mzeiya
Elder Lister
If we care to look there’s beauty & history in words & names. In my community each year (known by the passing of mbura ya njahi & mbura ya mwere) boys would transition to warrior age. Each age group (Rika) would receive a unique name.
The mariika were always used to document events and even those male names were initially an event e.g. Karanja from 1842 was due to a disease that forced the sufferers to spend too much in time in the sun warming themselves (Kwara - nja). Mungai (1861) was due to mumps.
In these names lies a whole history.
Before the 1900’s most age groups were the usual Agikuyu male names such as Mwaura, Ngugi and Ngaruiya. But in 1870 a curious disease landed and it wrought a devastation so severe it rocked the community. This was Smallpox and that year Rika ria Mutung’u was initiated.
Eighteen years later another disease - typified by itchy scaly skin gave us Rika ria Uhere followed by Dysentry- Ruharo (1892), Jiggers -Ndutu(1897), Syphilis - Gatego (1901). Each wave from Europe whether missionaries,slavers,traders or settlers brought new unfamiliar diseases.
Of note 1892 had another name - Unubi which signaled the first deep interaction between the Agikuyu and Nubians who many Europeans engaged as they sought new trade and mission locations. One can only surmise the Nubians outnumbered the Europeans and thus made more of an impact.
https://twitter.com/mwihaki254/status/1266040787785129985/photo/1
1889 was the first locust invasion in living memorized history and so the nasty little critter got recognition as rika ria Ngigi.
Famines wrought devastation in our communities as periods of untold hardship, starvation and death. 1900, 1911, 1918, 1934 and 1943 go down as dark periods with various Ng’aragu.
1919 was another year typified by disease .. a strange flu. Sound familiar? Rika ria Kimiiri.
Now things really started to get interesting with the entrenchment of imported ideas - 1920 - Kibande - Identity document, 1921 - Munanda - Cattle Dip and 1923 Chiringi - Shilling. These were the things that defined our evolving land.
In 1927 a curious sight was witnessed, bigger than a bird, louder than anything ever heard before and surprisingly flown by a person. Rika ria Ndege ya Mbere - the first aeroplane. Aptly folllowed in 1928 by ndege ya thutha when the next one was sighted.
A major earthquake shook the land in 1929 and gave us rika ria Githingithia. Gerrrrit??
Notable innovations found their way with Kanyui - Razor Blade in 1931, Tauru - 1935 which every new mother just had to have to wrap a newborn in .. Kenya Bathi in 1936 and College in 1939.
Showing how influential global politics was even back then 1939 was also known as rika ria Hitira.
Then it seems with the war years young men brought back with them new ways of living life to the fullest cos 1941,42 and 44 were all named for dances modeled after the fox trot, tango and waltz!
The info is from a book written a few years ago in both English and Kikuyu. Available at LDC in Nairobi. D
Or call 0705557290 for the book.
The mariika were always used to document events and even those male names were initially an event e.g. Karanja from 1842 was due to a disease that forced the sufferers to spend too much in time in the sun warming themselves (Kwara - nja). Mungai (1861) was due to mumps.
In these names lies a whole history.
Before the 1900’s most age groups were the usual Agikuyu male names such as Mwaura, Ngugi and Ngaruiya. But in 1870 a curious disease landed and it wrought a devastation so severe it rocked the community. This was Smallpox and that year Rika ria Mutung’u was initiated.
Eighteen years later another disease - typified by itchy scaly skin gave us Rika ria Uhere followed by Dysentry- Ruharo (1892), Jiggers -Ndutu(1897), Syphilis - Gatego (1901). Each wave from Europe whether missionaries,slavers,traders or settlers brought new unfamiliar diseases.
Of note 1892 had another name - Unubi which signaled the first deep interaction between the Agikuyu and Nubians who many Europeans engaged as they sought new trade and mission locations. One can only surmise the Nubians outnumbered the Europeans and thus made more of an impact.
https://twitter.com/mwihaki254/status/1266040787785129985/photo/1
1889 was the first locust invasion in living memorized history and so the nasty little critter got recognition as rika ria Ngigi.
Famines wrought devastation in our communities as periods of untold hardship, starvation and death. 1900, 1911, 1918, 1934 and 1943 go down as dark periods with various Ng’aragu.
1919 was another year typified by disease .. a strange flu. Sound familiar? Rika ria Kimiiri.
Now things really started to get interesting with the entrenchment of imported ideas - 1920 - Kibande - Identity document, 1921 - Munanda - Cattle Dip and 1923 Chiringi - Shilling. These were the things that defined our evolving land.
In 1927 a curious sight was witnessed, bigger than a bird, louder than anything ever heard before and surprisingly flown by a person. Rika ria Ndege ya Mbere - the first aeroplane. Aptly folllowed in 1928 by ndege ya thutha when the next one was sighted.
A major earthquake shook the land in 1929 and gave us rika ria Githingithia. Gerrrrit??
Notable innovations found their way with Kanyui - Razor Blade in 1931, Tauru - 1935 which every new mother just had to have to wrap a newborn in .. Kenya Bathi in 1936 and College in 1939.
Showing how influential global politics was even back then 1939 was also known as rika ria Hitira.
Then it seems with the war years young men brought back with them new ways of living life to the fullest cos 1941,42 and 44 were all named for dances modeled after the fox trot, tango and waltz!
The info is from a book written a few years ago in both English and Kikuyu. Available at LDC in Nairobi. D
Or call 0705557290 for the book.
