Pokomo Woman by Joy AdamsonNational Museums of Kenya
Meet the Pokomo
The Pokomo are a coastal Bantu community, who settled along the Tana River valley. Historically the Pokomo believed in a supernatural being, Mulungu (God), who was worshiped in sacred forests.
Pokomo Medicineman by Joy AdamsonNational Museums of Kenya
Traditional medicine
The spiritual leaders, Kijo, were consulted for guidance on religious matters. Within the Kijo there were two other groups – the 'Gangana' or healers, and the 'Chawi' or witches. Traditional Pokomo healers (or medicine men) used herbs to treat different kinds of diseases.
MedicineNational Museums of Kenya
These herbs were believed to treat any type of ache, pain and sores among other type of illness. This root, for example, would have been ground and eaten to treat stomach pains.
MedicineNational Museums of Kenya
These sticks from the "Mgoroo" tree would have been used by medicine men to treat anyone complaining of aches and pains. The sticks were burned against the aching part of the body.
Bleeding HornNational Museums of Kenya
Healing through bleeding
Made by men, a koba was the small tip of a cowhorn, cut and stopped up with beeswax (Naoma). It was used as a bleeding horn, and placed on an aching body part to relieve pain by drawing blood from it.
A cut would be made by a friend or a relative and the horn pressed there, then the wax would be removed and the air sucked out before the wax was replaced. The horn would now be stuck to the body part, and the blood was then drawn out.
It would be left on the ill body part for about ten minutes until it had filled with blood. The horn was then removed and the drawn blood poured on the ground.
Promotion medicineNational Museums of Kenya
Promotion medicine
Medicine men also provided medicines or charms for anyone seeking a higher position at work. For example, this gum from the muvunja hukumu tree would have been burned and ground into powder. The medicine man would provide a refund if the customer didn't get the promotion.
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