Ariaal people: Difference between revisions

They claim descent from cattle-owning [[Samburu]] who captured significant herds of camels and learnt how to manage them from their eastern neighbours, the [[Rendille]]. This led them to adopt the Rendille culture, language, and other Rendille practices, such as monogamy. Before Kenya independence, the separation between the cattle and camel economies was vividly reflected in the division between an Ariaal elder’s senior wife, whose family would be reared as Ariaal, and his junior wives who lived with his cattle as Samburu. In effect, such elders continued to straddle the boundary between monogamous camel-owning Ariaal and polygynous cattle-owning Samburu, speaking both languages and participating in both cultures.<ref>Spencer, Paul, 1973, ‘’Nomads''Nomads in Alliance: Symbiosis and Growth among the Rendille and Samburu’’Samburu'', Oxford University Press, London.</ref>