Meet our Artists.

Our generation of artists spans from the lkimaniki (1948-1961 to Lkisieku (2019- to date) each expressing their ideas on life, love for a good dance and their most treasured commodity; livestock. Our artists delve deep into the intricate dance of life, painting narratives of resilience and unity with each drop of red ochre. Witness the fusion of tradition and modernity woven beautifully on the canvas of our heritage, where stories untold find their voice through the colors of creativity.

The Age Sets.

Samburu society is organized by the age-set principle. Age sets refer to groups of men who have been circumcised during the same interval of roughly 14 years. Circumcision initiates boys into warriorhood, a period during which the initiated warriors are expected to protect the community.

Naming of the ageset is done by the elders at the sacred Nyiro Mountain where the Samburu believe their god is.

What follows is circumcision and a period of moranhood which ends in a lmuget ceremony and the initiation of the next generation. It is at this point that members of an ageset are now allowed to marry and eat at home.

The following is the chronological order of the Samburu age-sets and the times they spent as morans.

Lkishili (1961-76)

The Lkishili were initiated in 1961-1976.

Meiboki Lesas a Samburu elder living in Marti Dorop village on the banks of the mighty Milgis river in Marsabit County made paintings in several caves in Marti Dorop Namely Mpurungus, Naideli and Mpirish.

Just like the previous generation, they had gone to Loikar ( a moran feasting ceremony) in the caes where they slaughtered a bull, ate it and painted on the walls of the cave using red ochre. he says they did this for rememberance. Lesas further say that he was inspired by paintings he had seen on a cave they had visited earlier.

He mainly made paintings of human figures depicting morans, which he confirmed to be his friends.

Pictured (right) Lmeiboki Lesas sits next to the paintings he made in Mpirish cave, Marti Dorop.

Lkimaniki age-set (1948-61)

The Lkimaniki age-set undergone initiation in 1948. They are now the senior most generation alive and the eldest of all other age sets in matters pertaining to Samburu culture. They still provide the guidance on traditional affairs.

Lmankiyan Lenkurukuri is a Samburu of the lkimaniki generation living on the slopes of Ndoto Mountains in Keleswa village, Samburu County.

Lenkurukuri was initiated into moranhood in 1948, and as he recalls it was during a rainy season. He visited lamanira Lkutuk cave (Samburu for meandering route in reference to the meandering trail leading to the cave) together with his brothers and cousins. They were four of them during that visit. They had two bulls which they slaughtered and feasted on for 4 days.

There were no painting at the cave during the visit. He made several paintings using animal fat. He made the paintings as a rememberence of what had transpired during the stay. Lmankiyan confirms that one of his comptriots made a painting next to his.