Samburu People, Northern Kenya, Day 329

We leave the Samburu National Reserve (no more wildlife safaris for a while – shame!) and drive 26 km to a Samburu village near Archers Post. At the entrance to the village the married women greet us with a traditional dance. The female passengers aboard the Dragoman truck are encouraged to join in; Christi is horrified (she hates dancing in public!), but for once shuffles her feet in a vague dancing motion as her face goes as crimson as the cloth ‘skirts’ worn by the Samburu warriors. I try not to laugh as Christi squirms for a good 10 minutes before the welcome ceremony is complete.

The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists, living in Northern Kenya. They are closely related to their more famous counterparts, the Maasai who live in the Southern Kenya. The Samburu are heavily dependent on cattle (sheep, goats, and camels are also raised), since their diet is based on milk and occasionally supplemented by blood taken from the cows (who are not killed during this practice). The Samburu diet is supplemented with roots and vegetables, while meat is reserved for special occasions.

As this part of Northern Kenya is arid and rather barren, the Samburu have to move every 4-6 weeks to find good grazing areas for their cattle. To this end, huts are constructed so they can be easily dismantled and carried when the Samburu move to a new location. Their huts are built from mud, hide, and grass mats strung over poles. Typically, there is a small living area, a kitchen and two sleeping areas. The wife and the younger children sleep in one ‘bedroom’, the husband and older children in the other. A thorny fence is built around the huts for protection from wild animals. These settlements are called manyattas.

The Samburu usually live in groups of five to ten families. Traditionally men look after the cattle and protect the village from attack by other tribes or wild animals. Samburu boys learn to tend cattle from a young age and are also taught to hunt. An initiation ceremony to mark their entry into manhood is accompanied by circumcision. Samburu women are in charge of gathering roots and vegetables, tending to children, and collecting water. They are also in charge of maintaining their homes. Samburu girls generally help their mothers with their domestic chores. When a girl (as young as 12) is selected for marriage, she is also circumcised (poor thing). Officially men, but not women, can marry more than one spouse, but our guide Rebecca says that women find a way to get what they need if their spouse is otherwise engaged!

Both the Samburu men and women are elegantly dressed and the effect is enhanced with colorful beaded necklaces, earrings and bracelets and face painting. In fact it is this perceived beauty that led neighboring tribes to call them samburu, which means “butterfly”. The Samburu refer to themselves as the Loikop.

The oral history of the Samburu states that in the beginning a woman died leaving behind two sons. The boys split everything equally until it came to the contents of the house. One boy took beads and became the Maasai, the other took a leather bag and became the Samburu. To this day when a Samburu man takes a wife, the girl leaves home with a leather bag full of possessions – and nothing else.

Before we leave the young Samburu warriors show off their skills, such as making fire with sticks and donkey dung, and dancing. The higher the warrior jumps during the dance the more desirable he is.

We camp away from the village, along the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro river. The headman fears for our safety, however. Wild animals – especially crocodiles – bandits, and needy Samburu women are all a threat apparently! He stations some of his warriors around our campsite (for a non-negotiable fee) although whether gun and spear-toting warriors equals safety or not I don’t know. Let’s just say when the urge to pee strikes in the middle of the night, I cross my legs and try not to listen to the sound of the nearby river!