History of the Duruma people

Duruma people are among the nine tribes that live on the coastal side of the nation of Kenya. Other tribes includes, Giriamas, Kaumas, Chonyi’s, Ribes, Rabais, Jibanas, Kambes and Digos. Duruma people their language is chiduruma and they live in east side of coast and they are farmers and they are livestock keepers. In their faming, they plant different types of plants, but their plant which they highly depend on is maize because their main food is ugali. Furthermore a large portion of their land is very dry and in many times they suffer in famine for lack of rain to make their plants mature.

Apart from the tribes that I have mentioned above, Duruma are fourteen clans. Duruma person belongs to a certain clan by birth and he cannot come out from a clan. Farms or land belongs to the clan and they do not belong to an individual. Sons inherit from their father’s farms, land and even money from their fathers but daughters they do not inherit anything from their fathers.

Visitors they belong or enter into a clan and even change their names. Belonging to a clan you must give to the panel of elders some liters of alcohol or a goat or both. Also they can be given farms but they are not allowed to plant permanent plants like coconuts, cashewnuts, mango trees and others.

After staying in a clan for a long time say like twenty years that visitor can become a member of the clan. However, he must have respected the clan.