Samburu

Abstract

Just north of the Equator, where the Great Rift Valley provides some of the most spectacular scenery in Kenya, lies Samburuland, an inhospitable area but the home of the proud, tough, semi-nomadic pastoralists of the Samburu tribe. Like its more famous relatives, the Maasai, this race continues to withstand efforts to impose an alien culture, and live as it has always done. The Samburu follow a rigid social structure in which the guidance of an astrologer, the rule of the elders and the power of a curse maintain law and order. Tribal life centres around ceremonies, the most significant being circumcision, symbolizing the beginning of adulthood as a "moran", or warrior - a period when a young man is in his prime, has few responsibilities, and enjoys the adoration of the girls of his clan. Cattle are the Samburu's most important possession - they give him status in his community and form the bridewealth which will enable him to buy a wife from a good family. This is an account of the life and traditions of the Samburu. The author, who served in the King's African Rifles and with the Kenya army, travelled extensively through the region collecting material for this photographic record.