Kenya
-- Folklore
Kenya's
many ethnic groups have a well developed
and sophisticated folklore which
embodies their history, traditions,
mores, world-view and wisdom. Their
legends recount the movement of
people to and from the rift valley,
into the highlands, the grasslands
and the lake regions. Famous historical
figures such as the Kikuyu Gikuyu
and Mumbi or the Luo culture hero
Liongo are represented in myths
and legends. Myths include accounts
of how cattle were given to a certain
people by God. The Maasai have this
legend, so when they went on cattle
raids they were getting back what
was rightfully theirs. The Kikuyu
also have a similar story. Folk
tales try to answer etymological
questions, such as why the hyena
has a limp and the origin of death.
In many Kenyan cultures the message
that men would not die was given
to a chameleon, but he was so slow
that a bird got to man before him
and gave them the message that men
would die. Folk tales also recount
the adventures of tricksters. In
Kenya, tricksters are usually the
hare or the tortoise. The ogre is
another popular, if evil, character
in many Kenyan folk tales. The ogre
devours whole communities but is
eventually vanquished by the actions
of a brother and sister. The brother
then cuts the toe of the ogre and
all the people it ate come out.
Each
ethnic group has a large store of
riddles, proverbs and sayings, which
are still an important aspect of
daily speech. Riddles were usually
exchanged in the evening before
a storytelling session. Riddling
sessions are usually competitions
between two young people who fictionally
bet villages, or cattle, or other
items of economic life on the outcome.
Many cultures have a prohibition
on telling riddles during daylight
hours. The Kikuyu had a very elaborate
sung riddle game, a duet called
the enigma poem or gicandia set
text poem of riddles. It is sung
in a duet and the players are in
a competition. The duet is strikingly
different than the normal singing
of the Kikuyu performed by a soloist
and a chorus. The poem is learned
by heart. A decorated gourd rattle
accompanies the singing One gicandi
may consists of 127 stanzas.
Proverbs
are social phenomenon and as such
they can be defined as a message
coded by tradition and transmitted
in order to evaluate and/or effect
human behavior. Proverbs reveal
key elements of a culture such as
the position and influence of women,
morality, what is considered appropriate
behavior, and the importance of
children. For example the Luo have
these proverbs: (1) The eye you
have treated will look at you contemptuously.
(2) A cowardly hyena lives for many
years. (3) The swimmer who races
alone, praises the winner. Some
Kikuyu examples includes: (1) Women
and the sky cannot be understood.
(2) The man may be the head of the
home, but the woman is the heart.
(3) Frowning frogs cannot stop the
cows drinking from the pool. There
are also several proverbs in Swahili
and English that have become part
of Kenyans' daily life. For example:
Haraka Haraka haina baraka (hurry
hurry has not blessing) and also,
When elephants fight it is the grass
that suffers.
The
Swahili people on Kenya's coast
have had a rich oral tradition that
has been influenced by Islam. Stories
of genies are told side by side
with stories of hare and hyena.
There is also a very rich tradition
of popular poetry that has been
part of Swahili cultural life for
over four centuries.
Kenyan
radio and television shows use folklore
as part of their daily programming.
Oral literature is part of the secondary
and university syllabus. Part of
the requirement in these classes
is for students to collect folklore
from their parents and grandparents.
Kenyans believe that folklore is
an important part of their heritage
and culture and are taking steps
to preserve and encourage folklore
and education. While global culture
in the shape of movies, music and
literature is replacing folklore,
Kenyans are actively involved in
its maintenance.
For
Further Reading:
ADDIN
ENBbu Adagala, Kavetsa, and Wanjiku
Mukabi Kabira. 1994. Kenyan Oral
Narratives: A Selection. Nairobi:
East African Educational Publishers.
Barra,
G. 1991. 1000 Kikuyu Proverbs. Nairobi:
Kenya Literature Bureau.
Campbell,
Carol A., and Carol M. Eastman.
1984. Ngoma: Swahili adult song
performance in context. Ethnomusicology
28 (3):467-493.
Fadiman,
Jeffrey A. 1993. When We Began,
There Were Witchmen: An Oral History
of Mount Kenya. Berkeley and Los
Angeles: University of California
Press.
Gorfain,
Phyllis, and Jack Glazier. 1978.
Sexual symbolism, origins, and the
ogre in Mbeere, Kenya. Journal of
American Folklore 91:925-946.
Kabira,
Wanjiku Mukabi. 1983. The Oral Artist.
Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya.
Kabira,
Wanjiku Mukabi, and Karega wa Mutahi.
1988. Gikuyu Oral Literature. Nairobi:
Heinemann Kenya.
Kieti,
Mwikali, and Peter Coughlin. 1990.
Barking, You'll be Eaten! Nairobi:
Phoenix Publishers.
Kipury,
Naomi. 1983. Oral Literature of
the Maasai. Nairobi: Heinemann Kenya.
Knappert,
Jan. 1979. Four Centuries of Swahili
Verse: A Literary History and Anthology.
London: Heinemann.
Miruka,
Okumba. 1994. Encounter With Oral
Literature. Nairobi: East African
Educational Publishers.
Mwakasaka,
Christon S. 1978. The Oral Literature
of the Banyakyusa. Nairobi: Kenya
Literature Bureau.
Mwangi,
Rose. 1970. Kikuyu Folktales: Their
Meaning and Value. Nairobi: Kenya
Literary Bureau.
Odaga,
Asenath Bole. 1984. Yesterday's
Today. Kisumu, Kenya: Lake Publishers
and Enterprises.
Onyango-Ogutu,
B., and A.A. Roscoe. 1974. Keep
My Words: Luo Oral Literature. Nairobi:
Heinemann Kenya.
Towett,
T. 1979. Oral Traditional History
of the Kipsigis. Nairobi: Kenya
Literature Bureau.
Wolf,
Jan J. de. 1995. Bukusu Tales. Munster,
Germany: Lit Verlag.