A new generation of Maasai warriors is born in Kenya

OLAIMUTIAI, Kenya (AP) — In the bracing morning cold in the forest highlands overlooking Kenya’s Maasailand, 900 teenage boys clad in traditional Maasai shukhas or blankets line up for a cup of hot milk that will sustain them through the day.

In spite of the cold, they have been sleeping on the forest floor. They have gone hungry. And they haven't bathed in a month.

It’s all part of learning to be a Maasai warrior.

They have traveled to Olaimutiai in Kenya’s Narok county from all over the Maasai ancestral lands in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. All 900 were handpicked to take part in a Maasai warrior training camp, which only happens every 10 to 15 years. It teaches Maasai cultural values, leadership skills — and how to be tough.

Isaac Mpusia, a 16-year-old high schooler, was visited at home last March by a group of boys who asked for and were offered hospitality, and stayed overnight. The next day, they told him to leave with them.

“They didn’t tell me (where we were going) and I was worried at first,” he says. But he understood the honor of having been chosen, and went.

“When you come here, you learn a lot of things that were done by our parents,” Mpusia says. “You have to have discipline.”

Traditionally, transitioning from child to warrior as a Maasai involved taking part in a one-year warrior camp. Maasai youths would be secluded and learn survival skills, bushcraft — and, if the opportunity arose, how to kill a lion.

All that has changed. Although “Enkipaata” — the official rite of passage that includes warrior training — has been declared a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, it has been modernized.

The boys now wield long sticks, not blades. No lions are killed. And warrior camp has been condensed down to one month, timed to coincide with school holidays.

Joyce Naingisa’s son is taking part in this Enkipaata, and although she is just 34 years old, this ritual has already changed considerably in her lifetime.

“My husband dropped out of school for a whole year so that he could attend," she says. “But now, they are the leaders, and they know the importance of education. So these boys will undergo this rite of passage, but we still make sure that they go to school.”

Naingisa is a county minister in Narok North County and took a month off work to be here. One of her traditional responsibilities as a Maasai wife and mother is to help build the homes that make up this temporary settlement.

“We just came to a plain field here, and now you can see a full house. That is the role of women: to build the shelter,” she explains.

Having all 900 recruits come with their families would be logistically impossible, so Naingisa feels responsible for all of them.

“The children are brought here from across Kenya and Tanzania, so we are their mothers. They can enter any house. They can all eat. There is no difference between my son, whose mother is here, and the one whose mother is not here.”

On the day of their graduation, a ceremonial bull is slaughtered and blessed by the elders, before being shared by everyone.

Stanley Naingisa — Joyce’s husband and chief of his own age set — explains the importance of the meat-sharing ceremony.

“It teaches them sharing,” he says. “It teaches them brotherhood. It teaches them being bound together as a community and as a people. For the Maasai, when you say that somebody is of your age set, these are people that have grown with you, and that you are going to grow old with.”

This new generation of Maasai leaders faces unique challenges. Kenya’s 1.2 million Maasai people are profoundly affected both by climate change and the shrinking of the grazing land available to them, both because of urbanization and agricultural expansion.

“These children will be change-makers,” says Mosinte Nkoitiko, a 46-year-old cultural chief who traveled here from Tanzania. “That’s the message that we want to send to them. They are the ones facing these challenges, and we want them to know that they are not alone.”

When this temporary settlement was built for the warrior camp, they also planted 150 seeds and 50 seedlings: trees that they hope will grow with their children.

“The trees have been blessed by their fathers and grandfathers, so that they can now have children,” says Joyce Naingisa. “They are starting a new generation.”

At the graduation ceremony, this new generation was officially given the name “Iltaretu.” It will include the thousands of boys of the same age who weren't able to come here in person, but were represented by the 900 boys who were.

“When we meet in future, we shall know each other,” says Isaac Mpusia. “Because we come from the same age group.”

Children of the Maasai tribe perform a traditional jumping dance during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya, Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Isaac Mpusia, 16 years old, of the Maasai tribe poses for a photo, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Samuel Noorkairish, 15 years old, of the Maasai tribe poses for a photo, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men of the Maasai tribe slaughter a bull to be roasted and eaten, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe sit down in a circle, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe play football in an open field, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men of the Maasai tribe carry a ram to be roasted and eaten, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe walk around an open field, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe paint their hair with the traditional red ochre pigment, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe gather on an open field, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe are fed meat, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men of the Maasai tribe perform a ritual, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men of the Maasai tribe perform traditional dance, during a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men of the Maasai tribe perform a traditional dance, during a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe gather around during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Children of the Maasai tribe perform a traditional jumping dance, during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Maasai children sit in a circle as elders roast meat during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A Maasai child walk around a manyatta (traditional Maasai homestead) during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Thursday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Maasai children line up during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Men from Maasai tribe perform the traditional dance during the Enkipaata ceremony, a Maasai male rite of passage, specifically the initiation of boys, marking the transition from childhood to becoming a moran (warrior) in Olaimutiai, Narok County, Kenya Wednesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of people marched in Minneapolis Saturday to protest the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration officer there and the shooting of two protesters in Portland, Oregon, as Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful.

The Minneapolis gathering was one of hundreds of protests planned in towns and cities across the country over the weekend. It came in a city on edge since the killing of Renee Good on Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

“We’re all living in fear right now,” said Meghan Moore, a mother of two from Minneapolis who joined the protest Saturday. “ICE is creating an environment where nobody feels safe and that’s unacceptable.”

On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested. He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds.”

“This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. “He wants us to take the bait.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the call for peace.

“Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” Walz posted on social media. “Now he wants nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says its deployment of immigration officers in the Twin Cities is its biggest ever immigration enforcement operation. Trump's administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.

Connor Maloney said he was attending the Minneapolis protest to support his community and because he's frustrated with the immigration crackdown.

“Almost daily I see them harassing people,” he said. “It’s just sickening that it’s happening in our community around us.”

Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to attend a protest in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday because of the “horrifying” killing of Good in Minneapolis.

“We can’t allow it,” Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”

Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states.

In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups organized the demonstration that began in a park about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where the 37-year-old Good was shot on Wednesday. Marchers carried signs calling for ICE to leave and voiced support for Good and immigrants.

A couple of miles away, just as the demonstration began, an Associated Press photographer witnessed heavily armed officers — at least one in Border Patrol uniform — approach a person who had been following them. Two of the agents had long guns out when they ordered the person to stop following them, telling him it was his “first and final warning.”

The agents eventually drove onto the interstate without detaining the driver.

Protests held in the neighborhood have been largely peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.

O’Hara said city police officers have responded to calls about cars abandoned because their drivers have been apprehended by immigration enforcement. In one case, the car was left in park and in another case a dog was left in the vehicle.

He said immigration enforcement activities are happening “all over the city” and that 911 callers have been alerting authorities to ICE activity, arrests and abandoned vehicles.

The Trump administration has deployed thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.

Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.

Three congresswomen from Minnesota attempted to tour the ICE facility in the Minneapolis federal building on Saturday morning and were initially allowed to enter but then told they had to leave about 10 minutes later.

U.S, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig accused ICE agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.

“They do not care that they are violating federal law,” Craig said after being turned away.

A federal judge last month temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies that limit congressional visits to immigration facilities. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 12 members of Congress who sued in Washington, D.C. to challenge ICE’s amended visitor policies after they were denied entry to detention facilities.

Associated Press writers Allen Breed in Durham, North Carolina, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed.

People place flowers for a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Friday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators march outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Demonstrators march outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Rep. Kelly Morrison D-Minn., center, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., second from the right, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., far right, at the Bishop Whipple Federal Building, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference as Police Chief Brian O'Hara listens, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal agents stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal agents stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Federal agents look on as protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

A woman holds a sign for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier in the week, as people gather outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Two people sit in the street with their hands up in front of Minnesota State Patrol during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Minnesota State Patrol officers are seen during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Minnesota State Patrol officers are seen during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Two people sit in the street holding hands in front of Minnesota State Patrol during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)