Homeland
The Aweer live in more than eleven villages in the Boni and Dodori forests of Lamu and Garissa counties.
Name and language
Aweer is the people's own name. The older label "Boni" is a Somali term implying low status, and it is avoided here. The Aweer language is related to Somali and Rendille, on the eastern branch of the Cushitic languages.
Livelihood
The Aweer are forest hunter-gatherers and honey collectors.
Today
One report puts the community at barely 4,000 people, down from 25,000 half a century ago. Security operations in Boni Forest since 2015 have further restricted their foraging.
Sources
- People Daily: ten Kenyan languages on the verge of extinction
- National Museums of Kenya: Kenya's language groups
From The Peoples of Kenya: An Ethnographic Reference (Kenya Experience, November 2026), a synthesis of published sources. Practices described as traditional are historical baselines; today most Kenyans are Christian or Muslim, live in or near towns and speak Swahili and English. Spot something to correct? Write to kibetck@kenyaexperience.org.
