Homeland
The Daasanach, also called Merille, live at Ileret on the north-eastern shore of Lake Turkana. The 2019 census counted 19,337 people in Kenya; most of the community lives across the border in Ethiopia's Omo delta.
Language
Daasanach is an Eastern Cushitic language. The El Molo heritage language of the lake's south-eastern shore is related to it.
Livelihood and ceremony
The Daasanach are agro-pastoralists who plant sorghum on receding floodwater and herd cattle. The dimi ceremony honors men whose daughters are approaching marriage.
Sources
- The Standard: minority communities you did not know
- 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.
