![]() These trees served as places of worship and sacrifice and marked the spot at Mũkũrũe wa Gathanga where Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi – the ancestors of the Gĩkũyũ in the oral legend – first settled. Ngai cannot be seen but is manifested in the sun, moon, stars, comets and meteors, thunder and lightning, rain, rainbows, and in the great fig trees (Mugumo). He created the first Gĩkũyũ communities, and provided them with all the resources necessary for life: land, rain, plants, and animals. Ngai or Mwene-Nyaga is the Supreme Creator and giver of all things. ![]() The olive tree (Mũtamaiyũ) was a sacred tree for women. 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 title Mwathani or Mwathi (the greatest ruler) comes from the word gwatha meaning to rule or reign with authority, was and is still used. Ngai was also known as Mũrungu by the Meru and Embu tribes, or Mũlungu (a variant of a word referring to the Creator). All of the Gĩkũyũ, Embu, and Kamba use this name. The Gĩkũyũ were – and still are – monotheists believing in an omnipotent Creator whom they refer to as Ngai. Spirituality and religion Ngai – The Supreme Creator The overall council of elders representing all the clans was then led by a headman or the nation's spokesman. Each clan then forwarded the leader of its council to the apex council of elders for the whole community. However, in either case, real political power was exercised by the ruling council of elders for each clan. Some clans had a recognised leader, others did not. The clans were not restricted to any particular geographical area, they lived side by side. Each clan traced its lineage to a single female ancestor and a daughter of Mumbi. The Agĩkũyũ nation was divided into nine clans. The Agĩkũyũ had a great sense of justice ( kĩhooto). 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. Economically, the Agĩkũyũ were great farmers and shrewd businesspeople. 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. The Arabs who tried to venture into Agĩkũyũ land met instant death. ![]() Slavery as an institution did not exist amongst the Agĩkũyũ, nor did they make raids for the capture of slaves. Before the arrival of the British, Arabs involved in slave trading and their caravans passed at the southern edges of the Agĩkũyũ nation. Before 1888 The nation and its pursuits īefore the establishment of East Africa Protectorate in 1895, the Agĩkũyũ preserved geographic and political power from almost all external influence for many generations they had never been subdued. The Agikuyu established themselves in their current homeland of Mt. By the 6th century, there was a community of Agikuyu newly established at Gatung'ang'a in Nyeri. Kenya dates to around the 3rd century, as part of the larger group known as Thagicu. įrom archaeological evidence, their arrival at the northern side of Mt. Some authorities suggest that the Kikuyu arrived in their present Mount Kenya area of habitation from earlier settlements further to the north and east, while others argue that the Kikuyu, along with their closely related Eastern Bantu neighbors the Embu, Meru, Mbeere, and Kamba moved into Kenya from points further north. The exact place that the Northeast Bantu speakers migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. Geographically, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya. Their language is most closely related to that of the Embu and Mbeere. The Kikuyu belong to the Northeastern Bantu branch. Portrait of Kenosua by Gallen-Kallela, 1909–1910 Origin
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