water, and biodiversity in Maasai territories by revitalizing and strengthening Indigenous Maasai knowledge systems, ancestral spiritual practices, and language through communal and culturally grounded methodologies.

Indigenous Maasai knowledge systems, ancestral spiritual practices, and language that guide the protection of land, water, and biodiversity are increasingly being eroded. Climate change is disrupting traditional seasons and ecological indicators embedded in the Maasai calendar, songs, and proverbs, while extractive industries and external development projects are intensifying land dispossession, environmental degradation, and threats to sacred sites and water sources. At the same time, conservation and development initiatives often overlook Indigenous worldviews and communal knowledge-sharing traditions, weakening intergenerational transmission of cultural and ecological knowledge. The loss of these living knowledge systems undermines both Maasai cultural survival and effective ecosystem protection.

The idea for the project originated from ongoing community-based activities and long-term engagement with Maasai communities in Ngorongoro District, Loliondo Division. Through regular dialogues, community meetings, and collaborative work on cultural and environmental issues, community members particularly elders and women identified the need to protect and revitalize Indigenous knowledge, ancestral spiritual practices, and language as a foundation for land, water, and biodiversity protection. The community was fully consulted throughout the development of the project idea. The project emerged directly from community recommendations and priorities, reflecting shared concerns about the erosion of traditional knowledge, climate change impacts, and increasing environmental threats from external activities. The project is integrated into existing community plans and customary structures, including traditional knowledge-sharing systems, seasonal practices, and community-led environmental stewardship initiatives. Activities will be implemented using communal methodologies and will complement ongoing efforts to safeguard cultural heritage, natural resources, and community well-being.

Engitati Project | Protecting Indigenous Knowledge, Culture & Nature

The Engitati Project, led by Indigenous Women Development Affairs (IWDA), is a community-driven initiative that celebrates and safeguards the living heritage of the Maasai people in northern Tanzania.