Meet the Kikuyu

Another new weekly tradition at the WOD blog is to introduce the tribes of Eastern Africa each week. This week we will get acquainted with the Kikuyu People.

The Kikuyu are Kenya's most populous ethnic group as they account for about 22% of Kenya's total population. Kikuyu speak Kikuyu, a Bantu language, as their native tongue, as well as Swahili and English, the national and official languages of Kenya, respectively. The ancestors of the Kikuyu can be said with some certainty to have come from the north, from the region of the Nyambene Hills to the northeast of Mount Kenya. Today, most Kikuyu are Christians, and it is difficult to come across one who professes to be anything else.

Traditionally the Kikuyu believed in a unique and omnipotent God whom they called Ngai. Kikuyu legends have it that in the beginning, a man called Gikuyu and his wife called Mireia were placed on Mũkũrwe wa Nyagathanga in present day Murang'a District by God. It was said that they were placed near a Fig tree upon the slopes of the mountain where they gave birth to nine daughters. When these daughters were grown, they met nine young men from a distant land who married the girls and the Kikuyu nation was formed from their offspring.

According to folklore, the Kikuyu tribe was once ruled based on a matriarchal system. During the rule of Wangũ wa Makeeri, a leader who was said to be so fierce she held meetings seated on the backs of men, the men decided to revolt and take over leadership, and they have never let go.

The Kikuyu man is referred to as a mũthuuri, someone who can choose or discern evil from good, and the Kikuyu woman is called a mũtumia, someone who retains family secrets and practices. Traditionally, Kikuyu society is polygamous and the men could have as many wives as he could afford. The family lived in a homestead with several huts for different family members, and each wife had her own hut where she and her children slept. After boys were circumcised (at puberty) they moved out of their mother’s hut into the young men’s hut.

Colonization eroded many traditional practices and values, although the language has survived and continues to evolve. Many Kikuyu have moved from their traditional homeland to the cities and around the world to look for opportunities. Those living in rural areas tend to continue to practice farming.

Famous Kikuyu include Kenya's current president, President Mwai Kibaki, as well as Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello!

Photo credit: www.photostaud.com