Samburu and Rendille Weavers of Northern Kenya

The community of Ngurunit in Northern Kenya is home to the pastoral Samburu and Rendille tribes, which moved south to Kenya during the period between the 15th and 18th centuries. Interdependent due to their proximity and similar lifestyles, Samburu and Rendille livelihoods center on camel herding, harvesting and preserving time-honored elements of their exquisite cultures in ceremonies and songs.

In addition, the community pursues progress in education, water sourcing and livestock husbandry, as well as traditional craft production for exporting. PEAR (Participatory Education, Awareness and Resources) Group partners with the Samburu and Rendille basket weavers to find markets for their camel milking baskets, a daily-use item which provides a sustainable income for the community when exchanged on the world market.

Women use palm leaves, tightly woven in the coil style, to create these durable, watertight baskets. Typically used to store camel’s milk, the baskets are coated for that use with a layer of colostrum, the camel’s first milk after birthing, and smoked with a particular wood smoke to kill microbes that could spoil the milk.

Baskets created for the export market reflect the Samburu trend to embellish and personalize baskets with beads, shells, tree bark, leather strips or sisal string. Created with great attention to quality and style, your Camel Milking Basket may have taken an Ngurunit woman up to a month to create while working around household duties.