7 tribes to visit in Kenya

7 tribes to visit in Kenya  : Kenya is a cultural hotspot and an amazing place to go on a cultural safari. There are roughly 42 different ethnic groups in Kenya, each with their own distinct customs, traditions, and cultural practices. Three linguistic groupings or communities make up Kenya’s population: the Nilotics, who make up 30% of the population, the Bantus, who make up 67%, and the Cushitic speakers. Other ethnic groups that make up Kenya’s population are Asians, Europeans, and Kenyan Arabs.

The Bantu group, which includes the Kikuyu, Akamba, Luhya, Kisii, Meru, and Mijikenda tribes, is the largest ethnic group in Kenya. The Bantu people primarily rely on growing cash crops like tea and coffee as well as staple crops like coffee for food and profit.

The Maasai, Luo, Turkana, Samburu, and Kalenjin tribes are part of the Nilotic ethnic group in Kenya. Generally speaking, the Nilotic people are hunters and worriers, thus spending time with them will enhance your Kenyan cultural safari.

Kenya culture safaris are incredibly engaging and unforgettable; the top 7 tribes you should see while on a safari in Kenya are listed here.

Kikuyu
One of the most well-known tribes in Kenya, the Kikuyu make up the majority of the country’s population (22%), and they are primarily found in the country’s center. As members of the Bantu ethnic group, the Kikuyu are well-known for being large-scale farmers who cultivate cash commodities like tea and coffee. The Kikuyu also believe in and worship Ngai, a deity who is thought to live atop Mount Kenya.

The Kikuyu tribe, who live in parts of Mount Kenya, are members of the northeastern Bantu branch. They speak the Gigikuyu language, which is connected to that of the Embu and Mbeere. They converse in English and Kiswahili as well.

Kikuyu males are traditionally permitted to marry more than one woman as long as she can supply their demands, and they enjoy general social and political dominance over women in the community. The Kikuyu people are known for their value placed on the custom of paying bride prices. Despite their dispersion throughout Kenya’s cities, they have managed to hold onto their traditional ways of life.

Luhya
The Luhya, also called Abaluyia or Luyia, are the second-largest tribe in Kenya, accounting for 14% of the country’s total population. Known as Luhya languages, they are a group of 19 different Bantu tribes. Some of the tribes that comprise the Luhya tribe are Bukusu, Idakho, Isukha, Kabras, Khayo, Kisa, Marachi, Maragoli, Marama, Nyala, Nyole, Samia, Tachoni, Wanga, and Batura.

The rich western area of Kenya is home to the Luhya people, who follow a traditional religion centered around the god “Nyasaye” or Were Khakaba. One of the key rituals of the Luhya tribes for initiation of boys into adulthood is male circumcision; participating in this process during a Kenya cultural safari is highly interesting. Bullfighting is another intriguing feature of the Luhya, as is the Ugali, a well-liked traditional

Kisii
The Kisii tribe, often referred to as the Abagusi, Mkisii, Gusi, or Wakisii in Swahili, is the seventh-largest tribe in Kenya, accounting for 6% of the country’s total population. The Kisii are an ethnic group from East Africa that originated in the pre-Bantu Agropastoralist era and now live in the Rift Valley and old Nyanza provinces of Kenya.

Kisii people share most daily tasks, such farming and cooking, and they live in big, close-knit families where men are permitted to have many wives and hold greater authority than women in social and marital contexts. Female circumcision was performed by the Kisii tribe until the Kenyan government abolished it, while some regions still perform the procedure. Male circumcision, on the other hand, is still performed to initiation males into adulthood.

The Kisii people are primarily farmers; they cultivate enormous quantities of bananas, or “matoke,” and they hold religious beliefs in several ancestral spirits and the supreme god Engoro. The Kisii people are well-known for their pottery, basketry, and soapstone carvings.

Mijikenda
The Bantu tribe known as Mijikenda is made up of nine sub-tribes that live along Kenya’s coast between the Sabaki and Umba rivers. These sub-tribes are called Giriana, Digo, Chonyi, Duruma, Jibana, Kambe, Kauma, Rabai, and Ribe sub-tribes.

The Mijikenda tribe, which has 1,960,574 million members and is primarily found in Kenya’s coastal regions, is centered on age groups and clans. One of the most important tribes in Kenya, the Mijikenda tribe is credited with creating the Swahili culture.

 

The Mijikenda tribe is divided into clans, which are groups of families that share a patriarchal ancestor. Each clan has a holy site known as a “Kaya,” which is used for communal religious activities including prayer and sacrifice. The Mijikenda people, particularly the Digos, are regarded as some of Kenya’s best cooks. The staple meal of the Mijikenda tribe is wali, a rice and coconut dish. I can almost call the other Mijikenda dishes—which feature fish and other sea food—Mijikenda cuisine.

Maasai  people 
The most well-known tribe in Kenya, the Maasai are from the Nilotic ethnic group and are found in the country’s north, center, and south. They are well-known across the world for their distinctive culture and history. Due to their close proximity to the majority of Kenya’s protected areas, including Maasai Mara National Reserve, you may easily visit them while on a safari in Kenya.

The Maasai tribe, which speaks Maa and is estimated to number 841,622 in Kenya, is a tiny group of people who belong to the Nilotic language family. The Maasai people are renowned for their own culture. They are recognized for wearing red-striped Shukas that are beautifully ornamented with handcrafted items from their own region, like vibrant necklaces, traditional regalia, and bomas.

The Maasai people are semi-nomadic and rely on raising livestock; according to Maasai culture, a Maasai person is regarded as richer if he has more cattle. They also hold a strong religious belief in their supreme god, Enkai. The Maasai people reside in vast villages called “hubs,” which are made up of ten to thirteen small, round thatched homes known as bomas. These huts are surrounded by bushes or fences that are locally known as “Enkang,” which have vicious thorns.

The Maasai people are renowned for their height and prowess as warriors. The Maasai men undergo a crucial ceremony known as “Moran,” which is a rite of passage for those who spend a particular amount of time in solitude, learning tribal rituals and fortifying themselves to become worriers.

Luo trbe
The Luo people are connected to Nilotic ethnic groups that live in parts of south Sudan, Ethiopia, northern Uganda, western Kenya, eastern Congo, and the Mara region of Tanzania. The Luo tribe is one of the largest in Kenya, comprising up 13% of the country’s overall population.

The Luo people, who are located in the western/Nyanza region of Kenya, are the country’s fourth-largest ethnic group, behind the Kikuyu, Luhya, and Kalenjin. The Luo people of Kenya refer to themselves as “JOLUO aka JALUO,” which translates to “people of Luo.” They speak the Dholuo language.

The Luo people have historically relied on fishing as their primary source of income. As a result, they have a proverb that reads, “Without fish, no Luo is complete.”

In order to identify Luo men from other people, six lower teeth are extracted from boys during the circumcision ceremony, which is a traditional Luo ritual that initiates Luo boys into men. The Luo are renowned for being recruited as professional mourners to moonlight for others, which makes them extremely distinctive and fascinating.

The Luo people are infamous for their tendency to boast and fib.

Kalejin
With 12% of Kenya’s total population, the Kalejin tribe is the third most prevalent ethnic group in the country. They make up a fantastic group to visit and offer unique cultural retreats during a Kenya cultural safari. The ethnic group known as the Kalenjin is a group of native East Africans from the southern Nilotic region. The tribe is composed of eleven closely related tribes, which share common cultural and linguistic traits: Kipsigis, Nandi, Tugen, Keiyo, Marakwet, Pokot, Sabaot, sengwar, lembus, ogiek, and Terik. The languages spoken by these eleven tribes/groups are all Kalenjin, which is a member of the Nilotic family.

The Kalenjin people are agricultural farmers who rely on the cultivation of grains like maize, wheat, sorghum, and millet. They are a friendly group of people that live in rounded thatched homes built from bent saplings and a mixture of mud and cow dung. They also raise sheep, goats, and cows to a lesser extent for milk and beef.

The Kalenjin tribe traditionally performs a “circumcision” initiation process, which is an integral part of the Kalenjin identity, particularly for males. This process marks the transition of Kalenjin males from boyhood to manhood and takes place during a boy’s pre-teen or early teenage years. You can take part in this cultural safari in Kenya.

The Kalenjin people are known as the running tribe due to their exceptional athletic prowess, which has been demonstrated by several of them winning international marathons. They practice monotheistic belief and worship a deity named “Asis,” which is symbolic of the sun.

As you can see, the diversity of Kenya’s tribes occasionally causes conflicts between the country’s major groupings; yet, these tribes have contributed rich cultural legacies to the nation and are fundamental to Kenyan and African identity. You can reserve a Kenya vacation package that allows you to experience the rich tribal culture of the country to learn more about the culture here.