Maasai children, Rift valley region, Kenya

"Girls pass boys in life development because they marry earlier, so the relative timing of boys' and girls' ear modification may vary. Boys have the uppers done at about 6. Their lower ears are stretched when they ask for it between ages 10 and 14. Girls by about twelve may make ornaments for their brothers or other male relatives but not their fathers." [Klumpp D., 1987: Maasai Art and Society:Age and Sex, Time and Space, Cash and Cattle. U.M.I Dissertation Service]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Broadcasting Company and traveled to Africa from early June 1966 to early August 1966.