A Place of Three Hills
"Yie oo o yesu kimparaka muruai nalala"
Thank God for showing me a wide safe place to live.
Thank God for showing me a wide safe place to live.
The Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists in Northern Kenya, with a deep reliance on nature and an intricate network of kinships and clans. They were isolated from the rest of Kenya until a few years after independence in 1963. Their land was never a part of the colonized highlands, which allowed their culture and traditions to remain intact.
In recent decades, their lives have steadily transformed along with widespread education, drifts into cities, and an increase in public transport and mobile networks. The effects of climate change and multiple droughts are also impacting Samburu communities to rely on access to water through government and NGO aid. This has set in motion a change in their livelihood structures that has been passed down for generations.
From a purely pastoralist living, many of the families are dividing their roles into those that care for their livestock to those that go to school. Girls education is also beginning to take root, as the older generations are beginning to see its value for their community's survival. This series is a part of a long-term project documenting the changes taking place in one Samburu community. It is a glimpse into the challenges they face with balancing one foot in tradition and the other in modernity for the preservation of their land and culture.
In recent decades, their lives have steadily transformed along with widespread education, drifts into cities, and an increase in public transport and mobile networks. The effects of climate change and multiple droughts are also impacting Samburu communities to rely on access to water through government and NGO aid. This has set in motion a change in their livelihood structures that has been passed down for generations.
From a purely pastoralist living, many of the families are dividing their roles into those that care for their livestock to those that go to school. Girls education is also beginning to take root, as the older generations are beginning to see its value for their community's survival. This series is a part of a long-term project documenting the changes taking place in one Samburu community. It is a glimpse into the challenges they face with balancing one foot in tradition and the other in modernity for the preservation of their land and culture.
