Snooping around in the land of Kenya

 Kenya has over 40  different ethnic groups. These ethnic groups have their different cultures which are very interesting to know about. Some tribes in Kenya include the kikuyu, luo, luhya, Ameru and Massai tribes.

  The Ameru tribe

It originated from slaves that escaped from Arab lands a long time ago while the luo of kenya are believed to have originated from the Northern region of Sudan.

 

  Also, in a luo home the woman is the head of her house and controls all the activities. If  a woman gived birth to a female child she stays indoors for three days but if she gives birth to a male child, she stays indoors for four days.

The Massai tribe

Their belief is that the "sky god" was living on earth before going to settle in the sky and sent cattle to them for safety. They specialise in pastoral farming while very few of them are involved in the cultivation of crops

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  Their are two major things the Massai are concerned about which are children and cattle. The number of cattle one has represents how rich he is.

   Kikuyu tribe

The kikuyu are believed to have come from Central Africa before coming to settle in Kenya and they are mostly farmers.

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   In some parts of Kenya, the lip plate is a common tradition. The lip plate is inserted into a pierced hole in the upper or lower lip or sometimes in both lips which results in the stretching of the lips. It is only women and girls that wear lip plates which are made of clay or wood.

                  Uses of lip plates

1. To determine bride price :

  The size of the lip plate determines the number of cattle that is to be paid as bride price .i.e. the bigger the plate the bigger the number of cattle that will be used to pay the bride price.

2. Self-worth : 

  Lip plates are known to be used to represent self-esteem ; for instance, if an unmarried girl gets pregnant she must not wear a lip plate because she is not worthy of it. In other words the lip plate signifies purity.

  The lip plate was used in the olden days to make women and girls look less attractive to slave traders.

 

  Insertion of lip plate is a very painful process. After the lip has been pierced, a small plate is inserted first for sometime after which a bigger plate is used to replace the smaller one. This process expands the lip and makes it less attractive.

       Also, in some parts of kenya a girl is considered as impure when she is undergoing her menstrual cycle. The girl is made to dig a hole on the ground and sit on it throughout the period of mensruation. This process was rampant in the olden days although it is still practised in some rural settlements.