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Although contact with other religions such as Christianity began among the Kamba tribe, which accounts for 11 per cent of Kenyans, in around 1850, 39 per cent of the tribe still follow their traditional religion. Like the Maasai and other Bantu tribes, the Kamba believes in one supreme god who lives in the sky (yayayani). They call him “Asa”, the strong lord, “Mumbi” (fashioner or maker), “Mwatuangi” (distributor or cleaver), and “Mulungu” (creator) according to Jens Finke, author of Traditional Music & Cultures of Kenya. However, they believe in the existence of spirits or “aimu” too. A number of followers still report seeing spirits and the living-dead, as individuals and in groups with other men or women, says John S. Mbiti, author of African Religions and Philosophy. They are often spotted on hillsides or in river beds by followers, he says. Some diviners and medicine-men are also believed to receive instructions through dreams or the appearance of the spirits and the living-dead, relating to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases. But healing is often attributed to God. In effect, a merciful Creator and Protector, the Kamba call him the “God of comfort” and “the Rain Giver”. According to Finke, rain is sometimes called “God’s saliva”, and for this reason to spit on something is a symbol of blessing. As a form of worship, the followers make sacrifices during special occasions, such as the rites of passage, sowing and planting season, and at the harvest of the first fruits. Also, they sacrifice at the ceremony of purifying a village after an epidemic, and when the rains fail or are delayed. They use oxen, sheep or goats of one colour for sacrifice. During severe drought they previously sacrificed a child, which they buried alive in a shrine, says Finke. The shrines, similar to sacred kayas of the Mijikenda and groves of the Embu, include a sacred tree – like the fig tree - or other objects such as very smooth or polished bounders. The shrines are regarded as a sanctuary for animals and humans, including criminals. However, the fear of punishment from the spirits is great if they dare enter them. |
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The Maasai is one of Kenya’s smaller tribes, accounting for fewer than 2 per cent of Kenyans, but it is one of the country’s most traditional and most renowned, still only minimally influenced by western culture. The Maasai is monotheistic, with more than 90 per cent of the tribe worshiping the traditional god “Enkai”. Their spiritual leader is the Laibon, who comes from a divine lineage and leads prayers to Enkai. Enkai takes many forms, such as “Enkai Norok” the angry god, and “Enkai Na-Nokie” the death god, and is both, or either, male or female. The Maasai believe their lifeblood - the cattle - walked from the sky on a path of leather from Enkai, who entrusted to them cattle ownership for safekeeping, even justifying raiding other communities for more. Owning large herds of cattle is a sign of wealth, although this has become hard due to the lack of grazing land. Today, even though most Maasai worship their traditional god, some are now switching to Christianity or Islam introduced to them by modern day missionaries and Imam. However, they still regard the Christian God as Enkai. |
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Of the Luo, which is the third largest tribe in Kenya, some 90 per cent profess Christianity, while the rest are Muslims or in traditional religions. But before missionaries introduced Christianity through the Anglican and Roman Catholic Church in early 1900s, the Luo worshiped ancestral spirits and were governed by strict taboos. They believed in one Supreme Being called “Nyasaye”- later adopted by the neighbouring Luhya as the name for the Christian God. Prayers to the Luo “Nyasaye” were offered early morning and late evening facing the sunrise and sunset. The Luo believed “Nyasaye” took many forms, including “Wuon koth” (rain giver), “Ruoth” the king and “Jachwech” the moulder. They had medians, diviners and medicine men that performed rituals to appease spirits and repel evil spirits. The Luo tribe’s basis as a polygamous also saw some resistance to Christianity that led to syncretism, fusing traditional Luo cultures and Christianity together. One founder of such a “church” was Johana Owalo, who started the Nomiya Luo Church in 1912 with a former Catholic priest. This church was dubbed independent and had a doctrine that resembled Christianity, but rejected some of its foundational tenets such as the trinity and instead encouraged tribal traditions. More widely, traditional beliefs live on in the prayers, mourning dances and gatherings for funerals, where a bull is still slaughtered to ward off evil spirits and appease the ancestors the dead has joined. |
Three-quarters of Kenya’s Luhya tribe, the country’s second largest, are practicing Christians, while around 3 per cent practice syncretism – mixing the worship of their indigenous god “Were” and Christian God (Nyasaye), introduced to them in the early 1900s by Quaker missionaries. “Were”, according to the Luhya, resides atop Mount Elgon. The Luhya also practice animism, the worship of natural objects, such as trees, and ancestor worship. Luhya ceremonies are often deeply traditional and superstitious. For instance, on the death of a husband, the wife must shave her head to ward off bad luck. Nowadays, such traditional rites are mostly practiced in parallel with Christian rites. The tribe also features sects, such as “Dini Ya Musambwa”, formed in 1948 by Elijah Masinde, to accommodate both the tribe’s traditional beliefs in “Were” and the incoming Christian beliefs of “Nyasaye”. Dini Ya Musambwa threatens repercussions to those who question or attempt to desert it. The leader is adorned in multiple, bright colours, and carries a human-sized mace, signifying authority. Offshoots of many Luhya cults thrive in Nairobi’s slums and low income areas, holding street processions in coloured robes, and meeting for traditional celebrations and music.
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