Cities, towns, states, and countries have modernized themselves. But is a particular type of community that hasn’t embraced modernization. This community is called the tribal community. They live in close contact with nature. Two famous tribes are Maasai and Samburu. Both the tribal communities live in different regions and have different costumes and ideologies.
Maasai vs Samburu
The main difference between Maasai and Samburu is that Maasai is a semi-nomadic pastoralist that is settled in the northern part of Tanzania and southern part of Kenya. On the other hand, Samburu is a semi-nomadic pastoralist that is settled in the north-central part of Kenya. Both the tribal communities belong to the MA family of languages.
Maasai is a Nilotic ethnic tribe that inhabits the southern part of Kenya and the northern part of Tanzania. The population in Kenya exceeds 12 lakhs and the population in Tanzania exceeds 8 lakhs. This tribal community is widely known for its people’s physical beauty. The Maasai tribe is one of the most improvised tribes in East Africa.
Samburu is a Nilotic ethnic tribal community that stays in the north-central part of Kenya. It is a semi-nomadic tribe that herds cattle, sheep, goats, and camels. The people of this tribe have a striking dressing style, hairstyle, and eating habits. The people of this tribe follow a god named Nakai.
Comparison Table Between Maasai and Samburu
What is Maasai?
Maasai is a Nilotic ethnic community that resides in the northern and central parts of Kenya and northern Tanzania. The people of Maasai are internationally famous due to their costumes, dresses, and their unique lakes and parks. The Maasai tribe speaks in the Ma language and a few other people of this tribe speak in either English or Swahili (language of Kenya and Tanzania).
Several famous Maasai tribe members have gained worldwide fame and recognition. A few of these members are:
- Joseph Ole Lenku
- David Rudisha
- Edward Lowassa
- Ole kina Lama
- James Ole Kiyiapi
- William Ole Nitimama
- Francis Ole Kaparo
- Karoo Ole Metito
The Maasai community is widely known for its fearless attitude and its cattle managing skills. The people of this tribe have a common style of wearing metal hoops on the piercings of their stretched earlobes. This tribe uses several tools to pierce one’s ears and other body parts. These tools could be:
- Thorns
- Twigs
- Elephant’s tusks (cross-section)
- Stones
- Empty film canisters
- Bundle of twigs
Several customs that are followed by the people of Maasai:
- They shouldn’t consume milk and meat at the same time.
- They only consume milk, butter, honey, and meat.
- They celebrate a famous competition of seeing who jumps the highest.
- Polygamy is a quite common practice among the people of this group.
What is Samburu?
Samburu is a Nilotic ethnic tribe that stays in the north-central part of Kenya. This tribe mainly herds cattle and other animal groups like camels, sheep, and goats. The people of this tribe call themselves “lokop” or “loikop” which refers to “owners of land”.
This tribe is the third largest community in the district of Kenya and Tanzania. Samburu follows the ma language. Nakai is the religious entity followed and worshipped by the people of the tribe.
The people of this tribe are famous for their spiking dresses, hairstyles, and warrior hood. Their cultures includes music, arts, singing, and dancing. This tribe performs their events, functions, and occasions at the annual Lake Turkana Festival.
Given below is a list of few of the most famous customs and rules followed by the people of this tribe:
- Dreams are a way to communicate with spirits according to this tribe.
- They make prayers and offerings for rainfall and livestock.
- The people of this tribe embrace nature.
- They consume milk and sometimes the blood of animals (like cows).
The Samburu tribe worship a female entity (that is called “nakai”). The vision of this entity has often been reported by several kids and women. Several practices, rituals, and religious beliefs are involved with this tribe.
Main Differences Between Maasai and Samburu
- Maasai originated in the 15th century, while on the other hand, the Samburu tribe originated 4 to 5 centuries ago.
- Maasai tribe follows Enkai, while on the other hand, Samburu follows Nakai.
- Shuka (a traditional robe) is the traditional costume of Maasai, while on the other hand, a red-colored skirt and sash are the traditional attire of Samburu.
- The main significance of Maasai is their physical beauty, while on the other hand, the main significance of Samburu is their hairstyle and costumes.
- Maasai is established in the southern parts of Kenya, while on the other hand, Samburu is established in the northern part of Kenya.
Conclusion
There are different kinds of tribal communities existing in this world, some tribes are friendly while some other tribal communities are unfriendly. There are more than a hundred tribal communities in the world and more than 300 million tribal people in the world. Some of the famous tribes are Jarawa, Maasai, Eskimo, Samburu, Indian Tribes, etc.
Two major tribal groups are Maasai and Samburu. Both the groups follow the same family of language. Maasai and Samburu originated several years ago and reside in the southern and northern parts of Kenya. Both the tribal communities have a huge population, have different ideologies, and follow different gods.
References
- https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=maasai&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DZudUkYJevaUJ
- https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=samburu&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3Dbi1aYShqvgkJ