0 items in the basketCheckout »

 Tribal East Africa

East Africa is a vast territory mainly dry or semi-dry with very few good roads especially in more remote areas.

Such areas were a target of my travel in 2011. It wasn't because of lanscapes or wildlife, it was because of PEOPLE - brave warriors Samburu, cheerful Rendille, proud Prophet worshippers - Gabbra and Borana, bold Turkana and friendly Elmolo people. All these tribes are pastoralists: they keep cattle, goats or camels and all depend totally on their animals and scattered sources of water. They live in northern Kenya cooperating together or fighting over all that what is necessary to keep them alive.

In Tanzania one of the last African hunters-gatherers bushmen Hadza, wander in wide areas around saline Lake Eyasi in search of game and bee nests, the same way they were doing for ten thousands years. They buy heads for their arrows from neighbours Datoga who are traditionally blacksmiths.

Welcome to photographic travel through tribal East Africa.


Photo Galleries

Children of slums of Nairobi

Tribal East Africa: Children of slums of Nairobi

Samburu

Tribal East Africa: Samburu

Handsome Samburu are closely related to Maasai by customs and language. They live in wide areas of central to northern Kenya

Rendille

Tribal East Africa: Rendille

Quiet and friendly neighbours of Samburu lead life of nomads concentrated around their camels, goats and cattle... and chanting

Borana Portraits

Tribal East Africa: Borana Portraits

Handsome Borana people follow mainly muslim believes which can be seen in their clothing. But depite it they did not loose their ancestral believes

Borana Singing Well

Tribal East Africa: Borana Singing Well

Water is the most precious tresure of semi-desert areas where Borana live. In Marsabit, remote oasis on a road from Nairobi to Ethiopia we saw their "singing wells"

Pastoralists Gabbra

Tribal East Africa: Pastoralists Gabbra

This Cushitic tribe lives in arid areas of Chalbi Desert. They exchanged many of their original customs and language for those of neighbouring Borana

Turkana Women

Tribal East Africa: Turkana Women

Former Rudolf Lake took its current name from hardy Turkana people wandering around its shores in search for water for their large herds.

Elmolo

Tribal East Africa: Elmolo

are the smallest tribe in Kenya - count only 300 people. In the past the hunters of giant Nilotic crocodiles now live from fishing in Lake Turkana

Datoga Blacksmiths

Tribal East Africa: Datoga Blacksmiths

produce jewellery, knives, arrowheads and other metal items using techniques unchanged for centuries. This little known tribe efficiently resist cultural change and education

Hadzabe

Tribal East Africa: Hadzabe

Because of shrinking hunting areas and attempts to 'civilise' them, this last hunters of Africa are today more then ever threatened with extinction

Swahili in Lamu

Tribal East Africa: Swahili in Lamu

Plenty of donkey, no cars and very friendly inhabitants are only a few of many reasons why Lamu is considered as one of the most interesting and most laid back places in swahili cultural area