Note for the folks at home: Kisamburu, which we've already discussed, is the "mother tongue" of the local inhabitants of Maralal, the Samburu people. The language is very unlike the more widespread Kiswahili, simply because Kisamburu and Kiswahili are from completely different linguistic roots --- they were literally brought into the country by two completely different groups. Kiswahili, as it is based partially in Bantu language roots, came to Kenya with the Bantu ethnic group through their great migration from West Africa several thousand years ago. Kisamburu, however, has Nilotic roots. The Nilotes came into Kenya from the North, through Sedan. Another Kenyan tribe of the Nilotic ethnic group is the Maasai. The Maasai people are often considered "cousins" to the Samburu people, as both groups share a great deal of cultural traditions. (They are even often confused in photographs, because the dress of the two peoples can appear so similar. Note: a Samburu man and a Maasai man.)
