Architecture

Lowland House :  My approach is a little unsteady here--I was often carrying my son (then 2 years old) as I filmed. As you approach the inside of the house you can see the entry way with snow-shoe like frames forming a wall in front of you. Those are sainia, the frames women put on donkeys when they are loading all of their possessions for a move. Inside the house, my friend's mother and father sat very quietly--they thought perhaps I didn't want them to talk as I filmed. His mother is sitting in her own area. Women build and own Samburu houses, and the area nearest the cooking fire is their main sphere of operation. This is where my friend's mother sleeps, chats with visitors, and prepares meals. Her husband, in contrast, is sitting in the public area of the house--he is like a visitor. On the walls you can see various things hanging, like water containers, leather bags and gunny sacks holding the family's possessions. There are metal boxes on the floor holding precious things and the things most likely to be pilfered, like extra sugar, money, favorite ornaments, photos, and so on. There are also plenty of calabashes to store milk in all stages of fermentation. Notice the animal hides on the walls and floor. Lowland houses like this one are temporary and may be moved two or three times in a year.