The Kikuyu Culture

601 Words3 Pages
The Kikuyu Culture The largest tribe in Kenya making up 22% of the country’s population is the Kikuyu culture. It is part of the Bantu’s that migrated from West Africa. Most Kikuyu’s are situated around Mt. Kenya. Biblical foundation Kikuyu culture:They believe that Ngai (Mogai or Mungai) is their Creator and giver of all things making them monotheists: believing in one God. They believe He created the first Gĩkũyũ communities, and provided them with all the resources they needed to live e.g land, rain, food etc. To them God is in the sun, moon, stars, comets and meteors, thunder and lightning, rain, in rainbows and in the great fig trees (mugumo). However, they believe that He has human characteristics, and that he comes to visit them on earth once in a while to bestow blessings and give out punishment. When He comes He rests on Mount Kenya. To them lightning is the weapon used by Him to clear the way when He is moving and thunder is the movement of God. They believe that God took the first man of the Gikuyu culture, Gikuyu, up the mountain to show him the land He was giving him. Nowdays, mostly have converted to Christianity from indigenous faiths. Culture and society Kikuyu culture: Traditional food: The typical traditional food for the Kikuyus include githeri which is maize and beans, mukimo which consists of mashed green peas and potatoes, irio consist of mashed dry beans, corn and potatoes, roasted meat (goat, beef, chicken) and cooked green vegetables such as collards, spinach and carrots. How they communicate: goals and shaping messages Kikuyu culture: The Kikuyu’s communicate using their own language known as the Kikuyu language which resembles the ancestor of Bantu language more than the other Bantu languages spoken today. It’s very similar to Arabic. They also communicated through: Literature: In the 19th centuries the Agikuyu literature was expressed in
Open Document