סמבורו

Samburu (Sampur, "those who hold us together") is the language of the Samburu people, semi-nomadic Maa-speaking pastoralists of the Northern Frontier of Kenya. Linguistically, Samburu is part of the Maa cluster of Eastern Nilotic alongside Maasai (mas) — they are mutually intelligible to a large degree but maintain distinct ethnic identities. The Samburu have historically been allied with the Maasai through shared cultural patterns (warrior-age sets, lion-hunting initiation, cattle-centered ritual) but also with the neighboring Cushitic Rendille people through trade and intermarriage. The 2009 census recorded 310,327 ethnic Samburu, with most speakers also bilingual in Swahili.