The Africa Insight with DAVID

Samburu, Kenya
Population ~310,000

samburu women in colourful beads
Samburu women in colourful beads.

The Samburu tribe from north and central Kenya are pastoralists from the great plains of the Samburu region. They primarily herd cattle but also keep other livestock such as goats, sheep, and camels.

They are closely related to their southern neighbours the Maasai, sharing the common Maa language, but are semi-nomadic, wandering in remote, arid areas for pastures. Like many East African pastoral tribes, they have a diet that includes cow milk and blood.

The Samburu are renowned for their unique social structure and colourful clothing, indeed the word Samburu means ‘butterfly’, which refers to their many colourful adornments. Men wear black or pink robes in the style of a Scottish kilt, along with headdresses, anklets, bracelets, necklaces. Women have their head shaved and wear two blue or purple cloths – one around the waist and one around their chest, adorning their bodies further with ochre, similar to the Himba of Namibia.

Their social structure is known as a gerontocracy, a system where the leaders are the eldest members of society. They make all the decisions and have the final say in all matters.