The Tharaka Community of Kenya

Experience the Tharaka culture at Meru National Park

Today you can experience the Tharaka culture at the annual Ura-Gate Tharaka Cultural Festival. You can also visit Nairobi National Museum or Meru Museum for more information about their history.

The power of Kibuka

According to legend, Kibuka was the Tharaka’s spiritual leader – a medicine man, diviner and rain maker. He provided the Tharaka warriors with charms in wars to protect them from enemies during combat. His eldest son led the Tharaka battalions in every war. In several instances the son was killed, but was resurrected by the power of charms marked on his abdomen by his father.

The magic horn and Kibuka's shrine

One time, a Tharaka traitor revealed to the enemy the power of the charm on the son’s abdomen. When the enemy killed him, they gouged out the charm from the abdomen, killing him completely. The charm was a magic horn (rugoci).

The murder of his son enraged Kibuka so greatly that he cursed the Tharaka and left his residence, a shrine. The shrine is said to be near Kibuka Primary School in Tunyai, Tharaka County.

The council of elders

The council of elders (kiama) was the judicial authority of the community. They were responsible for ensuring law and order, decision-making, religion, and administration.

Witchcraft

The Tharaka also believed in the power of the witch doctor. They were considered elite and believed to possess knowledge of medicines and spiritual matters. People would come to them to foretell the future, and for healing. They also had the power to cause misfortune to others, which only another witch could cure.

The primary apparatus of the witch doctors consisted of a series of gourds/calabashes, roots, barks and leaves, cow horns, charm ornaments, totems of snail and sea shells and, the most common, the fly whisk.

Circumcision: the pathway to marriage and adulthood

Among the Tharaka, circumcision was an important event in every young person's life. Boys and girls were circumcised at the onset of puberty. They were circumcised and categorized according to seasons. Boys circumcised in the same season were considered “muntu wa nthuke yeetu” (a fellow initiate of the same season).

From boy to warrior

This shield was used during the circumcision ceremony. After the boys had been circumcised, they would be deemed ready for war and marriage.

Marriage and courtship

Marriage was an important and long ceremonious process for the Tharaka. A young man who wished to marry informed his parents, who would then take honey beer (uki bwa kuromba mwariki) to the girl’s parents to express their interest. If the girl’s parents accepted the beer, then the courtship and engagement process began.

Traditionally, a bride was required to be a virgin and stay in the mother-in-law's hut for at least four months of the engagement period before moving in with the groom. The purpose of this was to find out if the girl was of sound moral standing by observing her.

The price of the bride

Traditionally the Tharaka were polygamous. The bride price constituted five cattle or sixty goats for the first wife; three cattle or thirty goats for the second wife. After the bride price has been calculated and paid to the bride’s father, the marriage was celebrated with a feast at the husband’s home.

The bride would wear a triangular leather apron embroidered with cowrie shells and suspended from the neck, reaching the waist, during her wedding ceremony.

Nthuku worn by married women

Nthuku were armlets worn above the elbow by married women who have delivered their first born. A special man ('mutungi') would wind this around a woman's arm.

Cattle keeping

Gonia is a cowbell made by a local blacksmith. It was tied around a cow's neck when the herders go to graze. The sound it produced helped the Tharaka herders to track the location of the cattle when they went astray.

Farming

Murigi is a rake used in the fields. It was made from wood of the uthigira tree. The fork end was used to toss away brushwood while the hook on its end was used for pulling.

Bee keeping

Pogoro is a stick cut and used by men for hanging bee hives up on trees.

Mukanda wa baagu umuraya uta kujika (Your father has a long unfoldable rope).

Answer:

Ni njira (It's a pathway).