Enkipaata is the traditional Maasai ceremony that precedes an age-set transition into warriorhood.
Maasai society has traditionally organized men into age sets that move through recognized stages together. Enkipaata is associated with boys approaching initiation and the formation or preparation of a new age group. It is followed by other age-set stages, including the warrior period and eventually ceremonies such as Eunoto, which marks movement away from warriorhood.
Descriptions of Maasai rites often differ because practices vary between communities in Kenya and Tanzania and have changed over time. Enkipaata should therefore not be confused with circumcision itself or with Eunoto. The term is particularly useful for identifying the preparatory stage in the broader age-set system, rather than a universal ceremony performed in exactly the same way by every Maasai community.