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 and meat are the main staples of the Samburu diet. The Samburu are cousins of well-known Southern Kenyan tribe Maasai and share the common language of Maa, though there are significant differences in dialect. Most Samburu people practice both Christianity 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 FGM.

The Samburu culture is very rich. They dress in bright colors and the women wear beautiful beaded collars. The Samburu love to sing and dance, but traditionally used no instruments, even drums. They have dances for various occasions of life. For men, high jumping from a standing position is a great sport.

Polygamy is a common practice, so it is not uncommon for a man to have many wives. Life for Samburu women is very challenging. Women are the property of their husbands, own very little and have few 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 prevalent.

The biggest issue in Samburu, Kenya is not HIV/AIDS, poverty or FGM. 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.