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    The Kikuyu

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    Ayesiga Ronnie
    The Kikuyu people originated from eastern Bantu groups and migrated over centuries from the Taita Hills area of Kenya to settle in the central highlands. They had a decentralized clan-based political system led by elders and age-set groups. Socially, they were organized by families, age sets established through circumcision rituals, and riika brotherhood units. Their economy centered around agriculture of crops like millet, maize and beans, as well as pastoralism, fishing, hunting, beekeeping, ironworking and pottery.

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    The Kikuyu

    Uploaded by

    Ayesiga Ronnie
    1K views3 pages
    The Kikuyu people originated from eastern Bantu groups and migrated over centuries from the Taita Hills area of Kenya to settle in the central highlands. They had a decentralized clan-based political system led by elders and age-set groups. Socially, they were organized by families, age sets established through circumcision rituals, and riika brotherhood units. Their economy centered around agriculture of crops like millet, maize and beans, as well as pastoralism, fishing, hunting, beekeeping, ironworking and pottery.

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    The Kikuyu people originated from eastern Bantu groups and migrated over centuries from the Taita Hills area of Kenya to settle in the central highlands. They had a decentralized clan-based political system led by elders and age-set groups. Socially, they were organized by families, age sets established through circumcision rituals, and riika brotherhood units. Their economy centered around agriculture of crops like millet, maize and beans, as well as pastoralism, fishing, hunting, beekeeping, ironworking and pottery.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    1K views3 pages

    The Kikuyu

    Uploaded by

    Ayesiga Ronnie
    The Kikuyu people originated from eastern Bantu groups and migrated over centuries from the Taita Hills area of Kenya to settle in the central highlands. They had a decentralized clan-based political system led by elders and age-set groups. Socially, they were organized by families, age sets established through circumcision rituals, and riika brotherhood units. Their economy centered around agriculture of crops like millet, maize and beans, as well as pastoralism, fishing, hunting, beekeeping, ironworking and pottery.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 3

    THE KIKUYU.

     The kikuyu are closly related to the other eastern bantu groups.
     Their ancestors are said to have migrated to the taita hill area.
     Traditions of the kikuyu says that they moved from trhere directly into the Kenyan
    highlands.
     By the 16thcentury, the kikuyu had settled in mbere and chukka areas.
     Due to population growth and pressure from the galla, they were forced more westwards.
    other kikuyu had settled on the mwea plains at ithanga.
     In the 18th century,there was great increase in the population and the kikuyu migrated
    again.they went west to othaya and aguthi in nyeri,and north east to tetu and
    mathira.some also went to kiambu and then to nyandarua.
     In the course of their migration, the kikuyu met various groups like the gumba and the
    athi from whom they adopted skills like hunting,bee keeping,iron working,and pottery.
     They also adopted anumber of cultural practces from the athi,including
    circumcision,clitoridectony (female circumcision )and the age set system.

    ORGANISATION OF THE KIKUYU.


    Political organization:
     The kikuyu had ecentralised system of admistration based on clans.
     The family was the smallest political unit and each family was headed by the family
    head.
     The families within each clan belonged to the local territorial unit called the mbari.
     Acouncil of elders headed by the muramati led the mbari.
     The office of the muramati was not hereditary but was entrusted to anexperienced elder.
     The muramati perfomed the judicial functions in the maasai society.
     The maasai had no standing army.in case of aggression,the youth would be mobilized to
    defend the society.
     Their society society was based on egalitiarianism since laws were passed and justice was
    administered by those in authority.
     Criminal acts were punihed through fines,corporal punishements and banishements
    among others.
     After circumcision, boys become junior worriers.
     They advanced to the status of senior worriors and junior elders within time.
     Another important person was the muthamati who was the leader of aterritorial unit
    called riika.
     Land was communally owned and was allocated by the muthamati.
     The junior worriers did duties like clearing land and defending villages from wild
    animals.
     Social organization.
     Socially,the family and the age sets were important features.
     The age set system consisted of members who had been circumcised together.
     Circumcision were important among both the boys and girls among the kikuyu.
     The riika wasvimportant in sense of brotherhood and unity.
     Milk and butter were used as abride wealth.
     They believed in the supreme being called ngai /nkai.
     Witches and evil spirits were seen as causes of epidemics.
     Evil spirits were driven out in aceremony of beating drums and blowing horns.
     Senior worriers would marry and after circumcision of their first chid,they senior elders.
     Derpated ancestors and spiritualy leaders were also respected and sacrifies were offered.
     The kikuyu also respected elders in the community.
     The worrier age group defended the community.
     Economic organization.
     Agricuilture was an important economic activity among the kikuyu.
     They mainly grew crops like millet,beans,sorghum,maize,yams,peas etc.
     They were pastrolists and they kept animals like goats,cows etc.
     Fishing was also carriedout by communities living near water bodies to supplement their
    diet.
     They traded with the maasai and the akamba in items like baskets,iron.implements etc.
     Iron working was also practiced.they made hoes ,spears etc.
     Hunting wild animals anf food gathering were also practiced.
     Bee keeping was also common.
     They had well established market centres forexmple at kiambu,karatina etc.
    Pottery was also an important activity among the kikuyu.

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