Kikuyu people - WikiHQ

The Kikuyu (also Agĩkũyũ/ Gĩkũyũ) are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya, and originated in West-Central Africa. They are native to Central Kenya and were part of the Thagicu group that settled around Mount Kenya and primarily inhabit the fertile central highlands of Kenya. Traditionally, the Kikuyu community was organized into nine clans Anjirũ, Ambũi, Agacikũ, and Aceera, among others. At a population of 8,148,668 as of the 2019 census, they account for ~17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them the country's largest ethnic group.

The term Kikuyu is the Swahili borrowing of the autonym ().

History

thumbnail|Kikuyu man from 1910

thumb|Portrait of Kenosua by Gallen-Kallela, 1909–1910

Origin

The Kikuyu belong to the Northeastern Bantu branch. The exact place that they migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. Their ancestors were part of the wider Bantu migration which originated in the region of West-Central Africa (modern-day Cameroon/Nigeria) and passed through the Congo Basin, a major dispersal corridor. While linguistically Bantu, these groups show significant genetic and cultural interaction with neighbouring Nilotic and Cushitic populations. Studies have observed Nilotic ancestry in Kikuyu individuals ranging from approximately 20-25% with Cushitic ancestry reaching approximately 32-36%. This is largely due to their geographic location in the central highlands, surrounded by diverse ethnic clusters.

Their ancestors part of a broader group known as the Thagicu first reaching the northern slopes of Mount Kenya around the 3rd century CE. By the 13th century, they had established a cultural core in the highlands around Murang'a. A major southward migration into present-day Kiambu followed during the 18th and 19th centuries, a process characterized by land acquisition and intermarriage with indigenous hunter-gatherer groups.

Their language is most closely related to that of the Embu and Mbeere. Geographically, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya.

Before 1888

The nation and its pursuits

Before the establishment of East Africa Protectorate in 1895, the Agĩkũyũ preserved geographic and political power from almost all external influence for many generation as they had never been subdued. Before the arrival of the British, Arabs involved in slave trading and their caravans passed at the southern edges of the Agĩkũyũ nation. Slavery as an institution did not exist amongst the Agĩkũyũ, nor did they make raids for the capture of slaves. The Arabs who tried to venture into Agĩkũyũ land met instant death. Relying on a combination of land purchases, blood-brotherhood (partnerships), intermarriage with other people, and their adoption and absorption, the Agĩkũyũ were in a constant state of territorial expansion. Economically, the Agĩkũyũ were great farmers and shrewd businesspeople. Besides farming and business, the Agĩkũyũ were involved in small scale industries with professions such as bridge building, string making, wire drawing, and iron chain making. The Agĩkũyũ have a great sense of justice (kĩhooto). Each clan traced its lineage to a single female ancestor and a daughter of Mumbi. The clans were not restricted to any particular geographical area, they lived side by side. Some clans had a recognized leader, others did not. However, in either case, real political power was exercised by the ruling council of elders for each clan. Each clan then forwarded the leader of its council to the apex council of elders for the whole community. The overall council of elders representing all the clans was then led by a headman or the nation's spokesman.

Spirituality and religion

The Gĩkũyũ were – and still are – Animists believing in the veneration of ancestors, spiritual entities, a distant High God whom they refer to as Ngai, and other supernatural beings. A complex animistic system including the beliefs in spirits and higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme being, as well as the veneration of the dead, use of magic, and traditional African medicine, is broadly shared with other African religions.

Concept of Ngai

All of the Gĩkũyũ, Embu, and Kamba use the name Ngai to refer to a supremer being, the distant creation force who represents the head of the spiritual world and represents the first ancestor and creator of Gĩkũyũ society. Ngai was also known as Mũrungu by the Meru and Embu tribes, or Mũlungu. The title Mwathani or Mwathi (the greatest ruler) comes from the word gwatha meaning to rule or reign with authority, was and is still used. All sacrifices to Ngai were performed under a sycamore tree (Mũkũyũ) and if one was not available, a fig tree (Mũgumo) would be used. The olive tree (Mũtamaiyũ) was a sacred tree for women.

Mount Kenya and religion

In Gĩkũyũ tradition, Ngai (also known as Mwene-Nyaga) is identified as the creator and the source of all natural resources and provides all the resources necessary for life: land, rain, plants, and animals. While described as invisible, Ngai is believed to manifest through celestial bodies and natural phenomena such as thunder, lightning, rainbows, comets and meteors, and in the great fig trees (Mugumo). The Mugumo (fig tree) is regarded as a sacred site for worship and sacrifice, specifically marking Mũkũrwe Wa Nyagathanga, the site where oral legend maintains the ancestors Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi first settled. Ngai has human characteristics, and although some say that he lives in the sky or in the clouds, Gĩkũyũ lore also says that Ngai comes to earth from time to time to inspect it, bestow blessings, and mete out punishment. In Gĩkũyũ tradition, Mount Kenya is a site of central spiritual significance and divine manifestation.

Historical and linguistic evidence also indicates that some parts of Mount Kenya region have been home to various communities over millennia, including Nilotic, Cushitic, and ancient hunter-gatherer groups—such as the Ogiek and those referred to in oral history as the Gumba. The Gĩkũyũ, a Bantu-speaking group, established their presence in the central highlands through a long-term process of migration, interaction, and cultural exchange with these established populations. Today, the mountain remains a shared sacred landmark for several ethnic groups, each maintaining distinct cultural and religious associations with the site.

Philosophy of the traditional Kikuyu religion

The cardinal points in this Traditional Gĩkũyũ Religion Philosophy were squarely based on the general Bantu peoples thought as follows:

Mbura ya njahĩ (the season of big rain) from March to July;
Magetha ma njahĩ (njahĩ being Lablab purpureus) (the season of the black bean harvest) between July and early October;
Mbura ya Mwere (short rain season) from October to January;
Magetha ma Mwere (the season of harvesting) milletà;
Mbura ya Kĩmera.

In Gĩkũyũ society, time was historically documented through the system of initiation sets (riika). Each group undergoing circumcision was assigned a unique name, which served as a record of contemporary events, such as the appearance of diseases like smallpox or syphilis. According to historian Godfrey Mũriũki, these individual sets were organized into larger "regiment" or "army" sets. The timing of these initiations followed specific regional cycles:

In Metumi (Mũrang'a): Initiation of boys occurred annually for nine years, followed by a mũhingo (closure) period of four and a half years where no initiations took place.
In Gaki (Nyeri): The system was inverted, with annual initiations occurring for four years, followed by a nine-year mũhingo period.

While initiation for girls occurred annually, their specific group names are less documented in academic literature; however, Mũriũki identifies several late 19th-century sets from Metumi and Kabete, including Rũharo (1894) and Kagica (1896).

These regiments combined to form a ruling generation (itwĩka), which lasted an average of 35 years. While the names of individual initiation sets varied across Gĩkũyũ land, the ruling generations remained uniform, providing a standardized chronological framework for Gĩkũyũ history. The last two generations came after 1900. One of the earliest recorded lists by McGregor reads (list taken from a history of unchanged) Manjiri, Mandũti, Chiera, Masai, Mathathi, Ndemi, Iregi, Maina, Mwangi, Mũirũngũ. According to Hobley (a historian) each initiation generation, riika, extended over two years. The ruling generation at the arrival of the Europeans was called Maina. It is said that Maina handed over to Mwangi in 1898. however puts these sets much earlier, namely Karanja and Kĩnũthia belong to the Ciira ruling generation which ruled from the year 1722 to 1756, give or take 25 years, according to Mũriũki. Njũgũna, Kĩnyanjui, Ng'ang'a belong to the Mathathi ruling generation that ruled from 1757 to 1791, give or take 20 years, according to Mũriũki. (It should be remembered that this names were unlike ruling generations not uniform in Gĩkũyũ land. It should also be noted that Ndia and Gachũgũ followed a system where initiation took place every annually for four years and then a period of nine calendar years followed where no initiation of boys took place. This period was referred to as mũhingo.

Hingo ĩyo ciana cia arũme ciatuagwo marĩĩtwa ma mariika ta Watene, Cuma, Iregi kana Ciira. Nao airĩĩtu magatuuo marĩĩtwa ma mĩhĩrĩga tauria hagwetetwo nah au kabere, o nginya hingo iria maundu maatabariirwo thuuthaini ati ciana ituagwo aciari a mwanake na a muirĩĩtu. related how once, in the land of the Agĩkũyũ, there ruled a despotic King called Gĩkũyũ, grandson of the elder daughter (Wanjirũ according to Leakey) of the original Gĩkũyũ of Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi fame. After he was deposed, it was decided that the government should be democratic, which is how the Ituĩka came to be. This legend of course calls into question exactly when it was that the matrilineal rule set in. The last Ituĩka ceremony, where the riika of Maina handed over power to the Mwangi generation, took place in 1898–9. The next one was supposed to be held in 1925–1928 [Kenyatta] but was thwarted by the colonial imperialist government and one by one Gĩkũyũ institutions crumbled.

1888–1945

The traditional way of life of Agikuyu was disrupted when they came into contact with the British around 1888. British explorers had visited the region prior the "Scramble for Africa", and now various individuals moved to establish a colony in the region, noting the abundant and fertile farmland. Although initially non-hostile, relationships between the Agikuyu and the Europeans soon turned violent: Waiyaki Wa Hinga, a leader of the southern Agikuyu, who ruled Dagoretti who had signed a treaty with Frederick Lugard of the British East Africa Company (BEAC) burned down Lugard's fort in 1890. Waiyaki was captured two years later by the company and buried alive in revenge.

thumb|left|upright=1.2|Kikuyu chief Wanbugu (seated center) in talks with the High Commissioner of the East Africa Protectorate c. 1910

Following severe financial difficulties of the British East Africa Company, the British government on 1 July 1895 established direct Crown rule through the East African Protectorate, subsequently opening in 1902 the fertile highlands to European emigrants. When disputes with white settlers and the Agikuyu became violent (usually over land issues), the settlers would employ Maasai tribesmen together with some colonial troops to carry out their fighting for them. The Maasai had historically negative relations with the Agikuyu, and thus were willing to take up arms against them. The various conflicts between the settlers and the Agikuyu often resulted in defeat for the latter, thanks to their inferior weaponry.

Kenya served as a base for the British in the First World War as part of their effort to capture the German colonies to the south, which were initially frustrated. At the outbreak of war in August 1914, the governors of British East Africa (as the Protectorate was generally known) and German East Africa agreed to a truce in an attempt to keep the young colonies out of direct hostilities. However, Lt. Col Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck took command of the German military forces, determined to tie down as many British resources as possible. Completely cut off from Germany, von Lettow conducted an effective guerrilla warfare campaign, living off the land, capturing British supplies, and remaining undefeated. He eventually surrendered in Zambia eleven days after the Armistice was signed in 1918. To chase von Lettow-Vorbeck, the British deployed Indian Army troops from India and then needed large numbers of porters to overcome the formidable logistics of transporting supplies far into the interior by foot. The Carrier Corps was formed and ultimately mobilised over 400,000 Africans, contributing to their long-term politicisation.

The experiences gained by Africans in the war, coupled with the creation of the white-dominated Kenya Crown Colony, gave rise to considerable political activity in the 1920s which culminated in Archdeacon Owen's "Piny Owacho" (Voice of the People) movement and the "Young Kikuyu Association" (renamed the "East African Association") started in 1921 by Harry Thuku (1895–1970), which gave a sense of nationalism to many Kikuyu and advocated civil disobedience. Thuku's campaign against the colonial government was short-lived. He was exiled to Kismayu the following year, and it was not until 1924 that the Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) was formed to carry on with Thuku's campaign.

By the 1930s, approximately 30,000 white settlers lived in Agikuyu country and gained a political voice because of their contribution to the market economy. The area was already home to over a million members of the Kikuyu nation, most of whom had been pushed off their land by the encroaching European settlers, and lived as itinerant farmers. To protect their interests, the settlers banned the production of coffee, introduced a hut tax, and landless workers were granted less and less land in exchange for their labour. A massive exodus to the cities ensued as their ability to provide a living from the land dwindled.

By 1952, under Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi, the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (Mau Mau) launched an all-out revolt against the colonial government, the settlers and their Kenyan allies. By this time, the Mau Mau were fighting for complete independence of Kenya. The war is considered by some the gravest crisis of Britain's African colonies The capture of rebel leader Dedan Kimathi on 21 October 1956 signalled the ultimate defeat of the Mau Mau Uprising, and essentially ended the military campaign although the state of emergency would last until 1959. The conflict arguably set the stage for Kenyan independence in December 1963.

1963–present

Following Kenya's independence from British colonial rule in 1963 and the subsequent establishment of the Republic, the Gĩkũyũ became a prominent ethnic group within the modern Kenyan state.

Culture

Language

Gĩkũyũs speak the Gĩkũyũ language as their native tongue, which is a member of the Bantu language family. Additionally, many speak Swahili and English as lingua franca, the two official languages of Kenya.

The Gĩkũyũ are closely related to some Bantu communities due to intermarriages prior to colonization. These communities are the Embu, Meru, and Akamba people who also live around Mt. Kenya. Members of the Gĩkũyũ family from the greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri counties are closely related to the Maasai people also due to intermarriage prior to colonization. The Gĩkũyũ people between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to the Kamba people as part of the Central Bantu migration from the Congo Basin region of Central Africa. As a result, the Gĩkũyũ people that retain much of the original Gĩkũyũ heritage reside around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. Murang'a county is considered by many to be the cradle of the Gĩkũyũ people.

Literature

Until 1888, the Agikuyu literature was purely expressed in folklore. Famous stories include The Maiden Who Was Sacrificed By Her Kin, The Lost Sister, The Four Young Warriors, The Girl who Cut the Hair of the N'jenge, and many more.

When the European missionaries arrived in the Agikuyu country in 1888, they learned the Kikuyu language and started writing it using a modified Roman alphabet. The Kikuyu responded strongly to missionaries and European education. They had greater access to education and opportunities for involvement in the new money economy and political changes in their country. As a consequence, there are notable Kikuyu literature icons such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Meja Mwangi. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's literary works include Caitaani mũtharaba-Inĩ (1981), Matigari (1986) and Murogi wa Kagogo (2006), which is the largest known Kikuyu-language novel, having been translated into more than thirty languages.

Music

Traditional Kikuyu music has existed for generations up to 1888, when colonialism disrupted their life. Before 1888 and well into the 1920s, Kikuyu music included Kibaata, Nduumo and Muthunguci. Cultural loss increased as urbanization and modernization impacted on indigenous knowledge, including the ability to play the mũtũrĩrũ – an oblique bark flute. Today, music and dance are strong components of Kikuyu culture. There is a vigorous Kikuyu recording industry, for both secular and gospel music, in their pentatonic scale and western music styles such as "Mathwiti Maigi Ngai!".

Cinema

Kikuyu cinema and film production are a very recent phenomenon among the Agikuyu. They have become popular only in the 21st century. In the 20th century, most of the Agikuyu consumed cinema and film produced in the west. Popular Kikuyu film productions include comedies such as Machang'i series and Kihenjo series. Recently, Kenyan television channels have increased greatly and there are channels that broadcast programs in the Kikuyu language.

Cuisine

Typical Agĩkũyũ food includes Yams, sweet potatoes, Gītheri (maize and beans, after corn was introduced to Africa), Mūkimo (mashed green peas and potatoes), Kīmitū (mashed beans and potatoes), Irio (mashed dry beans, corn and potatoes), Mūtura (sausage made using goat intestines, meat and blood), Ūcūrū (fermented porridge made from flour of corn, millet or sorghum) roast goat, beef, chicken and cooked green vegetables such as collards, spinach and carrots.

Present-day religious affiliation

Although Gĩkũyũs historically adhered to indigenous faiths, most are Christians today, of varying denominations, as well as various syncretic forms of Christianity. A minority of the Kikuyu practice Islam, notably through Arab, Indian and Persian missionaries since trade with the rest of East Africa.

A small group of Kĩkũyũ, numbering about 60 people in 2015, practice Judaism in the town of Kusuku. While they practice a normative form of Judaism (similar to Conservative Judaism), they are not a recognized part of any larger Jewish group.

Religious and cultural discord

In April 2018, the Presbyterian Church of East Africa made a resolution to prohibit its members from the Kikuyu cultural rite known as Mburi cia Kiama and this triggered disturbances among devotees in the region of Mount Kenya. The Mburi cia Kiama entails the slaughtering of goats and advising men on how to become respected elders. When this process is over, they join different kiamas (groups). It is in these groups that they are given advice on issues like marriage, the Kikuyu culture and community responsibilities. Members of the church were given the ultimatum to renounce the cultural practice or to leave the church's fold.