Maasai Toponymy in Kenya

The Maasai are the ethnic group that represents the cultural face of Kenya.This paper discusses placenames that are of Maasai origins and the discussion reveals that the Maasai were keen observers of the natural environment and its content.The Maasai named places based on environmental conditions, physical features, fauna and fl ora, as well as after social functions.Placenames of Maasai origins refl ect the historical migration of the Maasai.From the description, it emerges that through contact with other ethnic languages as well as English, Maasai placenames have been linguistically adapted.The paper concludes that Maasai placenames remain resourceful records of ethnic as well a nation's history, a measure of environmental change or degradation.