Samburu are predominantly pastoralists, specialised in cattle herds and are based in North Kenya. Just like the local Massai, their language is Maa. The name of their tribe is derived from "o-sampurumpuri", the Maa word for butterfly. It has also been claimed that it stems from the word Samburr, the traditional leather pouch Samburu wear on their backs for carrying meat and honey. London based Dirk Rees, born in South Africa and raised in Germany, visited the tribe before they disappear forever. Dirk Rees, whose project received a Merit at our GoSee Awards, explains on GoSee:
"My aim was to spend time with the tribe and capture the essence of the Samburu spirit and soul. The gentle harshness and it’s unique flair. Photographing iconic African tribes and the way they express themselves through movement and dance is an ongoing personal project which I have started venturing into 2 years ago. My love for Africa is unconditional and having lived all over southern Africa and travelled extensively throughout. I find myself in an incredibly fortunate situation being allowed to combine my skills & passion and to experience and capture some of the few of the many hundreds of tribes before they are forgotten or have moved on from there ancient traditions. Don’t get me wrong there will always be there in some form or another but to what extent only the future will tell.
There are very few places on this earth where the drum of life is not beating at the same pace and offers such a raw and captivating experience than spending time in Africa. Over the years I have been coming and going and the ever growing human footprint is becoming ever more visible even in the remote areas which I have visited so far. My drive to embark on this project stems from my son who obviously is not aware of this at his delicate 3.5 years of age but I want him to see the tribes as I have seen them. I want him to see and experience Africa as I have and hopefully will in the years to come. Stopping time I suppose is a way to look at my approach, freezing a moment in time and capturing that essence so I can share that with him and hope that one day he will be able to pass it on."
We hope you will be just as impressed by the results as we are. GoSee for yourselves.
