Ethnie Samburu - Generalites

United in proud tradition

The people of Kenya are as diverse, intriguing and attractive as their land, as Tom Cockrem discovers.

THINK of travelling to Africa, and most times you think of Kenya. There are good reasons for this. Tradition plays a part. It was here where safari (which means "go" in Swahili) first came into vogue. Then there are the many game parks - all very different, all guaranteeing brilliant big game sightings: the Masai Mara, Meru, Samburu, Amboseli and many more.

Adding to the excitement are the tribes. Remaining so defiantly authentic, they are increasingly a focus of safaris in themselves. I would not dare to attempt to cover all of them here, only the most renowned.

The Samburu seem to be ubiquitous, with their densely plaited hair, flashy red togas and decorative beads. They are a pastoral people, who migrated into Kenya from around the Nile valley about 500 years ago. Their currency is cattle (a bride costs seven cows), which they rarely kill. They merely drink the milk and the blood, which they extract from the animal without harming it.

I seem to have encountered the Samburu everywhere in this nation: I have been in the shadows of Mount Kenya, far north at Lake Turkana, and even on the east coast at Mombasa. But the heart of Samburuland is about 300 kilometres due north of Nairobi, around the trade and timber frontier town of Maralal.

It's something quite fantastic to encounter the warriors in an otherwise quite normal country town, stepping out in full regalia, and fully armed.

Many safari lodges employ the tribal folk as regular members of staff. They also arrange village visits. On one of these I witnessed a Samburu wedding, a truly inspirational event. The warriors formed a phalanx, their ceremonial garb flashing red, pink and white with the shifting of their ranks. A throaty primal chant accompanied their highly charged vertical jumping, heads thrown back, legs and arms held straight.

The energetic dancing, I was told, would continue well into the night, with the warriors occasionally falling into a trance-like state known as ndokuna.

All towns in northern Kenya are populated by the tribes, often in full costume. But don't expect a gushing welcome in such places. You'll most likely be ignored, unless you flash your camera, in which case you'll be given short shrift.