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                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...

   The Mũkũyũ (Ficus sycomorus) was the sacred tree of Kikuyu. in its absence, the Mugumo (Ficus natalensis/thoningii)  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 not do impacted their relations w...

                                                                                        A Kikuyu man in 1910  Karibũ! Welcome to a practical approach to learning Kikuyu. Immersing yourself in everyday conversations is a fantastic way to grasp the language as it's actually spoken. In this section, we'll explore several common dialogues you might encounter in daily life in Kenya. By examining these exchanges, along with their vocabulary breakdowns, you'll begin to understand sentence structure, common phrases, and essential words used in various situations. Pay close attention to the pronunciation guides, and don't hesitate to practice these dialogues aloud. Let's dive in and start building your conversational Kikuyu skills! Section 1: Essential Daily Exchanges D...