Marriage in the kikuyu culture pdf

Details of the kikuyu people of kenya and their culture in. From the traditional music and cultures of kenya, a multimedia encyclopaedia dedicated to all kenyan tribes, including music and dance, history, culture, society, religion and beliefs, rituals and daily life, fables, legends, riddles and proverbs. Like most if not all kenyan communities, kikuyu traditional marriage dowry payment always precedes the wedding ceremony. They believe to be the descendants of gikuyu father and mumbi mother whose origin was in mukurwe wa nyagathanga meaning a certain treemukurwe, with a certain species of birdsnyagathanga. According to the kikuyu community is a result of many things. This study provides a qualitative examination of sex roles from the perspective of kikuyu women in rural maai mahiu, kenya. The kikuyu culture is a well known cultural group that is predominantly found in the central highlands of kenya. The kikuyu dowry is still negotiated in terms of cows, goats, and honey.

Marriage ceremonies no longer involve gikuyu religious rituals, which have given way to christian and islamic marriage practices. The thesis sets out the rationales for womantowoman marriage and expounds on the nature of the african family and marriage customs in precolonial kenya. Shaw represents leakey as a fairminded colonial administrator. On the southern kikuyu before 1903, canadian journal of african studies, volume 23, issue 3, 1990, pp. Mar 19, 2018 the kikuyu traditional wedding, for instance, is one of a kind characterised by the kikuyu traditions such as dances, attires, and other traditional rituals. Kikuyu fashion and those circumcised masai fashion.

Firstly, the kikuyu community is one of the largest tribes in kenya. We always knew that we wanted to have a traditional wedding to pay homage to our culture and celebrate it with our friends. Firstly, it is accepted in the kikuyu community death is gods will since he is the creator and live force to human beings. Kikuyus believed it was their traditional god who started the kikuyu tribe by putting on earth a man and woman named kikuyu and mumbi. In the olden days, any women whon was returned lived with the stench of being a divorced man. In every gikuyu traditional homestead, the womans house, nyumba, belonged to a specific married woman for no two married women shared a nyumba. Certification of kikuyu wedding kuheo certificate ya kuguraria immediately after cutting the shoulder the mc will then call upon the couple and give them the certificate which he will read out the number and announce that the girl has been married in a kikuyu traditional wedding and no man should dare joke with her.

The marriage, however, would be valid if the person concerned, despite the fear, decided in fact to accept the marriage and so gives true personal marital consent. These books are either available for free in the public domain, libraries or on sale in bookshops and ecommerce websites like amazon. Comprehensive marriage law enacted global legal monitor. Marry women from these clans at your own risk eve woman. Kareithifinala historicallegal analysis of womantowoman. The kikuyu live on the highlands in the mount kenya region, just like the meru, chuka and embumbeere who share with them similar culture and way of life. Kikuyu dowry payment procedure, ruracio venas news. The kikuyu are the largest community in kenya, and have always played a central role in the in cuisine, music, marriage and everyday family life. The kikuyu believe in child bearing for married couples. Agikuyu can also be a shortened form of muugi wise kuri. An argument for the continued validity of womantowoman.

Marriages among kikuyu clans had few restriction, but men were warned against fetching wives from the ethaga also called the ambura clan, one of the nine agikuyu clans. The wife and the husband will change to the kikuyu traditional attire and the master of ceremony for cutting the shoulder might also change or not depending on. Once the price has been determined, it is now converted into cash. Farmers, the kikuyu live on family farms, growing millet, sorghum, beans, peas and sweet potatoes.

Anyone who learns the lessons they give will acquire the wisdom they contain. Over the centuries, they consolidated their power by trading portions of their harvests to the huntergatherers for land, as well as through inter marriage. Culture embodies their philosophy, worldview, behavior patterns, arts, and institutions. There is a vigorous kikuyu recording industry, for both popular and gospel music, in their pentatonic scale and western music styles. Communities such as the kamba, kisii, nandi, kikuyu and kuria practise woman towoman marriages for a variety of reasons. Customarily, marriage proceedings often began with the man proposing to the woman. There is a vigorous kikuyu recording industry, for both secular and gospel music, in their pentatonic scale and western music styles such as mathwiti maigi ngai. Kareithifinala historicallegal analysis of womanto.

There are, too, many kikuyu parents, especially among the genuine. This is evidenced in the food, language, and marriage rituals among others. This is the order followed by dozens of british ethnographies in the interwar period. Divorce is very rare with the kikuyu s in spite of all the problems that women endure. The kikuyu traditional wedding, for instance, is one of a kind characterised by the kikuyu traditions such as dances, attires, and other traditional rituals.

My kikuyu kenyan wedding african wedding traditions. Kikuyu to settle amongst them on the grounds that all of the agrarian communities of the kenyan highlands were members of the same tribe. The kikuyu are the largest tribe in the highlands, and tend to dominate the nations politics. For me and my husband, the process began long before the actual day of the wedding.

This is because culture is a reality and so the churches cannot ignore it while at the same time they seek. Within a marriage, it is traditionally expected that women obey and respect their. The three major things you must do traditionally before marrying a kikuyu girl. Husband unties the lessos and then matches with her forward to the high table with a lot of jubilation ngemi from the crowd. This was probably the case with many european arranged marriages of the past and with the great majority of traditional arranged african marriages. The attitudes of kikuyu women toward polygyny are varied. Gikuyu is derived from the word mukuyu which means sycamore fig mukuyu tree. Because of the scarcity of literature on sex roles within kikuyu tribe, the first goal of the study. Bottignole, kikuyu traditional culture and christianity. Kikuyu cinema and film production are a very recent phenomenon among the agikuyu. The kikuyu ethnic group is a bantuspeaking people forming the largest group in kenya. Nov 14, 2014 the shoulder kiande has symbolic value in kikuyu marriage. Feb 28, 2019 firstly, the kikuyu community is one of the largest tribes in kenya.

Woman to woman marriages are covered under section 9 of the law of succession act47 at they are mainly conducted for the sole purpose of getting a heir to inherit the property of the widowed female husband who,48 as a requirement for the validity of this marriage, is usually childless. This thahu applies to both sections of the tribe, viz. A histoey of the kxiotyej to 1904 godfrey muriuki thesis. When discussing marriage customs among the kikuyu people, does one depict practices followed at the turn of the twentieth century, describe a service in the local presbyterian church, or. Using politeness theory, the paper is significant in that its findings is of great importance to parents, teachers, court interpreters, media practitioners, counselors and sex educators using kikuyu language. In the olden days, any women whon was returned lived with the stench of being a.

Kikuyu to settle amongst them on the grounds that all of the agrarian. If she agrees, he then sets a meeting with elders of his tribe. The changing value of children among the kikuyu of central. The decisions were usually reached by the oldest males. Education is held very highly in kikuyu culture, and it is. We applied this question to the kamba and kikuyu ethnic groups of kenya. Kikuyus traditionally worshipped a single god, ngai, who was known as the provider and lived at the top of the mountain. In a kyuk marriage ceremony at the brides home the groom symbolically cut the kiande to symbolize that he has married kuhikania kuma mucii from that home and the fact that he has been give one and a knife to cut it means that he has been accepted by the brides family. When i got married a few years ago, i had a traditional kenyan wedding in the kikuyu tradition. The historians have it the gikuyu family came from west africa, congo basin, along with other bantus such as kamba, embu, meru and mbeere settling in the cen. Each volume then proceeds to examine the various aspects of culture and customs. Kikuyu yaden africa african clothing african jewelry. The kikuyu wedding traditions included the following. A new cultural centre devoted to the kikuyu, kenyas largest offers a unique experience of this tradition rich culture existing in a modern world.

The books in this series intend to capture the comprehensiveness. It was believed that using ten would give an individual bad luck. Marriage continues to be a significant social marker of adulthood despite a shifting demographic reality. The alternative name nyumba ya mumbi translates to house of the potter or creator. In africa, in a polygamous marriage the husband had his own hut. Khadiagala introduction widespread variations in geography, socioeconomic structures, and culture. Kenya in every gikuyu traditional homestead, the womans house, nyumba, belonged to a specific married woman for no two married women shared a nyumba. A critical feminist lens was used to understand and gently challenge issues of stagnancy related to sex roles and expectations for men and women. Clearly the rate of polygyny in kikuyu society is lower than other ethnic groups in kenya. Each ethnic group in kenya has deep routed traditions that are followed during marriage and most remain relevant to date. Kumenya mucii this primarily means to get to know the home of the bride in a maximum of two lowkey visits. In a polygamous homestead the number of nyumba corresponded to the number of wives unless the widowed mother of the man was also housed in the homestead. Three things you must do before marrying a kikuyu girl. In fact, this rite made the marriage so final that even if the woman got a child from another man, the husband had to take care.

Contrasting the use of kamba and kikuyu kinship terms by deaf. Khadiagala introduction widespread variations in geography, socioeconomic structures, and culture, cannot. At the center of marriage rituals is the paying of dowry, or bride price. Pdf this article analyses trends in early marriage in turkey over a period of 30 years from 1978 to 2008, and factors associated with early marriage. Here is what you need to know about the foods, rites, process and much more. Women had a council but dealt with domestic concerns and matters of the farms. There are specific terms used in the agikuyu marriage ceremonies. Pdf gendered identities in gikuyu marriage negotiation. This makes polygamous marriages customary and islamic marriages and monogamous marriages christian, hindu, and civil marriages equally valid if registered under the provisions of the legislation. Re marriage is even more rare even agter the death of one spouse. Each volume in the series focuses on a single country, and the format is uniform.

However, before you get to the big day, there are procedures that must be followed in kikuyu tradition. The couple had nine daughters who later married and brought the kikuyu tribe to life. For example, when talking about their tradition god, ngai, he was said to have ten daughters, but since ten was forbidden, it was referred to as ninefull daughters. The kikuyu are found in kenya and live mainly around mt. The foods served in a kikuyu traditional wedding vary from one family to another. The changing value of children among the kikuyu of central province, kenya.

Kuhanda ithigi this means that the involved parties will have to plant the branch of a tree. The term kikuyu is derived from the swahili form of the word gikuyu. Many tribes in kenya give high value to coming of age rituals which are mostly signified by circumcision. Young men today are having a hard time because there are no rules and some people have become very greedy. After she agrees to be married, a series of events will follow. Pdf gendered identities in gikuyu marriage negotiation discursive domain. Apr, 2020 traditional kikuyu betrothal and marriage. Details of the kikuyu people of kenya and their culture in africa. Pdf analysis of language used in gikuyu marriage negotiation. Jul 04, 2014 posts about kikuyu sexual practices written by mukuyu.

There are still some traditional beliefs and customs widely practiced by the kikuyu today. Age grades traditionally there was a circumcision ceremony for boys and girls by age grades of about fiveyear periods. While a monogamous marriage cannot be converted into a polygamous marriage, a polygamous form of. Taboo may also bring death for example in kikuyu community there are many taboos where if anyone doesnt adhere to them may result to death. An account of kikuyu betrothal and marriage kikuyuland. And in the olden days, livestock was paid as bride price. Culture of kenya history, people, clothing, traditions. Polygynous families in the gishiru village represented 5 out of 60 households, and the. Kikuyu is shown to have emanated from the kamba and coastal traders with disastrous results to.

The photos show that despite the wholesale culture shock that the kikuyu have undergone over the last century, some aspects of the old ways remain, so much so that in times of real need such as the 1997 drought some kikuyu still fall back on prechristian traditions, and will ask for help from the old god and the ancestors if the christian. Pdf this paper which focuses on language use within the formal discursive process of negotiating and legalising marriage in the domain of ruracio or. They occupy the central part of kenya in central province. Today, music and dance are strong components of kikuyu culture. The leading wife of the chief munge was asked, what i should tell the white women on my return to england about the women of kikuyu. The kikuyu had no king or chief, but rather a collective effort made by the people in order to make a decision.

Kikuyu tribe, people, language, culture and traditions. Kikuyu culture is the kikuyu tribes way of life, the largest ethnic group of the kenya people. Marriage is one of the happiest times in a community. Kenya is famous for its 42 cultures, but other than the nomadic maasai and samburu, not many of these are widely known to the outside world. Kikuyu sexual practices gikuyu centre for cultural studies. In the olden days, tribes such as the kikuyu, meru, masai and samburu circumcised both boys and girls. Jan 17, 2020 below is a list of recommended books on kikuyu peoples way of life, history, and culture both in the past and present. The great traditional gikuyu initiation ceremonies, mambura, that ushered a new generation of youth into adulthood ready for marriage involved many processes of which the circumcision of the genital organs is the most famous. Music and dance are strong components of kikuyu culture.