Samburu

Samburu is a tribe in Kenya and they are related to the Masai; both belong to the Nilotes group. The Samburu live in Northern Kenya, south of Lake Turkana. They originated from south eastern Sudan, a place called Bahr-el-ghazel.

Like the Masai, the Samburu people

Culture

Milk mixed with blood is the main food. Other foods include soup from roots and vegetables. They include meat on special  

Their traditional clothes are made of animal skins and bright red cloth and they wear beaded necklaces, bracelet and earrings.

Tradition in this tribe is passed from generation to generation by telling stories and riddle.

Male circumcision and clitoridectomy for girls is performed as an initial stage to adulthood. For boys becoming an adult means becoming a warrior while for a girl it means becoming a woman.

Organization

The Samburu's society is organized around cattle. The cattle are divided into two categories: black and white cattle. Each category is divided into four types giving a total of eight types of cattle. The White cattle include lorokushu, loimisi, long’eli, and lukumae while the Black cattle includeluyaparae, lpisikishu, lmasula, and lngwesi. 

Men are responsible for grazing cattle while women do domestic work as well as milking cows. Boys herd cattle and goats in addition to learning how to hunt and defending the livestock while girls do the domestic work.

Since the Samburus are animal keepers, traditionally organized themselves in five to ten families and moved from one place to another looking for pasture and water for their animals.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Samburu.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the URL.

Sources

Carr-Hartley, Robert

  The Samburu, The Samburu People.

    Electronic Document, http://www.robertcarrhartleyphotography.com/ accessed October, 2009.

Frantisek Staud

  PhotoStaud travel & Stock photos:

    Electronic Document, http://www.photostaud.com/africa/zambia/ accessed October, 2009.

Jenkins, B. Orville

  People Profile; The Samburu. Electronic

    http://strategyleader.org/profiles/samburu.html accessed October, 2009.

Samburu County Council

  Representing the Samburu People of Northern Kenya; History of the Samburu People. Electronic Document

    http://www.samburucouncil.com/history.htm accessed October, 2009

SlayFord Lian

  A history of the Samburu People in Africa. Electronic Document,

    http://www.helium.com/items/1433852-samburu-people-the-maasaiaccessed October, 2009.

The Africa Guide

  African People &; Culture. Tribes; People groups; Samburu.

    Electronic Document, http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/samburu.htm accessed October, 2009

Written by Esther Nalubwama, 2009