The most famous national parks in the world are located close to the border between Kenya and Tanzania, however, far removed from the famous border, there are other far less well-known reserves containing animals that the large majority of travellers have never even heard of. This is the Samburu National Reserve.
Samburu National Reserve, in northern Kenya, is spread over a region of semi-desert, ranging to the north from Mount Kenya as far as Sudan and Ethiopia. This is the Samburu region, the heart of the kingdom of thorns in eastern Africa.
Samburu Reserve is home to the majority of large African mammals. There are elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotami, large felines, such as the lion and leopard, and an extremely large number of herbivores.
The climate of this region is extremely dry and the vegetation is adapted accordingly, with hard and thorny branches, which has prevented people from settling, except for one people accustomed to the climatic rigours: the Samburu.
It is thought that the 73,000 Samburu who live in the region migrated from the north of Lake Turkana several centuries ago, in the same way as their cousins, the Masai, from whom they separated 200 years ago.
During the Samburu ceremonies, men and women decorate and paint themselves profusely. In groups separated by sex, traditional dances are organised which attempt to dazzle the opposite sex and encourage competition between the young and agile warriors.
Only those having reached the status of warrior can adorn themselves with red paint. Five years after becoming il-murran, thoughts will turn to the ilmugit lenkarna ceremony, through which they will become adults and, six years later, after another ceremony called ilmugit-lolaingoni, they will be able to marry and reach the community’s highest status: that of the married man.
Samburu men, like their Masai cousins, organise frequent jumping dances, competing to reach the greatest height, while not appearing to make the slightest effort.
The competition is also a performance in front of the female sex and the dance ends by uniting the two groups in a joint celebration.