Northern Kenya is home to the semi-nomadic pastoralist Samburu Tribe. They own camels, sheep, and goats in addition to mostly herding cattle. Although the Samburu have kept most of their traditions and customs, they are closely related to the Masaai Tribe.
The Samburu people live in arid, drier places, therefore in order to provide their animals with enough new grazing, they have to relocate their dwellings and cattle every few weeks. To keep out wild animals, their houses are constructed of animal hides, mud, grass mats, and wooden poles and are encircled by a thorny fence. Typically, villages consist of five to ten families.
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Traditionally, the women are in charge of gathering roots and vegetables, gathering water, and taking care of the children, while the males tend to the cattle and other livestock as well as the family’s general safety. The elders of the tribe govern it and choose which men and women are married to and circumcised. In Samburu tradition, a person can only be considered a man or woman if they have undergone circumcision. After undergoing circumcision, a boy is referred to as a Moran, or worrier.
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The Samburu people’s traditional attire is a shukka, or brilliantly colored red material worn like a skirt and topped with a white sash.
Beaded jewelry is worn by both men and women in the form of necklaces, earrings and headdress. The more jewelry they wear the higher their social status is.
Samburu Tribe: Their Culture
A gerontocracy is the Samburu people. The notion that elders are cursed gives them the exclusive right to arrange marriages and take on new women, which in turn gives them power. This comes at the expense of younger, single males, whose development remains in a state of social suspension until they turn thirty, so delaying the onset of adulthood.
Men wear a cloth which is often pink or black and is wrapped around their waist in a manner similar to a Scottish kilt. They adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets and anklets, like other sub tribes of the Maasai community.
Members of the moran age grade (i.e. “warriors”) typically wear their hair in long braids, which they shave off when they become elders. It may be colored using red ochre. Their bodies are sometimes decorated with ochre, as well. Women wear two pieces of blue or purple cloth, one piece wrapped around the waist, the second wrapped over the chest. Women keep their hair shaved and wear numerous necklaces and bracelets. In the past decade, traditional clothing styles have changed.
Some men may dress in the red tartan cloth of the 1980s and 1990s or they may wrap a dark green or blue plaid material around their waists, known as “kikoi,” frequently with shorts worn below. Marani (Lmuran)[7] warriors dress in pastel or flowery clothing. While some ladies still choose to wear two items of red or blue clothing, it’s now trendy to wear clothing with vibrant floral or animal themes. In addition, women frequently pair their clothes with tiny tank tops, and plaid skirts have also.
Religion Of The Samburu Tribe
The traditional Samburu religion centers on their multifaceted divinity, known as Nkai. The Samburu people of today actively participate in the lives of Nkai, a feminine word. Children and teenagers, particularly ladies, frequently claim having visions of Nkai. A handful of these kids go on to have a long-term reputation for prophecy, and some of them prophesy for a while. In addition to these impromptu prophets, the Samburu people have ritual diviners, or shamans, known as “loibonok,” who counsel warriors and determine the origins of personal illness and bad luck.
The Samburu people hold that Nkai is the origin of all protection against life’s dangers. However, Nkai also punishes when a senior curses a junior for displaying disdain. The elder’s rage is interpreted as an appeal to Nkai, who makes the determination as to whether the curse is warranted. When a victim experiences misfortune after being disrespected by an older man, they should go to their senior and make amends in exchange for his approval. This eases the elder’s rage and brings Nkai’s defense back. Still, it is rare for an older person to curse a younger person. Curses are only used in the most egregious of situations.
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