Samburu society is a gerontocracy in which power rests with the older men; men under thirty may not marry or otherwise assert their personal independence. This nomadic tribe from the arid regions of northern Kenya cling to their traditional way of life despite the rapid change throughout Africa. The author spent more than two years during the 1960's amongst the Samburu, and as an adopted member of one of their clans, he perceived how their values and attitudes are closely interwoven with a social system that resists change.

PREFACE TO NEW EDITION, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, INTRODUCTION, 1. THE PASTORAL ECONOMY, 2. CLANSHIP AND EXOGAMY, 3. THE FAMILY AND THE HERD, 4. THE STRUCTURE OF SAMBURU SOCIETY, 5. THE MORAN, 6. THE MORAN AND THE TOTAL SOCIETY, 7. ELDERHOOD AND THE CURSE, 8. THE STATUS OF WOMEN, 9. SOCIAL ATTITUDES AND CEREMONY, 10. THE SAMBURU AND SOME NEIGHBOURING TRIBES: A COMPARISON, 11. CONCLUSION: THE GERONTOCRATIC SOCIETY, APPENDIX: Census Techniques and Data, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX