Samburu People
The Samburu are a pastoral nomadic tribal community of over 150,000 people living in an arid, remote area of Northern Kenya just above the equator. Because of the area's harsh terrain, the tribe's economy is based on livestock - cattle, sheep, goats and camels. Milk, blood and meat are the main staples of the Samburu diet. The Samburu are cousins of Southern Kenyan tribe Masai and share the common language of Maa, though there are significant differences in dialect. Most Samburu people practice both Catholicism and the traditional Samburu religion.
The Samburu circumcise both boys and girls as a right of passage. There is a movement to educate women and girls about their rights to put an end to genital mutilation.
The Samburu practice polygamy, and it is not uncommon for a men to have many wives. Life for Samburu women is very challenging. Women are the property of their husbands, are not allowed to own anything and have no rights. They carry all the daily household burdens including looking for water and firewood, caring for their children, building and maintaining their homes, tending to livestock, and cooking. Violence against women is socially acceptable and often encouraged.
The biggest issue in Samburu, Kenya is not HIV/AIDS, poverty or genital mutilation. It’s the lack of clean water. Samburu women walk up to twelve miles every day looking for water and often return home to their children with nothing.
Samburu District
The
Samburu District is located north of the equator, an area roughly
8000 square miles (21,000 km²). Its landscape is one of great diversity
and beauty. Before and a few years after independence the area north of
the equator was called the Northern Frontier District (NDF). Samburu
district was once a large part of the NDF. Only government officials
were allowed to enter and it was closed to foreigners of both European
and African descent. A special permit issued by the administration was
required to enter the NDF. Even today the Samburu District is still a
remote area.
