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Samia speaking people live in WesternKenya and EasternUganda. They are composed of several clans and their ancient economic activities include fishing inLake Victoria and other rivers such asRiver Sio, crop farming (obulimi), and animal farming (obutuki).[1]The Samia speaking people, as widely known by other tribes, predominantly live in Busia districts (Both in Kenya and Uganda) and speak a dialect similar to the Luhya tribe in Kenya. However, on the Ugandan side there is a slight variation in the dialect spoken by the Samia of Southern Busia on the fringe ofLake Victoria and those of North Busia district closer to Tororo District.[2] The former speakOlusamia while the latter speakOlugwe. The two dialects are difficult to differentiate by non Samia speaking people but easily discernible by the natives.[3] and in Uganda mainly found inbusia andNamayingo district.[4]
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 794,000[5] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kenya andUganda | |
 Kenya | 84,828[6] |
 Uganda | 421,106[7] |
| Languages | |
| Samia | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity,Traditional African religions,Islam[8] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherBantu people | |
Samia speaking people love music which is played in their various ceremonies, which include marriage (Obugole/ Obweya), funeral (amasika),veneration of ancestors (ebikuda mukutu andEnga'nyo), and wrestling (amalengo). Their musical instruments include: (a) A large violin-like wooden instrument calledAdungu (b) A drum calledEngalabe, covered at one end with the skin of amonitor lizard (c) A flute calledErere and (d) An instrument calledSikudi. The major traditional dances are owaro, ekworo, eboodi and esikudi. The eboodi and ekworo are love dances. Owaro and esikudi are performed when people are happy.[2][9]
In the early days, marriage would be arranged without active involvement of the boy and girl. Traditionally, the boy had to first seduce the girl, the boy would arrive with a spear and place it in front of the girl's mother's hut. If the girl had agreed to marry, she would take the spear and return it to her mother's hut. Following that, bride price talks would begin.[10][9]
Samia speaking people have a number of clans, each person belongs to the father's clan. You can not marry from your clan or your mother's clan.[1][10][11]
Years before modern government, Samia people used to live in villages calledEngongo which are separated by valleys and within Engongo they had Engoba. Engoba is many; one is called Olukoba.[12] One needed a ladder-like contraption to access or leave Olukoba but the Olukoba also had specific gates. Up to today, the daily lives of Samia people are dictated by customs and traditions. For instance, a woman who loses her husband should be remarried to a brother of the deceased so that should this widow wish to bear more children, they should resemble their kin.[13][3] Their diet consists of cassava bread made of sorghum or millet, often mixed with fermented cassava also called obusuma. Sometimes white stiff porridge made out of maize flour added.[3] The food is eaten with vegetables, meat, or chicken. The Samia also largely consume gruel, rice and bananas. Samia speaking people are known to be very clever people due to frequent consumption of fresh fish. In fact non Samia speaking people often refer to them as "obusuma ne'ngeni bicha speed" meaning brown stiff porridge and fish roll down the throat very fast.[13][11]
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