The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya. Samburu County is mostly dry barren land, and the Samburu tribe have to relocate to be certain their cattle have enough food. Every few weeks the tribe will change location to find fresh grazing grounds.
Huts are constructed using hide, mud, and grass mats strung over poles. A fence is built around the mud huts for protection from wild animals. The Samburu tribe settlements are called manyattas. The Samburu usually dwell in groups of five to ten families. Traditionally Samburu men look after their cattle and they are also responsible for the overall safety of the tribe.
Traditionally, the women are in charge of gathering roots and vegetables, gathering water, and taking care of the children, while the males tend to the cattle and other livestock as well as the family’s general safety. The elders of the tribe govern it and choose which men and women are married to and circumcised. In Samburu tradition, a person can only be considered a man or woman if they have undergone circumcision. After undergoing circumcision, a boy is referred to as a Moran, or worrier.
Samburu boys live in rock shelters during an initiation period as part of their culture, where they learn how to care for their animals and develop into warriors. The youthful warriors, known as lmurran, use the rocks to paint pictures as a form of self-expression during this time. Despite being one of the world’s few surviving rock art traditions, rock art scholars have paid almost no attention to it.
The traditional dress of the Samburu tribe is a striking red cloth wrapped like a skirt and a white sash. This is adorned with many colorful beaded earrings, bracelets, anklets and necklaces. Each piece of jewellery worn represents the status of the wearer.
Interestingly, the Samburu and the Maasai share some common traits. They share a few similar customs like traditional dancing, and they do this in a remarkably similar way. They also speak a language derived from Maa (the language of the Maasai), which sounds similar to the Kenyan dialect.
Similar to the Maasai tribe, the government is pressuring the Samburu people to establish more permanent communities. Given that a permanent settlement would upend their entire way of life, they have thus far opposed this plan. Additionally, growing and maintaining crops on a permanent site will be challenging.
