Our first adventure took place in Northern Kenya at the western edge of the Laikipia Plateau in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Lying along the Indian Ocean, at the equator, Kenya is bordered by Ethiopia (north), Somalia (northeast), Tanzania (south), Uganda plus Lake Victoria (west), and Sudan (northwest). We visited a small Samburu village where we were graciously welcomed by these primitive, yet very sweet people. Yep! That's me in the first picture below being welcomed by the women of the tribe.

 

ORIGINS:  The Samburu originated from the Sudan and were part of the Maasai people. When they first arrived in Kenya, they split from the Maasai who continued to migrate further south. Though they are considered cousins, they are distinct from the Maasai. Most Samburu live in the northern parts of Kenya.

 

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE: Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. Their entire society and culture revolves around their cattle, particularly because milk makes up a large part of the Samburu diet. Wealth is measured by herd size. A good example of this comes to mind when a young warrior asked me how many cattle per person in your country? It was difficult to explain why my husband and I did own any cattle. Like the Maasai the Samburu tribe is among the most traditional of all African tribes. They mainly still live the same way they always have, and don't feel any need to change their customs. They do not have a written language and do not speak Swahili as do the Maasai. Their language is called Samburu. Only a handful of men, those employed by the reserve spoke slight English. Just enough to communicate the prices for their crafts.

 

RELIGION:  Traditionally, the Samburu believed in one supreme god - Nkai or Ngai - who was thought to reside in the mountains. Diviners often acted as intermediaries between other mortals and Nkai. Today, while many Samburu people still adhere to their traditional religion, some have adopted the Christian or Islamic faith.

 

CLOTHING AND ADORNMENTS:  As seen in the photos below, Samburu people wear very bright colors as shown in the photos below. (Except for the cute chubby white guy who happens to be my husband.) They adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets and anklets, like the Maasai. Unmarried men wear their hair long. Married men must keep their head shaved. Both often slather their hair and bodies with ochre, which is a red tinted clay. We discovered that red is truly the color of Africa among tribes. Women wear two pieces of bright colored cloth, one piece usually wrapped around the waist, the second wrapped over the chest, except for the blond in the baseball cap who happens to be me. Women keep their hair shaved and wear numerous necklaces and bracelets. Holes in the ear lobes are decoration, but married women must wear a long earring in the right ear. The bigger the hole the better.

 

MARRIAGE:  Samburu practice polygamous marriage, and a man may have multiple wives. This, however, depends on his wealth in cattle. The father of a young man decides somewhere between the ages of 12 and 26 whether the boy has done well working and growing cattle. The father then picks a bride for his son. Women may marry at a very young age but are not supposed to have children until they reach the age of sixteen. The father of the bride determines how large the dowry for his daughter will be. The dowry consists of a certain number of cattle, goats and red cloths for various members of the brides family. Once the agreement is made between the families there is a huge marriage ceremony. The best man must kill a cow and present the eyes of the cow to the father of the bride. Attendees drink milk and cow blood to celebrate the union.For the Samburu tribe marriage is a unique series of elaborate ritual. Great importance is given to the preparation of gifts by the bridegroom (two goatskins, two copper earrings, a container for milk, a sheep) and of gifts for the ceremony. The marriage is concluded when a bull enters a hut guarded by the bride's mother, and is killed.

 

HOUSES:  A Samburu settlement is known as manyatta. It may consist of only one family, composed of a man and his wife/wives. Each woman has her own house, which she builds with the help of other women out of local materials, such as sticks, mud and cow dung. Large ritual settlements, known as lorora may consist of twenty or more families. However, settlements tend towards housing two or three families, with perhaps five to six houses built in a rough circle with an open space in the center. The circle of huts is surrounded by thorn bush fence and the center of the village has the animal pens away from predators.