Samburu | |
Nativename: | Sampur, ɔl Maa |
States: | Kenya |
Region: | Samburu district of Rift Valley Province |
Date: | 2009 census |
Ethnicity: | Samburu |
Ref: | e18 |
Speakers2: | (including Camus) |
Familycolor: | Nilo-Saharan |
Fam2: | Eastern Sudanic |
Fam3: | Nilotic |
Fam4: | Eastern Nilotic |
Fam5: | Ateker-Lotuko-Maa |
Fam6: | Lotuko–Maa |
Fam7: | Ongamo–Maa |
Iso3: | saq |
Glotto: | samb1315 |
Glottorefname: | Samburu |
Dia1: | Camus |
Samburu is a Maa language dialect spoken by Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya. The Samburu number about 128,000 (or 147,000 including the Camus/Chamus). The Samburu dialect is closely related to the Camus dialect (88% to 94% lexical similarity) and to the South Maasai dialects (77% to 89% lexical similarity). The word "Samburu" itself may derive from the Maa word saamburr for a leather bag the Samburu use.