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  Queen Mutemwiya K. R. Lepsius, Mutemwiya, line by Emmanuel Kariuki, CC0 1.0 Akhenaten, Grandchild of Queen Mutemwiya Akhenaten  was the Pharaoh who is credited with starting Monotheism in 18 th  Dynasty Egypt. Here, we shall be more concerned with his grandmother called Queen Mutemwiya (spelled as Mutemwaya by some writers). Before we discuss Mutemwiya, two trees need to mentioned. These are the Sycamore and the Olive. The Sycamore,  Ficus sycamora  is a sacred tree to both the ancient Egyptians and the Kikuyu. It is stated by writers on the Kikuyu that the originator of the tribe was called Gĩkũyũ which translates as “the Big Fig Tree” in Kikuyu language. The Olive,  Olea chrisofila,  was the ‘female’ among sacred trees to both the Kikuyu and the Ancient Egyptians. That said, we shall come back to the significance of these trees shortly. To bring Queen Mutemwiya into perspective, let us look at her more famous relatives. Below is a brief chronology ...

A part of the Stonehenge monument  |  Source Updated Jan 2013 Stonehenge and the Kikuyu word ‘Kihingo’ I have always believed that the East African region is the cradle of mankind. When I first heard about the Genome project and its findings, my long held beliefs were confirmed beyond doubt. The human genome project took about 20 years to research and is probably the most important accomplishment in the understanding of human DNA and human migration. Most important of all, it links all human beings from every corner of the earth to East Africa - whether you are white, yellow, black or in between shades, your ancestors came from East Africa. For information on the Gnome project, go to - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/human-genome-project-tenth-anniversary/ and - http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/35877.wss When Richard Leakey said that - “Every living human being today can trace their ancestry to the area very close to where they are drilling for oil. All l...

Introduction to the Kikuyu People The Kikuyu, the largest ethnic group in Kenya were traditionally agriculturalists, practicing mixed farming. They kept cattle, sheep and goats but in small numbers than the Maasai who are a classic case of pastoralists. That Kikuyu language is third most widely used language. The first Swahili followed by English, which is the official language. There is however very little literature in the Kikuyu language. The word Gĩkũyũ has three meanings; the name of the ethnic group, the language they speak the name of the patriarch who initiated the group. When referring to the community, Gĩkũyũ is singular and Agĩkũyũ is for several persons. The word Gĩkũyũ was transformed to Kikuyu by the British colonialists and is now more widely used when a text is written in English. The Kikuyu belong to the Highland Bantu linguistic group which includes the Kuria, Embu, Tharaka, Meru, Kamba, Gusii and Kuria of Kenya. Other Highland Bantu groups reside in Tanzania. These i...

                The Kikuyu faced Mt Kenya during prayers in the belief that God reseded there  -  image from Wikipedia commons Who was Wang'ombe wa Ihura of the Kikuyu? Chief Wangombe was the son of a Kikuyu man and a Maasai woman. He was born in Tetu, at Kamakwa, near present-day Nyeri Town. His father and therefore the whole family, belonged to the Ambui clan of Thiukui  Mbari . Mbari is a cluster of homesteads whose members of several generations can trace their origins to a single clan member. His father was a trader by the name of Ihura Karugu. He went frequently into Maasai country to trade for foodstuffs, especially during famines and cattle epidemics when the Maasai needed grain most. In one of Ihura’s business trips , in the company of the young Wangombe, he was dispatched by the Laikipiak Maasai. The young boy escaped and went to live with his relatives among the same people who had caused the demise of his father. Af...