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Facts About Kenya People
Kenya Tribes and Kenya Language
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Thinking of Kenya people almost instantly brings to mind images of the Masai Mara natives, standing tall in their brightly colored red clothing and decorated with beautiful beads.
A country diverse in tribal people, Kenya has a population of 37,953,8401.
The principal ethnic groups of Kenya are the Arabs and Asians. The main groups of tribes are the Nilotic people originally from Sudan, the Bantu originally from Western Africa, and the Hamitic who were from Ethiopia and Somolia.
Kenya now has over 40 major indigenous African groups. The five largest of these make up 70% of the population, and they are Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kamba and the Kalenjin. The smaller tribes are Meru, Kisii, Kamba, Swahili, Masai, and Turkana.
Kikuyu People
The Kikuyu people are Bantu who came into Kenya during the Bantu migration. They include a number of families from the surrounding area and are identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka.
By tradition, the Kikuyu are farmers, making their homelands in the rich farmland foothills of Mount Kenya.
Masai Tribe
The Masai are found in Southern Kenya and are devoted cattle herdsmen. They worship cattle and recognize them as their main economy.
Masai Warrior Tribesmen
The Masai don't use a cash economy, but instead follow traditional farming for trading crops and vegetables.
They are a nomadic Kenya people group, who move as their needs dictate, which makes life more difficult in these modern times.
Samburu Tribe
Related to the Masai, the Samburu live immediately above the equator in the foothills of Mount Kenya and the northern desert meet.
These semi-nomadics lives center around their cows, sheep, goats, and camels, with milk being their main stay. They sometimes mix the milk with blood.
They live on root and bark soups and eat vegetables if available. Meat is only eaten on very special occasions.
Like the Masai, they dress in traditional clothing of bright red skirting material and enjoy their beautifully beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
Turkana Tribe
The second largest nomadic people in Kenya, about 200,000, are the Turkana. They live in nothern Kenya in an area bordered by Lake Turkana, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sudan.
They also dress traditionally and give much importance to colored beads, especially for their necks, as well as any adornment for their women and young warriors.
Most Kenyans are Christians, with an almost even distribution between Protestants and Roman Catholics. A small number follow local native tribal beliefs and about 30% are Muslims.
The balance are a combination of minority religions such as Hindus and Bhuduist.
Kenya Language
There are over 30 distinct languages and dialects spoken throughout the country, but the official languages of Kenya people are English and Swahili. Swahili is the most widely spoken African language.
Other tribal languages include Kikuyu, Luhia, Luo and Kikamba as well as many other tribal tongues. The Bantu family of languages are spoken by the largest part of the population.
A new language has evolved among the younger generation known as Sheng, a mixture of Swahili and English and some words of other languages.
Learn Swahili
This official language of Kenya is widely spoken by 50 million people. Swahili (Kiswahilli) is the only language of African origin recognized by the African Union as an official working language.
We put together a list of basic words and expressions for you to try out.
Jambo - Hello Habari - How are you? Mzuri sana - Fine Kwaheri - Goodbye Tafadhali - Please Asante (sana)- Thank you (very much) Hodi - May I come in? Karibu - Come in, near Ndio - Yes Hapana - No Mzee - Elder(one with wisdom) Simba - Lion Tembo - Elephant Duma - Cheetah Twiga - Giraffe Kiboko - Hippo Kongoni - Hartebeest
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