| dc.description.abstract | This study is a critical analysis of how Maasai informants read some selected Old Testament texts that are thought to have an appeal to people with semi-nomadic ways of life. The Maasai is a Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic pastoralists living in the northern Tanzania, and southern Kenya, East Africa. The traditional Maasai semi-nomadic way of life in Tanzania is currently in a severe tension with surrounding farmers and other investors. The opponents to the Maasai accuse the traditional Maasai way of life to be outdated, destructive, misusing the land and it deserves a ban. Chapter one presents an introduction to the study. It starts with a case from the field, where I interact with an informant I call Meitamei. Having Meitamei’s views as a background, the chapter situates the problem in the Tanzanian context and the research context. The chapter poses the research question, the aim and methodology, some ethical considerations, and the scope. It also introduces the Maasai, with information that serves as a handle of what comes in the next chapters. Chapter two discusses theoretical perspectives and concepts. This chapter is divided in three parts. The first is the Maasai oral “texts.” The Maasai oral “texts” are reading resources the informants use in interpreting biblical texts. The second is the interpretive context, where I discuss inculturation theory, with particular reference to Justin Ukpong and his inculturation hermeneutics of biblical interpretation, offering some modifications of Ukpong’s approach. The third is about actors involved in this study. Here, I discuss some aspects of Action Research from social science, and some aspects of “reading with” from African biblical hermeneutics that inform my research. Chapter three deals with the encounter between my Maasai informants and some biblical texts selected for the project. It is about the Maasai reading of some selected Old Testament texts. The texts are Gen 13:1-12, Exod 13:17-22, and Jer 35:5-10. During the process of reading the Biblical texts, I am the facilitator who poses questions, and the informants are the ones to make the interpretations. In other words, the Maasai informants are the primary interlocutors of the selected Old Testament texts. In chapter four, I create a dialogue between the Maasai readings of biblical texts in chapter three with critical Old Testament studies. This dialogue does not aim at assessing the 10 Maasai reading from an exegetical perspective, but to make the two enrich each other. The assumption in this dialogue is that the Maasai readings and the critical Old Testament studies are equal partners in the dialogue. Chapter five reflects on the results from previous chapters to see what contribution it may have to the academic discipline of Old Testament studies in Africa. In this chapter, I start by defining Old Testament studies in Africa, then I survey its development, and discuss some current challenges. Then I locate my Maasai project in terms of its contribution into this academic context. The contribution of my project is in terms of: (1) method, that of realization of a relationship between Old Testament research and contextual challenges. (2) Bridging the gap between lay and professional readers of the Bible. (3) The role of the Bible for constructive social change. (4) The bible and African culture, and (5) the influence of the Bible outside Christian sphere. Lastly, chapter six concludes my research. This is by summarizing the results, answering my research question, and a response to Meitamei, an informant I started with in section 1.1 of this work. | |
