Traditional Religion of the Kikuyu People of Kenya
The Mũkũyũ (Ficus sycomorus) was the sacred tree of Kikuyu. in its absence, the Mugumo (Ficus natalensis/thoningii) was used Image from Wikipedia commons The Kikuyu People of Kenya The Kikuyu people of Central Kenya believed in one God. They also had a concept of ‘being born again,’ and every child had to undergo a ritual of being born again to be a complete member of the community. When the firstborn child was ready for religious instructions, the child’s uncle from the mother’s side, known as Nyar ũ me , charged a fee in goats to pierce three holes in the upper earlobe of the child. Three sticks, known as ndũgĩra , were inserted in those holes like aerials that directed the new information into the ear for memorisation. In Kikuyu, God is called Ngai or Mwenenyaga The Kikuyu religion was not separate from the ordinary lives of the people. One did not have the choice to either believe or not believe. There were no atheists. Everything a Kikuyu did or did n...