Celebrating our shared past, present, and future
Dating back centuries, the stories and traditions of the peoples of Kenya are some of the most fascinating in the world. They have enriched the country through social, economic, political and cultural activities, each with their own unique stories. Today, 44 communities are officially recognized by the government, and are classified into three linguistic groups: the Bantu, the Nilotic and the Cushitic speakers. The National Museums of Kenya holds objects telling the stories of the communities, which represents the country's ethnic diversity and vibrant culture. In as much as some of these cultural practices are still embraced today, visitors, traders and missionaries who visited East Africa as from the 18th century, and formal education, have gradually influenced the culture and religion of the people of Kenya today.
This exhibit celebrates the country’s rich heritage through the Kamba community.
A look into the history and culture of the Kamba community
The Kamba (also known as Akamba) belong to the Bantu community and lived in the eastern region in Kenya. They speak Kikamba language and are closely related in language and culture to the Kikuyu, Embu, Mbeere and Meru. The majority of the Kamba are found in Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui Counties, an area called Ukambani, while some are found in the coastal region. Some also live in Uganda, Tanzania and Paraguay. Among the best known Kamba people are chief Kivoi, Syonguu, Prophetess Syokimau, and Muindi Mbingu, among others.
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Migration and settlement
The Kamba are believed to have migrated from the Mount Kilimanjaro area, where they had settled about 1300 AD. From here they moved to Taita and the Mbooni hills between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Due to population pressures, some were forced to migrate and traveled through the plains to the coast, then up to the Tana river through Shimba hills to their current location.
Economic activities
During the pre-colonial period, the Kamba were long distance traders. Together with the Mijikenda and the Swahili, the Kamba traded ivory, slaves, gum copra, beads, honey, bee wax and skins with the Arabs along the coast. They organized weekly caravans that travelled to the coast, where they obtained goods such as beads, iron hoes, cotton cloth, red dyes and brass wires. They also traded with neighboring communities like the Kikuyu, Maasai and Embu. Later the Kamba adopted agriculture, growing food crops such as maize, millet, sorghum and cassava. The Kamba were also known for making and selling creative wood carvings and ornaments. They sold medicinal products known to them as ‘miti’, meaning herbs, obtained from different plant species. The Kamba were hunters, famed for their pursuit of elephant, as well as for their skills in arrow working and poison-making. Today hunting is prohibited in Kenya, and perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted in the court of law.
Digging Tool (1953)National Museums of Kenya
Farming cereal crops, vegetables, and fruits
This is an oval ended digging tool (mutuvu) with a blade. It was made by a Kamba blacksmith from scrap iron.
Previously, women used it to dig or weed their farms. Such tools are no longer in use today and have been replaced by modern farming tools like hoes and ploughs.
Branding ironNational Museums of Kenya
Branding cattle and beehives
This branding iron has a wooden haft. It was made by hitting the iron into the wooden haft when it was still red-hot.
The owner would have used it for branding his cows or beehive with his chosen special marks, so that they could be easily identified. The iron would be put in fire until it was red hot, and then pressed onto the animal skin or the beehive to imprint the desired mark.
The mark used on beehives would be quite different from the marks branded on cattle. The branding iron may also be used for burning sores on animals.
Honey barrelNational Museums of Kenya
The art of honey harvesting
This traditional honey barrel would commonly have been used for storing honey.
It is made of wood, has a cow hide lid and twisted fiber straps. To make it, a tree trunk was cut and made hollow using a tool called a muthatagwe, then the leather lid straps were added to facilitate carrying of honey.
Social structure
In the Kamba society, a family (Musyi) plays a central role in the community. Men would traditionally head the family and engage in the economic activities of the community. The women, on the other hand, would work on their piece of land, so as to supply meals to their families. Mothers had the role of raising children and taking care of their homes, and grandparents helped with less strenuous chores, such as rope-making and tanning leather. Initiation through circumcision was performed on both boys and girls. Initiated girls were taught domestic duties as well as how to raise a family, while initiated boys learned skills like herding, hunting and looking after the homestead.
Arrow headNational Museums of Kenya
Protecting the family
This arrow head was made from scrap metal and fitted on a stick by a blacksmith. It would have been used together with a bow to hunt, and also as a defensive weapon when attacked.
Pestle and MortarNational Museums of Kenya
Pounding grains
This is a pestle (Ndii) and a mortar (Mwithi) made by men. The mortar is made from wood of the ndii tree, and the pestle made from the mwithi tree. It was used by women to pound grains before cooking.
BasketNational Museums of Kenya
Baskets
This basket (nthungi/kyondo) was made by women and girls using strings rolled on the thigh from sisal or muamba (baobab) bark. The fiber was cut from the tree by young boys before weaving.
The basket has been patterned with strings dyed with red ochre and charcoal, and cowhide straps attached. It was used by women to carry vegetables, fruits, grains and flour from the farms (muunda) to the market.
Horn (Musical Instrument)National Museums of Kenya
Boys herding cattle
This is a horn (muvy'a) used as a musical instrument. It was blown by boys and young men when herding cattle and also as a warning of approaching enemies. Two signals were given for dangerous animals and one for human enemies.
Circumcision Knife (1966)National Museums of Kenya
Circumcision
This circumcision knife has one sharp side, and would have been used by a woman circumciser to circumcise girls.
The Kamba practiced circumcision for both boys and girls, which was the main initiation to adulthood. Circumcision was known as nzaiko, and the perfomer (usually an old man or woman) was called mwaiki.
The Kamba had two circumcision ceremonies: the first one called nzaiko nini was done when initiates were between 4 and 5 years old. The second one (nzaiko nene) was done at puberty, when the initiates were told the secrets of the community. Only circumcised men and women were allowed to marry and start a family.
Today circumcision of girls is illegal in Kenya, and communities are encouraged to use alternative initiation practices.
ArmbandNational Museums of Kenya
Kamba marriage
Kamba marriages were mostly arranged by the parents, but sometimes a man was allowed to choose the woman he wanted to marry. A man who was seeking a wife would choose a woman and ascertain that she was willing to marry him.
When the suitor had made his choice, his father would go to see her father. Should his father have died, a paternal relative took his place.
If the father of the woman agreed to the marriage, the mother of the man would visit mother of the woman to ensure that she was also satisfied.
Three goats (mbui sya ntheo) were then sent to the woman's father as a sign of commitment and one would be slaughtered. These goats would be sent with a leather halter or strap of cowhide, which would be sent back to the sender as a sign of consent. If the woman's father had changed his mind, the goats could be returned.
Payment of the bride wealth/ngasia was made according to the wealth of the suitor’s family and the terms of the agreement. Bride price (Theo) could never be said to be paid in full, because it was considered to last as long as the relationship. There were always one bull and two cows included in the bride price, and a certain number of goats. It was the number of goats that varied according to the agreement.
Nowadays, sheep or cash, or a proportion of each, may often take the place of goats. Other requirements include: leather rope (mukwa), a drum containing honey (kithembe kya uki wa nzuki), bananas, traditonal beer (muatine), among other items. Small presents to the mother of the bride and other close relatives are also customary at the time of the negotiations. After the bride wealth is paid, she is ceremoniously abducted to her husband’s home.
Political structure
The smallest political unit in the Kamba community was the homestead (musyi), whose authority was the father or male elders. Every homestead had a men's outdoor fireplace (thome), where elders met and discussed serious issues. Several homesteads made a village (utui), each with its own council of elders, judges and war leaders. Several villages (utui) made a district (kivalo), which had a common ground for ceremonies, age grade transition and recruitment. The Kivalo also settled disputes between villages. The most senior elders were the religious leaders (atumia ma ithembo), who were involved in the activities of the community.
Religion and spiritual beliefs
The Kamba believed in a monotheistic, invisible and transcendental God, Ngai or Mulungu, who lived in the sky (Yayayani or Ituni). The traditional Kamba perceived the spirits of their departed ones, the Aimu or Maimu, as the intercessors between themselves and Ngai Muumbi Mwatwangi/Mulungu. They were remembered in family rituals, offerings and libations at individual altars.
Witch Womans EquipmentNational Museums of Kenya
The Kamba creation story and folklore
Like other communities the Kamba also has their own traditional creation story. They believed that their god, Mulungu, created a man and woman and placed them on a rock, Nzaui, where their footprints, including those of their livestock, can be seen to this day.
Mulungu then caused a great rainfall. From the many anthills around, a man and a woman came out. These were the initiators of the ‘spirits clan’- the Aimo.
It so happened that the couple from heaven had only sons, while the couple from the anthill had only daughters. Naturally, the couple from heaven paid dowry for the daughters of the couple from the anthill. The family and their cattle greatly increased in numbers.
With this prosperity, they forgot to give thanks to their creator. Mulungu punished them with a great famine. This led to dispersal as the family scattered in search of food. Some became the Kikuyu, others the Meru, while some remained as the original people, the Kamba.
Medicine and magic
Medicine men and women played a great role in the Kamba community, and each village had its own medicine man or woman. They prophesied, took part in rain making and officiated religious functions. Illnesses were believed to be sent by spirits who were angry with the living, by black magic from some evil-disposed person, or contracted in a natural way, which was regarded as the least usual. The medicine man through divination would ascertain the cause of the illness and give the right prescription. In case he was not able to, he could call an expert to cure that particular kind of illness.
Syokimau: The Oracle (Kamba community) (2019) by Shujaa StoriesNational Museums of Kenya
Syokimau: the powerful prophetess of the Kamba
Long before the coming of the white man, possession of supernatural powers was greatly revered by Kenyan tribes. Among these tribes, only a few individuals could rival Syokimau of the Kamba in prophetic powers.
Syokimau was born and raised in Iveti Hills, near what is now Machakos, in the 1800s. Besides being a prophetess, she was a great medicine woman. Her people held her in high regard because it is claimed that she could predict if other communities such as the Maasai and the Kikuyu would attack, giving Kamba warriors enough time to prepare to defend themselves.
ApronNational Museums of Kenya
She is said to be the greatest Kamba prophetess that ever lived because she prophesied the coming of the White men, and the building of the railway line, with unmatched accuracy.
In her prophecy she saw a long snake spitting fire and smoke as it moved from one water to another. People came out of it, their skin like white meat and their words nonsensical like the chirping of the birds. In their pockets, she said, they carried fire with them, everywhere they went.
Foretold somewhere in the mid-1800s, her prophesy about the coming of the White men was probably before all the prophets that followed in later years. She also foretold the coming of a generation that would behave in strange ways. This generation would talk like weaverbirds, claim to be wiser, and break traditions. They would do things that were considered taboos. Surprisingly, they would even build houses on top of one another!
In the 20th century, her prophesy did come to pass. The long snake that spit fire and smoke was the Kenya-Uganda railway line, which began at the coast in Mombasa near the Indian Ocean. The railway snaked across the land to the then Port Florence (now Kisumu), home of the Lake Victoria. The strange people with skin like white meat were the White people, the colonialists, and their so-called nonsensical words were the English language. The strange generation that was prophesied is our generation. We have, after all, built houses on top of other houses – all the skyscrapers we now see.
Syokimau died in mysterious circumstances that even her people could not explain. Her tribesmen claimed that she died and was resurrected twice, before dying for good the third time.
It was later said that Syonguu wa Kathukya, another prophetess from Athi River, was so amazed at her prophesy that she named the place that is now called Syokimau after her. There is a statue of Syokimau at the new Syokimau Standard Gauge Railway station to celebrate this great Kamba prophetess and medicine woman.
Gourd Cup (1950)National Museums of Kenya
A healing gourd cup
This calabash (kwausia) was made and used by a medicine man. It was tied to a medicine man's bag with a rope.
A patient would drink medication from this calabash after it had been swilled around him/her. This medicine/charm was also used to treat women having difficulties with childbirth.
RootNational Museums of Kenya
Snake antidote
This root from the ndonga tree was used by Kamba people as an antidote for snake bites.
BagNational Museums of Kenya
A charm for protection
This is a bag made from a male goat skin, a serval cat tail, a pointed piece of wood with a hole in it, and a cord made from the muthaalwatree. It was made by a specialist, and used by old married men as a charm to protect their homestead and livestock.
Arm Band (1940)National Museums of Kenya
Kilumi: the Kamba spiritual dance
In the Kamba's worship of spirits, dancing was an important feature, whether it was to heal someone possessed with a troublesome spirit, or to voluntarily get into communication with the spirit-world, to ask the spirits about something one wanted to know.
Kilume was a spiritual dance, performed by the medicine man/woman. It was believed that the dance appeased the spirits, causing the troublesome spirit to leave. Musical instruments used during the dance included the drum, and beaded necklaces with aluminium bells to create rhythm.
Recreation
Music was also used during leisure time. This flute is made from Muangi (swamp) reed and was played by men as a form of entertainment. It consists of three carefully crafted holes, easily shaped to help direct the passage of air to produce sound.
Brewing equipmentNational Museums of Kenya
Beer: an old-man's drink
This is a piece of kigelia fruit, used in making beer (uki).
In Kamba tradition, beer was only taken by old men during ceremonies and leisure time. The traditional beer was made from sugar-cane juice, mwatine fruits and honey. The brewing process took a couple of days to ferment and be ready to drink.
Snuff containerNational Museums of Kenya
Snuff
This is a snuff container with a wooden stopper. It has a cross hatched design scratched in squares and lines of triangles. It was used by both old men and women for holding snuff.
Snuff is made from tobacco (kumbatu) leaves. The leaves are fermented, dried and ground before use. Snuff was used by old Kamba men and women for leisure.
Celebrating Kenya's communities today
Many of the cultural practices of the Kamba are still embraced today, but have been influenced by the changes in society. The heritage and culture of the Kamba community, along with the more than 44 communities in Kenya, continues to fascinate and inspire. The National Museums of Kenya invites everyone to celebrate the intangible cultural heritage of all communities which makes up this great nation.
Learn more about the National Museums of Kenya by visiting our website.
Exhibit Curator: Philemon Nyamanga, Cultural Heritage Department. philenyamanga@gmail.com
Photography and Creative Direction: Gibson Maina and Muturi Kanini. Gibs Photography
Exhibit Layout: Agnes Mbaika Kisyanga, Barnabas Ngei and Hazel Sanaipei.
