The Samburu of Kenya
The Samburu are close relatives of the Maasai and came from the upper Nile to the plains in northern Kenya. The Samburu are a Maa speaking tribe of semi-nomadic herders. They raise cattle, sheep and goats. Samburu are even more traditional and remote than the Maasai.
Both boys and girls are circumcised in the Samburu tribe. It marks the beginning for boys of their warrior lives. For girls, circumcision symbolizes the beginning of their womanhood. A girl who has been circumcised can be married off in an arranged wedding. The traditional diet is milk and the blood of their cows. Meat is only eaten on special occasions. Samburu dances are a part of their culture. Men gather in a circular formation and leap high.
The Samburu people are a gerontocracy – a society that is ruled by older people. The Samburu People are a gerontocracy, a society governed by old people. Their religion is also very strong – Nkai, their god, is regarded as the ultimate punishment and tribe elders are bound by his words.