Survival of the Samburu Culture
Jason Houston’s 4th post from Africa- this is Jason’s last post from the site of Titus Letaapo’s Pride campaign- click here to view a slideshow of his experience in Kenya.
We drank goat’s blood last night, from a fold in the skin on the neck that filled as the jugular was pierced. And there are bats flying about in the pit in the outhouse.
The Samburu are an old, distinct, and proud culture. Though some are college educated and world-wise (seeing a moran—an adolescent warrior—in full dress with a cell phone is not uncommon), the beads and wraps, the singing and dancing, the warrior training (as recently as 10 years ago here, they were defending themselves from Somali tribes from the north) and the goat’s blood, are not shows for the tourists (there are no tourists out here) and are not just ceremonial nods to the elders. It is all still part of a daily life that is still more focused on providing the basic necessities for survival than anything else. Many still shun materialism, which works well when your primary livelihood is your own livestock, and they’ve had little need of a currency based trading system, which wouldn’t work well if you were not directly providing the basic needs for yourself and your family.
Titus with local Samburu warriors.
How does one reconcile this? How do you resolve the question of cultural identity and the fact that present environmental scenarios often force what basically is a simple, sustainable, naturally rhythmic lifestyle, out of sync to the point that they now also threaten biodiversity and environmental balance not to mention their own on-going vitality? What change do you look for that won’t disassemble the culture, but that will allow it to survive in this modern day and age?
The fact that there is so much less land to go around, and that there are so many fewer of the iconic African wildlife is not the fault of the Samburu. But who’s to blame is besides the point. What is important is that the Samburu are in a position to help make the situation better for themselves and the environment. Titus (a Samburu himself, born and still living in this same community) along with the Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust where he works, is working directly with his community to address the concerns, then find solutions and build alternatives.