ModelNational Museums of Kenya
Meet the Kipsigis
The Kipsigis are a Kenyan community with a strong storytelling tradition. Their myths are usually delightfully told during beer-parties before an admiring audience, and often contain moral teachings.
LyreNational Museums of Kenya
Songs are accompanied with a four or five-stringed lute (kipugandet) and are usually sung by men, who praise the beauty and gallantries of love, the great deeds of Kipsigis warriors, the peace of the countryside and the beauties of their village.
ModelNational Museums of Kenya
Folklore: the origin of the Kipsigis people
One of the most prominent myths relates to the adventures of the Kipsigis when they left Tot, their place of origin. It is narrated often in the exact same fashion.
Earrings (1969)National Museums of Kenya
The Kalenjin were collectively known as Mnyoot before they separated. They traveled from Tot, their area of origin, and reached Kipsigis hill, where they settled for many years.
HeadbandNational Museums of Kenya
Three peoples were travelling from Tot around that time: the Nandi, the Elgeyo and the Kipsigis. When they arrived, they went to Saltlick of Sowe and separated. The Nandi reached Kapkeben, while the Kipsigis reached the Mountain of Kipsigis, and lived there for some years.
Milk Gourd (1982)National Museums of Kenya
One day the Kipsigis moved to Mosore. They stayed for a while, then later moved to Chelemey. They continued to the mountain of Pureti, and lived there for years before moving again to Suswot.
Milk Gourd (1982)National Museums of Kenya
Others joined them – the Maasai, the Kisii and the Luo. These communities were considered a threat, and enemies to the Kipsigis people, so the Kipsigis fought them and won. Eventually, they all moved away and took all their cattle. This was a great achievement for the Kipsigis.
Waist Belt (1950)National Museums of Kenya
This popular myth was told to every Kipsigis in the past, as part of the tribe’s history, in an attempt to explain the origin of the Kipsigis. Traditionally, folktales and riddles were combined with myths to provide young people with a strong sense of Kipsigis values.
Explore more
Learn about the communities of Kenya
