Where is the kikuyu tribe located in kenya

The plateau features deep gorges and parallel ridges. Rainfall is plentiful. However, on the eastern side of the plateau, the terrain is comparatively dry and is dominated by a grassland zone. The elevation increases to the west, giving rise to more rainfall and woodlands with good potential for agriculture.

The largest ecological area is characterized by high altitude and rainfall where plant life is abundant and most of the population is concentrated.

This is the area where significant cash crops are grown, including pyrethrum a flower that produces a natural insecticide , coffee and tea.

Rich soils aid the growth of traditional crops such as sweet potatoes, bananas, millet, sorghum, cow-peas, and maize corn , which is the staple throughout Gikuyuland. The Gikuyu are generally fluent in three languages. The primary national language in Kenya is English. All children receive instruction in English beginning in primary school and continuing through university.

KiSwahili is a second national language, although it is not the language of government, it is widely used as a language of trade and commerce, especially by those without formal education. KiSwahili is also taught in the schools from primary through secondary school. The Gikuyu use either English or KiSwahili when traveling outside the central highlands.

Radio, television, and mass media publications are available in both languages throughout Kenya. The Gikuyu language is the preferred language at home and in the community. Gikuyu is taught in primary schools throughout Gikuyuland. The Gikuyu people explain their origins as farmers and herders in the following way. The first tribal parents, Gikuyu and Mumbi, had their own children, who then had children who dispersed around Mount Kenya.

One day a grandchild's knee started swelling. When he opened his knee, three little boys emerged, who became his sons. In time, one of them became a hunter; one enjoyed collecting fruits and plants; and the third made fire for cooking. The hunter domesticated some animals, and the collector grew crops such as bananas, cassava, and sweet potatoes. The third son applied fire to stones and metals and became a blacksmith. In this way, the Gikuyu culture originated.

The Gikuyu attribute their ultimate origins to sacred intervention by their god Ngai who sometimes resides on Mount Kenya which, for the Gikuyu, is a sacred place. According to legend, Ngai carried the first man, Gikuyu, to the top of Mount Kenya.

Ngai showed him the rich land spread out below the mountain. Gikuyu was told that his sons and daughters would inherit the land and multiply. Gikuyu was given a wife named Mumbi, meaning "Creator" or "Molder," and together they had nine daughters. Ngai said that whenever problems arose, the people should make a sacrifice and gaze at Mount Kenya in order to be assisted. One day, Gikuyu was unhappy at not having a male heir.

He pleaded with Ngai to provide a son for him. After appropriate rituals, Gikuyu went to a sacred tree where he found nine men waiting to greet him. He arranged for these men to marry his daughters provided they agreed to live under his roof and abide by a matrilineal system of inheritance tracing descent through the female line. In time, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren were born.

Still later, each daughter came to head her own clan, thus giving rise to the clans of the Gikuyu people. The legend continues that in time the kinship system changed from a matrilineal to a patrilineal one tracing descent through the male line. It is believed this happened because the women became excessive in their domination over men.

The men ganged up on the women when they were all pregnant at the same time. They overthrew female rule and became heads of their families. From then on, polygyny one man with several wives replaced polyandry one woman with several husbands as a marital practice. Nevertheless, the women were able to maintain their names for the main clans. To this day, most women carry one of these names.

A number of other important legends provide cultural heroes. Among these are Karuri, who was a past ruler of legendary proportion. Another is Wamugumo, a noted giant believed to have been able to eat an entire goat by himself. He could clear land that took many men a long time to clear, and he was able to kill lions, buffalo, and leopards with ease. A famous woman called Wangu wa Makeri ruled during the period of the matriarchy when women held the majority of power.

At that time, women were allowed to have many husbands, especially young men, and the old men did all of the work. Traditionally, folktales and riddles combined with myths to provide young people with a strong sense of Gikuyu values. Grandmothers were excellent story tellers. Some common riddles are: A man who never sleeps hungry? Fire since it is fed throughout the night ; My son lives between spears? The tongue; My child travels without rest? The river always flowing. Proverbs are numerous in modern-day culture and change constantly to reflect the times.

For example, one proverb teaches that "A good mortar does not correspond to a good pestle," to explain that successfully matching a husband and a wife may be difficult. Another proverb widely heard is "When the hyenas come, nobody will give shelter," which means that in times of panic, it is every man for himself. Many proverbs teach common sense, such as "When one goes on a journey, he does not leave his bananas cooking in the fire.

One tongue twister refers to a child who saw a tadpole and ran away; when the tad-pole saw the child, it also ran away. In Gikuyu, one says Kaanaka Nikora kona kora kora, nako kora kona kaanaka Nikora kora. The Gikuyu today are prominently represented in a variety of Christian churches. The significance of belief in a high god, Ngai, is maintained or was transferred to the Christian-centered belief in monotheism the belief in one god.

Ngai created everything. He lives in the sky and is invisible. Sometimes he lives on Mount Kenya. He should only be approached for serious problems such as those involving life-and-death questions. During periods of famine or epidemic diseases, Ngai is approached by the elders on behalf of the entire community.

Other traditional beliefs have also persisted into contemporary life. Important among these is the belief in ancestral spirits. These departed relatives are involved in all matters, especially those not considered important enough to seek Ngai's attention.

Matters of everyday health, for example, involve the ancestor spirits, who cause sickness when their interests are not taken into consideration. In the past, religious values emphasized community solidarity and discouraged individualism. Authority was vested in elders and prophets, who were believed to know what was best for all people. Expressions of individuality and solitary life were not encouraged.

Someone perceived to be outside the group might be accused of being a witch and could be killed by the elders. At the same time, considerable security was provided by the emphasis on the group. The Gikuyu typically celebrate the same holidays as other Kenyans see Kenyans. The Gikuyu are well known for their traditional rituals of adolescence. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, there was a custom known as Ngweko.

Periodically, elders supervised gatherings of young people who would spend private time with each other for the purpose of getting to know members of the opposite sex. Young people paired off according to mutual attraction.

Should a young girl become pregnant, the boy responsible was held accountable and was expected to marry the girl he had impregnated. The Gikuyu considered Ngweko to be a form of sex education. And since Ngweko was associated with reproduction, the Gikuyu considered it a sacred act of carrying out the orders of their high god Ngai to reproduce.

A Kikuyu man is allowed to marry more than one woman if he can meet their needs. The practice of paying bride price is an important part of their culture. Kikuyu language has managed to retain its importance even in the urban areas where a majority of people speak English and Swahili. Kikuyu people are famed for being inclined towards money and are said to be aggressive in their business exploits.

This Bantu group is majorly based in the western part of Kenya. It is a group of over 18 sub-tribes, each practicing its own dialect of the Luhya language. Male circumcision is an important ritual in most Luhya sub-tribes that is carried out to mark the transition from boyhood to manhood.

Bull-fighting is a popular sport of the tribe and they are also known for their love for food, including Ugali, a popular traditional Luhya dish. The people of this tribe live in the highly fertile highlands in Nyanza in Western Kenya. Kisii families tend to be very large and live close to each other, sharing daily activities such as cooking and farming. Men are allowed to have more than one wife and hold the highest authority in their families.

The practice of female circumcision was mandatorily carried out by this tribe. Now, though this ritual has been outlawed, it is still practiced in some parts. Male circumcision is however still practiced to mark the initiation of boys into adulthood. The Kisii culture is known for soapstone carvings, basketry, and pottery.

Kisii people are known to be short-tempered. Mijikenda is a big Bantu tribe in Kenya that comprises of nine sub-tribes whose culture revolves around clans and age-sets. The tribe has about 1,, million people and resides in the coastal region of Kenya. Milk and blood, tapped from a cow's jugular vein, is a staple.

Their traditional homeland is southern Kenya and northern Tanzania in an area that has the most visited game parks. Thus many tourists come in contact with the Maasai morani warriors clad in red blankets, red ochre covering their heads and carrying spears and clubs as well as Maasai women wearing colorful beads.

The Maasai help to manage and maintain the Maasai Mara National Park and receive a percentage of the park fees. The Samburu are closely related to the Maasai and their traditional homeland is around Maralal in Northern Central Kenya.

Like the Maasai their morani prefer red blankets, use red ochre to decorate their heads and the women wear beaded jewelry. They also tend cattle and goats, but it is cattle which is the center of Samburu social, political, and economic life.

The Samburu are still nomadic people and when pasture becomes scarce in this semi-arid land, they pack up their manyattas small settlements on camels and move to better pastures. The Turkana are closely related to the Maasai and the Samburu. They have a reputation as fierce warriors.

Although they keep goats, sheep and camels, cattle is the most important component of Turkana life. Their diet consists mainly of milk and blood. Like many other ethnic groups in Africa, Turkana men have several wives.

However, the Turkana have a three year wedding ceremony that ends after the first child is weaned. The Maasai, Samburu and Turkana practice cattle rustling. Law enforcement officials tend to stay clear of disputes arising between and within groups. Disputes are settled by elders and often the guilty person is fined cattle, goats, camels, or sheep. Cushitic speaking people comprise a small minority of Kenya's population. The Somali tend large herds of cattle, goats, sheep, and camels in the dry, arid lands of Northern Kenya.

They are politically well organized and are united by both family allegiances and political treaties. The Somali also produce exquisitely carved headrests and woven artifacts. Source: Kurian, George Thomas For Further Reading:. Beech, Mervyn W. The Suk, Their Language and Folklore. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Browne, G. The Vanishing Tribes of Kenya. Philadelphia: J.

Fadiman, Jeffrey A. In , the Wildlife Service, along with the U. Environment Program and other groups, assessed the progress that had been made since the report and found great improvement, including a 90 percent decrease in logging in indigenous forests, tremendous reduction in marijuana cultivation, and renewal of the shamba system. That success has spurred greater international funding and support, which is helping to develop a comprehensive management plan for the Mount Kenya ecosystem and numerous community-based projects.

Through one COMPACT project, community members are equipped and trained to keep bees in or near forest areas; beekeepers then monitor for illegal activities in the areas around their hives, and through resulting honey production they are able to generate income.

Other projects involve tree planting, promoting energy-efficient stoves and reducing garbage dumping. The Kenya Wildlife Service has adopted a Forest Conservation Program that integrates sustainable forest management and community participation.

The Wildlife Service is also seeking to develop forest-based ecotourism, which could serve as another alternative means of generating income for the local population. In general, tourism potential at Mount Kenya remains relatively untapped, although the site appeals especially to mountain climbers looking for an alternative to Mount Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania.

However, the National Park has education and monitoring policies in place to minimize the environmental impact of visitors as tourism begins to grow. Another challenge Mount Kenya faces is the potential loss of its glaciers.

In the late s there were 18 identified glaciers; today seven of those are completely gone. In recent decades the rate of recession has accelerated, and it is estimated that in about 20 years there may be no permanent ice left on the mountain. In neighboring Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is suffering a similar fate.

While experts have for many years believed that the glacier loss is due to global warming, some now believe that regional environmental changes, such as deforestation, claim a greater impact. There are no currently active international campaigns for Mount Kenya, but check back here periodically for updates.