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Kikuyu culture.
Origins of kikuyu.
Although uncertain, ethnologists believe the Kikuyu came to Kenya from
Central Africa together with the other Bantu groups. On reaching present
Tanzania, they moved east past Mount Kilimanjaro and into Kenya, finally
settling around Mount Kenya, while the rest of the group continued migrating
to Southern Africa. They were originally hunter-gatherers but unlike the
Nilotic tribes who were pastoralists, they began farming the very fertile
volcanic land around Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan highlands.
However, Kikuyu legends have it that in the beginning, a man called Gikuyu
and his wife called Mireia (Mumbi) were placed on Mũkũrwe wa Nyagathanga in
present day Murang'a District by God, Mwene Nyaga or Ngai. It was said that
they were placed near the Mugumo or Fig tree upon the slopes of the mountain.
They gave birth to Nine daughters named, Wanjiku, Wanjirũ, Wangeci, Wambũi,
Wangari, Wacera, Waithera, Wairimũ and Wangũi. It so happened that when they
were grown up, they met nine young men from a distant land, (ostensibly
Maasai, with whom Kikuyu's have a long standing love-hate relationship) who
married the girls and from whom the Kikuyu nation arose. A popular myth
claims that when Kikuyu's daughters came of marrying age, Kikuyu prayed to
Mwene Nyaga to provide husbands for their daughters whom he duly provided by
a fig tree.
Family Life
The Kikuyu man is referred to as a mũthuuri (meaning someone who can choose
or discern evil from good) and the Kikuyu woman is called a mũtumia (meaning
someone who retains family secrets and practices). Traditionally, Kikuyu
society is polygamous so that means any man could have as many wives as he
could afford.
The family lived in a homestead with several huts for different family
members. These huts were constructed so that during the cold season the
interior would be very warm while in hot season the hut would be cool. The
husband’s hut was called ‘thingira’, and that was where the husband would
call his children in for instruction on family norms and traditions and he
would also call his wives for serious family discussions. 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.
The husband would invite his age-mates of his riika (age group) to a horn
(rũhĩa) of traditional beer (njoohi) called mũratina; an alcoholic drink made
from sugar cane and the mũratina fruit.
The Kikuyu had a systematic method of family planning. A father would only
have another child with his wife, after her youngest child was at an age
where the mother could send them to look after the family’s herd of goats, a
practice called (gũthiĩ rũũru). Rũũru is a collection of goats and sheep or
commonly referred as herding
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. They have also moved to other parts of the country and the
world due to intermarriage, business opportunities, study, and generally
seeking better prospects in life. Those living in rural areas tend to
continue to practice farming.
In the Kikuyu land there is a very diverse history of how people lived. One
is the form of entertainment in those days. The Kikuyu young women and men
could travel to isolated areas for dance and feasting. Discipline however was
observed and no man was supposed to touch a lady sexually. The young men only
enjoyed the dance and they had the chance to mingle with the beautiful young
ladies who would eventually become their suitors. Many of the songs they used
to dance to are being revived in modern bars and clubs.
The common dances were Nguchu, Nduumo, MÅ©goiyo, GÄ©chukia and ndachi ya irua
(circumcisional dance). The grandmothers had a critical role of checking if
any man unwound the inner garment of the young ladies. This garment was
called mũthuru. The grandmothers (macũcũ), tied it safely to protect any
promiscuity in young women. Women who engaged in sex before marriage,
affairs, or got pregnant could only be married as a second wife and were
commonly referred to as ‘Gĩchokio’. Therefore the Kikuyu customs valued the
chastity of unmarried women and protected young women against abuse. It also
ensured some form of entertainment was prepared and young people carried
forward the practices from generation to generation.
The Kikuyu are Bantu and actually came into Kenya during the Bantu
migration. They include some families from all the surrounding people and can
be identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka. The Kikuyu
tribe was originally founded by a man named Gikuyu. Kikuyu history says that
the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to
stay and build his home there. He was also given his wife, Mumbi. Together,
Mumbi and Gikuyu had nine daughters. There was actually a tenth daughter but
the Kikuyu considered it to be bad luck to say the number ten. When counting
they used to say “full nine†instead of ten. It was from the nine daughters
that the nine (occasionally a tenth) Kikuyu clans -Achera, Agachiku, Airimu,
Ambui, Angare, Anjiru, Angui, Aithaga, and Aitherandu- were formed.
Traditionally the Kikuyu are farmers. The Kikuyu homelands, in the foothills
of Mount Kenya, are still some of the most intensively farmed areas of the
country.
Language
Kikuyu speak Kikuyu, a Bantu language, as their native tongue. Additionally,
many speak Swahili and English as well, the national and official languages
of Kenya respectively. The Kikuyu are closely related to the Embu, Mbeere,
Kamba and Meru people who also live around Mt. Kenya. The Kikuyu from the
greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri districts are
closely related to the Maasai due to intermarriage prior to colonization, The
Kikuyu between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to Kamba people, who
speak a language almost the same as Kikuyu, being geographical neighbours.
Hence the sub-tribes that retain much of the original Kikuyu heritage reside
around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. The Kikuyu from Murang'a
district are considered to be more pure, believed to be the cradle of the
Kikuyu people.
Legends
A religious Kikuyu prophet called Cege wa Kibiru or Mugo wa Kĩbirũ
prophesied about the coming of the Europeans long before they arrived at the
Coast. It was said that there would come people from a different land, having
the colour of kiũũra kya marigũ-ini "frog of the banana plantation". This
depicts something close to the native white color. He also predicted the
arrival of aeroplanes, "like butterflies in the sky".
Two of the other memorable men in the Kikuyu history were Wang’ombe wa
Ihũũra and Wamũgumo. Wang’ombe wa Ihũũra killed a man-eating leopard with his
bare hands. Wamũgumo could sink 3/4 of a traditional hunting spear to the
bare earth. He was a giant sized man whose size and eating habits were
legendary. Waiyaki wa Hinga was another Kikuyu paramount chief, who was
credited as among the first to resist the entrechment of the White settlers
in the Kikuyu land. When confronting one white settler in the settler's tent,
Waiyaki's sword got caught in the tent's roof as he raised it to strike. He
was quickly overpowered, severely beaten, and buried alive in KismayuOrigins
of kikuyu.
Although uncertain, ethnologists believe the Kikuyu came to Kenya from
Central Africa together with the other Bantu groups. On reaching present
Tanzania, they moved east past Mount Kilimanjaro and into Kenya, finally
settling around Mount Kenya, while the rest of the group continued migrating
to Southern Africa. They were originally hunter-gatherers but unlike the
Nilotic tribes who were pastoralists, they began farming the very fertile
volcanic land around Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan highlands.
However, Kikuyu legends have it that in the beginning, a man called Gikuyu
and his wife called Mireia (Mumbi) were placed on Mũkũrwe wa Nyagathanga in
present day Murang'a District by God, Mwene Nyaga or Ngai. It was said that
they were placed near the Mugumo or Fig tree upon the slopes of the mountain.
They gave birth to Nine daughters named, Wanjiku, Wanjirũ, Wangeci, Wambũi,
Wangari, Wacera, Waithera, Wairimũ and Wangũi. It so happened that when they
were grown up, they met nine young men from a distant land, (ostensibly
Maasai, with whom Kikuyu's have a long standing love-hate relationship) who
married the girls and from whom the Kikuyu nation arose. A popular myth
claims that when Kikuyu's daughters came of marrying age, Kikuyu prayed to
Mwene Nyaga to provide husbands for their daughters whom he duly provided by
a fig tree.
Family Life
The Kikuyu man is referred to as a mũthuuri (meaning someone who can choose
or discern evil from good) and the Kikuyu woman is called a mũtumia (meaning
someone who retains family secrets and practices). Traditionally, Kikuyu
society is polygamous so that means any man could have as many wives as he
could afford.
The family lived in a homestead with several huts for different family
members. These huts were constructed so that during the cold season the
interior would be very warm while in hot season the hut would be cool. The
husband’s hut was called ‘thingira’, and that was where the husband would
call his children in for instruction on family norms and traditions and he
would also call his wives for serious family discussions. 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.
The husband would invite his age-mates of his riika (age group) to a horn
(rũhĩa) of traditional beer (njoohi) called mũratina; an alcoholic drink made
from sugar cane and the mũratina fruit.
The Kikuyu had a systematic method of family planning. A father would only
have another child with his wife, after her youngest child was at an age
where the mother could send them to look after the family’s herd of goats, a
practice called (gũthiĩ rũũru). Rũũru is a collection of goats and sheep or
commonly referred as herding
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. They have also moved to other parts of the country and the
world due to intermarriage, business opportunities, study, and generally
seeking better prospects in life. Those living in rural areas tend to
continue to practice farming.
In the Kikuyu land there is a very diverse history of how people lived. One
is the form of entertainment in those days. The Kikuyu young women and men
could travel to isolated areas for dance and feasting. Discipline however was
observed and no man was supposed to touch a lady sexually. The young men only
enjoyed the dance and they had the chance to mingle with the beautiful young
ladies who would eventually become their suitors. Many of the songs they used
to dance to are being revived in modern bars and clubs.
The common dances were Nguchu, Nduumo, MÅ©goiyo, GÄ©chukia and ndachi ya irua
(circumcisional dance). The grandmothers had a critical role of checking if
any man unwound the inner garment of the young ladies. This garment was
called mũthuru. The grandmothers (macũcũ), tied it safely to protect any
promiscuity in young women. Women who engaged in sex before marriage,
affairs, or got pregnant could only be married as a second wife and were
commonly referred to as ‘Gĩchokio’. Therefore the Kikuyu customs valued the
chastity of unmarried women and protected young women against abuse. It also
ensured some form of entertainment was prepared and young people carried
forward the practices from generation to generation.
The Kikuyu are Bantu and actually came into Kenya during the Bantu
migration. They include some families from all the surrounding people and can
be identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka. The Kikuyu
tribe was originally founded by a man named Gikuyu. Kikuyu history says that
the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to
stay and build his home there. He was also given his wife, Mumbi. Together,
Mumbi and Gikuyu had nine daughters. There was actually a tenth daughter but
the Kikuyu considered it to be bad luck to say the number ten. When counting
they used to say “full nine†instead of ten. It was from the nine daughters
that the nine (occasionally a tenth) Kikuyu clans -Achera, Agachiku, Airimu,
Ambui, Angare, Anjiru, Angui, Aithaga, and Aitherandu- were formed.
Traditionally the Kikuyu are farmers. The Kikuyu homelands, in the foothills
of Mount Kenya, are still some of the most intensively farmed areas of the
country.
Language
Kikuyu speak Kikuyu, a Bantu language, as their native tongue. Additionally,
many speak Swahili and English as well, the national and official languages
of Kenya respectively. The Kikuyu are closely related to the Embu, Mbeere,
Kamba and Meru people who also live around Mt. Kenya. The Kikuyu from the
greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri districts are
closely related to the Maasai due to intermarriage prior to colonization, The
Kikuyu between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to Kamba people, who
speak a language almost the same as Kikuyu, being geographical neighbours.
Hence the sub-tribes that retain much of the original Kikuyu heritage reside
around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. The Kikuyu from Murang'a
district are considered to be more pure, believed to be the cradle of the
Kikuyu people.
Legends
A religious Kikuyu prophet called Cege wa Kibiru or Mugo wa Kĩbirũ
prophesied about the coming of the Europeans long before they arrived at the
Coast. It was said that there would come people from a different land, having
the colour of kiũũra kya marigũ-ini "frog of the banana plantation". This
depicts something close to the native white color. He also predicted the
arrival of aeroplanes, "like butterflies in the sky".
Two of the other memorable men in the Kikuyu history were Wang’ombe wa
Ihũũra and Wamũgumo. Wang’ombe wa Ihũũra killed a man-eating leopard with his
bare hands. Wamũgumo could sink 3/4 of a traditional hunting spear to the
bare earth. He was a giant sized man whose size and eating habits were
legendary. Waiyaki wa Hinga was another Kikuyu paramount chief, who was
credited as among the first to resist the entrechment of the White settlers
in the Kikuyu land. When confronting one white settler in the settler's tent,
Waiyaki's sword got caught in the tent's roof as he raised it to strike. He
was quickly overpowered, severely beaten, and buried alive in Kismayu.
Origins of kikuyu.
Although uncertain, ethnologists believe the Kikuyu came to Kenya from
Central Africa together with the other Bantu groups. On reaching present
Tanzania, they moved east past Mount Kilimanjaro and into Kenya, finally
settling around Mount Kenya, while the rest of the group continued migrating
to Southern Africa. They were originally hunter-gatherers but unlike the
Nilotic tribes who were pastoralists, they began farming the very fertile
volcanic land around Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan highlands.
However, Kikuyu legends have it that in the beginning, a man called Gikuyu
and his wife called Mireia (Mumbi) were placed on Mũkũrwe wa Nyagathanga in
present day Murang'a District by God, Mwene Nyaga or Ngai. It was said that
they were placed near the Mugumo or Fig tree upon the slopes of the mountain.
They gave birth to Nine daughters named, Wanjiku, Wanjirũ, Wangeci, Wambũi,
Wangari, Wacera, Waithera, Wairimũ and Wangũi. It so happened that when they
were grown up, they met nine young men from a distant land, (ostensibly
Maasai, with whom Kikuyu's have a long standing love-hate relationship) who
married the girls and from whom the Kikuyu nation arose. A popular myth
claims that when Kikuyu's daughters came of marrying age, Kikuyu prayed to
Mwene Nyaga to provide husbands for their daughters whom he duly provided by
a fig tree.
Family Life
The Kikuyu man is referred to as a mũthuuri (meaning someone who can choose
or discern evil from good) and the Kikuyu woman is called a mũtumia (meaning
someone who retains family secrets and practices). Traditionally, Kikuyu
society is polygamous so that means any man could have as many wives as he
could afford.
The family lived in a homestead with several huts for different family
members. These huts were constructed so that during the cold season the
interior would be very warm while in hot season the hut would be cool. The
husband’s hut was called ‘thingira’, and that was where the husband would
call his children in for instruction on family norms and traditions and he
would also call his wives for serious family discussions. 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.
The husband would invite his age-mates of his riika (age group) to a horn
(rũhĩa) of traditional beer (njoohi) called mũratina; an alcoholic drink made
from sugar cane and the mũratina fruit.
The Kikuyu had a systematic method of family planning. A father would only
have another child with his wife, after her youngest child was at an age
where the mother could send them to look after the family’s herd of goats, a
practice called (gũthiĩ rũũru). Rũũru is a collection of goats and sheep or
commonly referred as herding
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. They have also moved to other parts of the country and the
world due to intermarriage, business opportunities, study, and generally
seeking better prospects in life. Those living in rural areas tend to
continue to practice farming.
In the Kikuyu land there is a very diverse history of how people lived. One
is the form of entertainment in those days. The Kikuyu young women and men
could travel to isolated areas for dance and feasting. Discipline however was
observed and no man was supposed to touch a lady sexually. The young men only
enjoyed the dance and they had the chance to mingle with the beautiful young
ladies who would eventually become their suitors. Many of the songs they used
to dance to are being revived in modern bars and clubs.
The common dances were Nguchu, Nduumo, MÅ©goiyo, GÄ©chukia and ndachi ya irua
(circumcisional dance). The grandmothers had a critical role of checking if
any man unwound the inner garment of the young ladies. This garment was
called mũthuru. The grandmothers (macũcũ), tied it safely to protect any
promiscuity in young women. Women who engaged in sex before marriage,
affairs, or got pregnant could only be married as a second wife and were
commonly referred to as ‘Gĩchokio’. Therefore the Kikuyu customs valued the
chastity of unmarried women and protected young women against abuse. It also
ensured some form of entertainment was prepared and young people carried
forward the practices from generation to generation.
The Kikuyu are Bantu and actually came into Kenya during the Bantu
migration. They include some families from all the surrounding people and can
be identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka. The Kikuyu
tribe was originally founded by a man named Gikuyu. Kikuyu history says that
the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to
stay and build his home there. He was also given his wife, Mumbi. Together,
Mumbi and Gikuyu had nine daughters. There was actually a tenth daughter but
the Kikuyu considered it to be bad luck to say the number ten. When counting
they used to say “full nine†instead of ten. It was from the nine daughters
that the nine (occasionally a tenth) Kikuyu clans -Achera, Agachiku, Airimu,
Ambui, Angare, Anjiru, Angui, Aithaga, and Aitherandu- were formed.
Traditionally the Kikuyu are farmers. The Kikuyu homelands, in the foothills
of Mount Kenya, are still some of the most intensively farmed areas of the
country.
Language
Kikuyu speak Kikuyu, a Bantu language, as their native tongue. Additionally,
many speak Swahili and English as well, the national and official languages
of Kenya respectively. The Kikuyu are closely related to the Embu, Mbeere,
Kamba and Meru people who also live around Mt. Kenya. The Kikuyu from the
greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri districts are
closely related to the Maasai due to intermarriage prior to colonization, The
Kikuyu between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to Kamba people, who
speak a language almost the same as Kikuyu, being geographical neighbours.
Hence the sub-tribes that retain much of the original Kikuyu heritage reside
around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. The Kikuyu from Murang'a
district are considered to be more pure, believed to be the cradle of the
Kikuyu people.
Legends
A religious Kikuyu prophet called Cege wa Kibiru or Mugo wa Kĩbirũ
prophesied about the coming of the Europeans long before they arrived at the
Coast. It was said that there would come people from a different land, having
the colour of kiũũra kya marigũ-ini "frog of the banana plantation". This
depicts something close to the native white color. He also predicted the
arrival of aeroplanes, "like butterflies in the sky".
Two of the other memorable men in the Kikuyu history were Wang’ombe wa
Ihũũra and Wamũgumo. Wang’ombe wa Ihũũra killed a man-eating leopard with his
bare hands. Wamũgumo could sink 3/4 of a traditional hunting spear to the
bare earth. He was a giant sized man whose size and eating habits were
legendary. Waiyaki wa Hinga was another Kikuyu paramount chief, who was
credited as among the first to resist the entrechment of the White settlers
in the Kikuyu land. When confronting one white settler in the settler's tent,
Waiyaki's sword got caught in the tent's roof as he raised it to strike. He
was quickly overpowered, severely beaten, and buried alive in KismayuOrigins
of kikuyu.
Although uncertain, ethnologists believe the Kikuyu came to Kenya from
Central Africa together with the other Bantu groups. On reaching present
Tanzania, they moved east past Mount Kilimanjaro and into Kenya, finally
settling around Mount Kenya, while the rest of the group continued migrating
to Southern Africa. They were originally hunter-gatherers but unlike the
Nilotic tribes who were pastoralists, they began farming the very fertile
volcanic land around Mt. Kenya and the Kenyan highlands.
However, Kikuyu legends have it that in the beginning, a man called Gikuyu
and his wife called Mireia (Mumbi) were placed on Mũkũrwe wa Nyagathanga in
present day Murang'a District by God, Mwene Nyaga or Ngai. It was said that
they were placed near the Mugumo or Fig tree upon the slopes of the mountain.
They gave birth to Nine daughters named, Wanjiku, Wanjirũ, Wangeci, Wambũi,
Wangari, Wacera, Waithera, Wairimũ and Wangũi. It so happened that when they
were grown up, they met nine young men from a distant land, (ostensibly
Maasai, with whom Kikuyu's have a long standing love-hate relationship) who
married the girls and from whom the Kikuyu nation arose. A popular myth
claims that when Kikuyu's daughters came of marrying age, Kikuyu prayed to
Mwene Nyaga to provide husbands for their daughters whom he duly provided by
a fig tree.
Family Life
The Kikuyu man is referred to as a mũthuuri (meaning someone who can choose
or discern evil from good) and the Kikuyu woman is called a mũtumia (meaning
someone who retains family secrets and practices). Traditionally, Kikuyu
society is polygamous so that means any man could have as many wives as he
could afford.
The family lived in a homestead with several huts for different family
members. These huts were constructed so that during the cold season the
interior would be very warm while in hot season the hut would be cool. The
husband’s hut was called ‘thingira’, and that was where the husband would
call his children in for instruction on family norms and traditions and he
would also call his wives for serious family discussions. 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.
The husband would invite his age-mates of his riika (age group) to a horn
(rũhĩa) of traditional beer (njoohi) called mũratina; an alcoholic drink made
from sugar cane and the mũratina fruit.
The Kikuyu had a systematic method of family planning. A father would only
have another child with his wife, after her youngest child was at an age
where the mother could send them to look after the family’s herd of goats, a
practice called (gũthiĩ rũũru). Rũũru is a collection of goats and sheep or
commonly referred as herding
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. They have also moved to other parts of the country and the
world due to intermarriage, business opportunities, study, and generally
seeking better prospects in life. Those living in rural areas tend to
continue to practice farming.
In the Kikuyu land there is a very diverse history of how people lived. One
is the form of entertainment in those days. The Kikuyu young women and men
could travel to isolated areas for dance and feasting. Discipline however was
observed and no man was supposed to touch a lady sexually. The young men only
enjoyed the dance and they had the chance to mingle with the beautiful young
ladies who would eventually become their suitors. Many of the songs they used
to dance to are being revived in modern bars and clubs.
The common dances were Nguchu, Nduumo, MÅ©goiyo, GÄ©chukia and ndachi ya irua
(circumcisional dance). The grandmothers had a critical role of checking if
any man unwound the inner garment of the young ladies. This garment was
called mũthuru. The grandmothers (macũcũ), tied it safely to protect any
promiscuity in young women. Women who engaged in sex before marriage,
affairs, or got pregnant could only be married as a second wife and were
commonly referred to as ‘Gĩchokio’. Therefore the Kikuyu customs valued the
chastity of unmarried women and protected young women against abuse. It also
ensured some form of entertainment was prepared and young people carried
forward the practices from generation to generation.
The Kikuyu are Bantu and actually came into Kenya during the Bantu
migration. They include some families from all the surrounding people and can
be identified with the Kamba, the Meru, the Embu and the Chuka. The Kikuyu
tribe was originally founded by a man named Gikuyu. Kikuyu history says that
the Kikuyu God, Ngai, took Gikuyu to the top of Kirinyaga and told him to
stay and build his home there. He was also given his wife, Mumbi. Together,
Mumbi and Gikuyu had nine daughters. There was actually a tenth daughter but
the Kikuyu considered it to be bad luck to say the number ten. When counting
they used to say “full nine†instead of ten. It was from the nine daughters
that the nine (occasionally a tenth) Kikuyu clans -Achera, Agachiku, Airimu,
Ambui, Angare, Anjiru, Angui, Aithaga, and Aitherandu- were formed.
Traditionally the Kikuyu are farmers. The Kikuyu homelands, in the foothills
of Mount Kenya, are still some of the most intensively farmed areas of the
country.
Language
Kikuyu speak Kikuyu, a Bantu language, as their native tongue. Additionally,
many speak Swahili and English as well, the national and official languages
of Kenya respectively. The Kikuyu are closely related to the Embu, Mbeere,
Kamba and Meru people who also live around Mt. Kenya. The Kikuyu from the
greater Kiambu (commonly referred to as the Kabete) and Nyeri districts are
closely related to the Maasai due to intermarriage prior to colonization, The
Kikuyu between Thika and Mbeere are closely related to Kamba people, who
speak a language almost the same as Kikuyu, being geographical neighbours.
Hence the sub-tribes that retain much of the original Kikuyu heritage reside
around Kirinyaga and Murang'a regions of Kenya. The Kikuyu from Murang'a
district are considered to be more pure, believed to be the cradle of the
Kikuyu people.
Legends
A religious Kikuyu prophet called Cege wa Kibiru or Mugo wa Kĩbirũ
prophesied about the coming of the Europeans long before they arrived at the
Coast. It was said that there would come people from a different land, having
the colour of kiũũra kya marigũ-ini "frog of the banana plantation". This
depicts something close to the native white color. He also predicted the
arrival of aeroplanes, "like butterflies in the sky".
Two of the other memorable men in the Kikuyu history were Wang’ombe wa
Ihũũra and Wamũgumo. Wang’ombe wa Ihũũra killed a man-eating leopard with his
bare hands. Wamũgumo could sink 3/4 of a traditional hunting spear to the
bare earth. He was a giant sized man whose size and eating habits were
legendary. Waiyaki wa Hinga was another Kikuyu paramount chief, who was
credited as among the first to resist the entrechment of the White settlers
in the Kikuyu land. When confronting one white settler in the settler's tent,
Waiyaki's sword got caught in the tent's roof as he raised it to strike. He
was quickly overpowered, severely beaten, and buried alive in Kismayu.