Samburu Portraits

The Samburu are an ethnic tribe in north central Kenya related to the Maasai. They share the same language with Maasai - about 95% of the words of both languages are the same. The name Samburu is also of Maasai origin and is derived from the word Samburr which is a leather bag used by the Samburu to carry a variety of things. Samburu practice polygynous marriage, and a man may have multiple wives. A Samburu settlement is known as a nkang or manyatta. It may consist of only one family, composed of a man and his wife/wives. Each woman has her own house, which she builds out of local materials, such as sticks, mud and cow dung.

Click on thumbnail to show image in full size or view the photos as slideshow