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Topic: Mijikenda

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Kiswahili

Bantu languages

Swahili

Music of Kenya

Kigali

	The Kaya Forests
		Along the southern coast of Kenya, the sacred kaya forests of the Mijikenda tribes are a living legacy of the people’s history, culture and religion.
		Fortunately, the kaya forests and the Mijikenda people are aided by a collaboration of government and nongovernmental agencies, which have recognized the threats to the forests and the importance of protecting them to ensure the future of their cultural and biological treasures.
		The kaya forests are the domain of the nine Mijikenda tribes: the Giriama, Digo, Duruma, Rabai, Kauma, Ribe, Jibana, Kambe, and Chonyi.
	www.sacredland.org /world_sites_pages/Kaya_Forests.html (1803 words)

	Giriama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Giriama, or Giriama, are one of the nine ethnic groups that make up the Mijikenda (which literally translates to "nine towns").
		The Mijikenda occupy the coastal strip extending from Lamu in the north to the Kenya/Tanzania border in the south, and approximately 30 km inland.
		The nine Mijikenda sub-"tribes" speak closely related dialects of the same Bantu language, which in turn is very similar to the more widely known Kiswahili.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Giriama (145 words)

	Profile of the Duruma People of Kenya
		The languages of the Mijikenda are close to the major Bantu language of the East African coast, Swahili.
		Until recently, the Duruma observed with other Mijikenda a practice of age-sets of four years in which generational circumcision was observed as an initiation into adulthood.
		To the south of Mombasa and inland, the Digo, another Mijikenda tribe (360,000), by contrast, are strongly Muslim.
	endor.hsutx.edu /~obiwan/profiles/duruma.html (865 words)

	Kenya Times Newspaper (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		The nine-homestead connotation implies the origin of the Mijikenda people is related to nine individual homes that had taken residence in the area.
		Mijikenda’s Kaya is acknowledgment that the universal God has a stake in the Mijikendas’ homesteads and that, if the Mijikenda people have to be respected, their Kaya must not only be respected but honoured and acknowledged as a holy place.
		But perhaps the mystery of the Fingos of the Mijikenda people from Shingwaya, has been instrumental in developing the Mijikenda culture of love for mysticism, or in the belief that the world is ruled and influenced much more by metaphysics than by the physical world.
	www.timesnews.co.ke /11apr06/insight/ins5.html (1924 words)

	The Constitution of Kenya Review Commission (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		The Mijikenda rapidly became the middlemen in the trade between the coast and the interior.
		Furthermore, new and bigger "tribes" such as the Abaluyia, the Kalenjin and the Mijikenda were invented during the colonial period by the Africans themselves to safeguard the interests and welfare of smaller units against possible domination by the larger groups.
		He focuses on the changing concepts of ethnicity and identity and gives an account of the continuing redefinition of being Swahili and the invention of Mijikenda identity in the 1930s as a dynamic response to the interventions of the colonial state and the perceptions of its local representatives.
	www.kenyaconstitution.org /docs/07d005.htm (4768 words)

	Kenya’s People - the Bantu - Traditional Music & Cultures of Kenya
		The coastal Bantu themselves - the 'nine tribes' of the Mijikenda, together with the Pokomo - are unanimous in that they came from a semi-mythical place called Shungwaya in the north, which is likely to have been in what is now Somalia.
		The system ensured the cohesion of society, as well as enabling the development of the warrior system, by which all the young men of a given society would, shortly after initiation to adulthood and their age-set, take up the role of defending the entire society.
		For the Mijikenda in the coastal hills, the situation was similar.
	www.bluegecko.org /kenya/contexts/bantu.htm (1191 words)

	Hampton U. Resists Demand to Return Statue
		A kigango is sculpted as part of a Mijikenda ritual memorializing the spirit of a male who has died, followed by a celebration.
		The Mijikenda believe the spirit of the dead would come back to haunt the family and the land if the kigango were not created.
		He said the Mijikenda told him vigango were priceless at one time, but as their culture changed, so did the importance of the vigango.
	www.blackcollegewire.org /news/060515_hampton-statue (1142 words)

	Music of Kenya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Performances are often competitive in nature and most often are divided by age and gender.
		The Mijikenda (literally "the nine tribes") are found on the coast of Tanzania, Kenya and Southern Somalia.
		A mixture of influences from Arabic, Indian and Mijikenda music.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Music_of_Kenya (1938 words)

	Seek Arab recognition first, elders tell Balala
		The Mijikenda Council of Elders yesterday told Mvita MP, Najib Balala, to seek recognition among the Arabs first.
		The council said it was meeting to discuss the initiation of Balala as a Mijikenda elder, last weekend in Kaloleni.
		But as the council of elders spoke, a controversial councillor from the Mijikenda, Khamisi Chitembe, threw his weight behind Balala and termed Mijikenda MPs as envious.
	www.eastandard.net /print/news.php?articleid=38816 (592 words)

	World Mission Centre \| Christian Mission Organization - mission centre, mission centres, mission centre south africa, ...
		According to Mijikenda legend, the war-like Oroma drove them to fortified villages on the hill tops during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
		More and more Mijikenda are taking up commercial farming to supply the demand of the hotel industry.
		Growing interest in the Mijikenda was the result of the rise of Zanzibar.
	www.worldmissioncentre.com /MIJIKENDA.html (399 words)

	UK Women's Studies Online Newsletter
		We have learned firsthand how the memorial statues that the Mijikenda people carve to honor their deceased (called vigango) are stolen, then bought cheaply by a single American dealer/collector, sold at great profit to wealthy art collectors in the West, and later donated to museums in the US.
		Hence, the theft of these carvings has a tremendous impact on their living descendants, who believe that through their removal and disturbance, they are offending the spirit of the ancestor they incarnate.
		Like Mijikenda memorial statues, such objects should be left to members of the cultures who made them, and to their ancestors.
	www.uky.edu /~mctoll0/ws/articleMonica.html (696 words)

	CoastExpress
		A major scuffle erupted at a Mijikenda shrine last weekend when elders disagreed over how to share money offered by a Kanu aspirant in exchange for traditional blessings to win the Kisauni seat.
		In the ensuing chaos, a local chief was arrested by police officers who desecrated the shrine by entering it with guns to calm down the combatants.
		Kaya Fungo is the traditional shrine where Mr Maitha was anointed as spokesperson of the Mijikenda.
	www.nationmedia.com /coastexpress/24092004/News/news240920043.htm (754 words)

	Daily Nation on the Web
		He has asked Mijikenda elders to organise talks between him and Bahari MP Joe Khamisi to iron out their political differences.
		But the Local Government minister also accused the Mijikenda of failing to protect him from his detractors, who, he claimed, were scheming his downfall.
		Displaying a horn and other paraphernalia symbolising he was the undisputed leader of the Mijikenda, Mr Maitha said the community had a duty to protect him as their leader.
	www.nationaudio.com /News/DailyNation/06102003/News/News0610200312.html (461 words)

	CoastExpress
		The minister, recently annointed as leader of the Mijikenda, denied the honour was linked to the fight for political supremacy at the Coast.
		Mr Maitha said he was invited by Mijikenda elders to be their leader and given the responsibility of speaking on behalf of Coast people.
		He said he was legitimately anointed according to Mijikenda customs, adding that those opposed to this were envious of his rising political star.
	www.nationaudio.com /News/CoastExpress/02052003/News/News250420034.htm (903 words)

	Earthwatch: Limbe Conference - Earthwatch Europe Institute
		The Mijikenda people use kaya forests as communal ceremonial areas, burial grounds and as places of prayer and also as sources of non-timber forest products such as fruits, medicinal herbs and lianas.
		Over time, the Mijikenda left the kayas and by the first half of the 19th century all kayas were abandoned as residential sites.
		The Mijikenda community need to be assisted to retain continued access to their traditional kaya forests and to have a say in the way kaya forests are managed and utilised in the future.
	www.earthwatch.org /site/pp.asp?c=crLQK3PHLsF&b=479907 (2034 words)

	Recovering stolen African tribal art (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		She also took a photo of Kalume Mwakiru standing proudly in front of his two vigango, sculpted from hard wood into a rough human form and adorned with strips of cloth.
		He noted in an e-mail message that the Mijikenda frequently relocated their homesteads in search of fertile land and left behind the statues, which he said showed "the limited temporal spiritual power and importance granted these figures by their creators."
		Similarly, Mitsanze said, most of the statues available for sale in shops were not handed over by their owners or abandoned, but instead were -- like his grandfather's statue -- pulled from the ground without authorization and offered for sale.
	sfgate.com /cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/23/MNGQ4IBRL61.DTL (1345 words)

	BuildaBridge International
		She was from Kaya Giriama--one of the nine tribes of the coast of Kenya--called Mijikenda in the late 1940's.
		The Mijikenda, as the tradition tells, migrated down from Singwaya following trouble with the Galla and Somali tribes.
		When the Mijikenda wanted to use a drum they were told that it was not good because the drums brought the "evil one" shetani.
	www.buildabridge.org /index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=135&Itemid=100 (3441 words)

	Mijikenda Bibliography - Traditional Music & Cultures of Kenya
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		If you can't see a map on the left of the screen, click here to access the rest of the site.
		Wolfe, E. Vigango: The Commemorative Sculpture of the Mijikenda of Kenya
	www.bluegecko.org /kenya/bibliography/mijikenda.htm (534 words)

	The Mijikenda Sacred Kaya Forests and groves - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
		Property names are listed in the language in wich they have been submitted by the State Party.
		The Kayas are regarded as sacred by the (9) local Mijikenda ethnic groups.
		According to traditions and myths, the forests historically sheltered small fortified villages of the various groups when they first appeared in the region three centuries or more ago pursued by enemies from the North ('Kaya' means homestead).
	whc.unesco.org /en/tentativelists/1370 (406 words)

	CoastExpress
		Yet their struggle to control the Mijikenda was not driven by the desire to serve the community but rather selfish motives.
		Something ought to be done quickly as the the custodians of the Mijikenda culture cannot be trusted any more.
		A word of caution should also be directed at individuals out to misuse the elders: Know that you are driving the culture and beliefs of the Mijikenda into disrepute.
	www.nationmedia.com /coastexpress/04032005/Comment/Mailbox1.htm (273 words)

	Jamie Swift - Directors - Nairobi, Kenya - Good News Productions, International (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		In October 1998, the Swifts moved to the coast of Kenya to work with the Mijikenda people.
		As mission coordinator for Mijikenda Mission, he became well versed in both their language and culture, was a church planter, and a leadership and community developer.
		While with Mijikenda Mission, Jaime had a very active and cooperative relationship with GNPI-Africa in Nairobi and was invited in 2002 to join its Board of Trustees.
	www.gnpi.org /kenya/directorJamieSwift.html (281 words)

	THE GIRIAMA AND THE KILIFI KAYAS PROJECT, Kilifi Tourist Information and Travel Guide at InfoHub.com
		In recent decades, as the Giriama section of the Mijikenda has expanded, Kilifi has become one of their most important towns.
		The Mijikenda peoples, and the Giriama especially, are known as great sorcerers and practitioners of witchcraft, and Kilifi is still the frequent scene of accusations that sometimes reach the press.
		Kilifi is also now the site of an office of the coastal project working to conserve the Mijikenda's sacred groves, or kayas (the other office is at Ukunda).
	www.infohub.com /destinations/Africa-&-Middle-East/Kenya/Kilifi/97537.htm (233 words)

	Media Alert: Anthropologists Decry Looting in Africa
		While there, they learned firsthand how the memorial statues that the Mijikenda people carved to honor their deceased are stolen, then bought cheaply by a single American dealer/collector, sold at great profit to wealthy art collectors and later donated to museums in the United States.
		Unlike the concern about archeological artifacts in Iraq, these four-to-nine foot sculptures are part of a living culture, the anthropologists say."The theft of these carvings has a large impact on living people who are 'losing' their ancestors" says Dr. Giles.
		"Ancestral spirits continue to play an important role for most Mijikenda and are believed to influence the activities of the living," the authors note.
	www.aaanet.org /press/ma_looting_africa.htm (534 words)

	Maitha’s death a big blow
		As the only NAK MP in Mombasa district, his death is likely to drastically change the equilibrium of Mombasa politics and is a major blow to NAK, who will be forced to look for a replacement to fight LDP.
		Significantly, he tried to lead a crusade against Coast people of Arab descent, for dominating all sectors of the economy, to the detriment of the Mijikenda.
		Again, he comes from the Pokomo tribe in Tana River district, while the Mijikenda would like to see one of their own replacing Maitha.
	www.newsfromafrica.org /newsfromafrica/articles/art_6890.html (793 words)

	The Gross Donation (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		Their contribution included simple carved stools, smoothed by wear, which had been used by men of the Mijikenda people in eastern Kenya.
		These are sometimes set up near Mijikenda communities in order to commemorate certain deceased individuals.
		Although some East African groups use masks, hand-carved stools and neckrests, along with containers, thumb pianos, beadwork, and other carefully crafted personal objects are more representative of the art of this region.
	www.sdmesa.sdccd.cc.ca.us /african-art/pages/history/history_gross.htm (149 words)

	egallery (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		The group referred to by Western Anthropologists as the MijiKenda are known for their carvings of anthropomorphic memorial posts, or Vigango (singular Kikango).
		The zig zag patterns carved in low relief on these sculptures are characteristic of the style of the MijiKenda.
		The sequences of carved triangles suggest various interpretations: the rib cage, the intertwining of ropes or snakes, and the snuff container and chain worn around the neck by some elders, all make up triangular patterns.
	sweeney.ucr.edu /egallery/vigango.htm (142 words)

	History Bookshop.com: Mombasa, the Swahili and the Making of the Mijikenda
		This site is powered by the Secure Trading payment system which means that your credit card details are fully encrypted using the most sophisticated e-payment software.
		This book presents a history of the city of Mombasa and its surrounding settlements from the mid-19th century to the height of colonial rule in the 1930s.
		Part 3 "Close contact with the coast residents is most prejudicial" - state intervention, 1900-1931: the creation of administrative categories; the control of trade; planning Mombasa; labour legislation, casuality and the cost of labour.
	www.historybookshop.com /book-template.asp?isbn=0198203209 (409 words)

	Coast>South Coast>Cultural Safari (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)
		Inland, the South coast is the home of Mijikenda group of tribes, including the Giriama, Duruma and Digo.
		These undisturbed areas of land are still regarded as sacred and are still on occasion visited by tribal elders, particularly those of the Giriama.
		One of the larger Mijikenda tribes, the Giriama are staunchly proud of their traditional customs.
	www.magicalkenya.com /default.nsf/doc21/4YMQN9FZEI99?opendocument&l=1&e=2&s=1 (405 words)

	Ethnologue: Kenya
		Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, E, Nyika (E.40), Mijikenda.
		West Kwale District, Coast Province, south of Mombasa to the Tanzanian border.
		Of the nine Mijikenda dialects, Duruma is the second most remote from Giryama linguistically.
	www.christusrex.org /www3/ethno/Keny.html (3645 words)

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