British East 11 Africa Africa .] RACE AND LANGUAGE

physical type. The Suk are a tribe of mixed origin who live north and east of the Gwas Ngishu plateau.

The Turkana are a very large and important tribe who inhabit the plains west ofLake Rudolf and have recently pressed south -eastwards across the River Kerio and the River Sugota . They are an extremely tall race , flat-faced and negroid in feature, and are of a much more massive build than the Masai .

The Dorobbo or Ogiek may be included in this group , since they have strong affinities to the Nandi. They are a people of hunters, who are looked down upon by the

other tribes. It is probable that they represent an aboriginal race of Bushman type, but they have inter mingled with the surrounding peoples and the Nandi Masai strain is now dominant.

(4) Negro group. - The negro peoples of the Protec torate allbelong to the Bantu family, with the excep tion of the Jaluo, or Nilotic Kavirondo, who inhabit the eastern shores of Victoria Nyanza, alongside of the Bantu Kavirondo . The three most important Bantu peoples are the Wakikuyu , who have been much in fluenced by the Masai , theWakamba and the Kavirondo. In the east of the Protectorate the Wagosha inhabit the lower Juba Valley , and the Wapokomo are found in the Tana. Further south dwell the restless and back ward Wanyika tribes, of which the most important is the Giriama.

Other Bantu peoples, the Meru and the Embu , are found in the district of Mount Kenya.

Language The language which is in most common use in the Protectorate is Swahili, which is held to have originated in the district of Lamu . It is a blend of Bantu and Arabic, and has become a lingua franca far into the interior.

Of the languages spoken by the Hamitic group of peoples byfarthe purest and most widespread is Galla. The Somali speech has affinities with Galla , but has been much more influenced by Arabic.

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