[1] The Akie, like other hunter-gatherer peoples in Kenya and Tanzania, are sometimes called by the derogatory and misleading term Dorobo or Wandorobo.

They live around 150 miles south east of Olduvai Gorge[6] The Akie are sometimes officially called Dorobo or Wandorobo, which is a derogatory Swahili exonym for them.

This Swahili exonym is derived from the Maa words "Ol-dóróboni" and "Il-Tóróbo," which mean "people without cattle".

Due to competition for land with the Maasai, they have recently been more reliant on maize, although this rarely produces enough food to last year around.

[7] The Akie's closest ethnic and linguistic relatives may be the Ogiek who live farther north in Tanzania and mainly Kenya.