Mijikenda
Encyclopedia
The Mijikenda are the nine ethnic group
s along the coast of Kenya
, from the border of Somalia
in the north to the border of Tanzania
in the south. Archaeologist Chapuruka Kusimba contends that the Mijikenda formerly resided in coastal cities but settled in the hinterlands of the area to avoid submission to dominant Portuguese forces in control.Historically, these ethnic groups have been called the Nyika or Nika by outsiders. It is a derogatory term meaning "bush people." Of the nine ethnic groups, the Digo are also found in Tanzania due to their proximity to the common border.
Each of the mijikenda groups has a sacred forest called the Kaya
: a place of prayer conducted by selected elders of the specific group. Kaya forests are a World Heritage Site
.http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/451 Mijikenda people are also known for creating wooden kigango
funerary statues for which there is an illegal international market.
The Mijikenda include the Digo, Chonyi
, Kambe, Duruma
, Kauma, Ribe, Rabai
, Jibana
, and Giriama
. Each have unique custom
s and language
, although the languages are similar to each other and to Swahili
.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
s along the coast of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, from the border of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
in the north to the border of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
in the south. Archaeologist Chapuruka Kusimba contends that the Mijikenda formerly resided in coastal cities but settled in the hinterlands of the area to avoid submission to dominant Portuguese forces in control.Historically, these ethnic groups have been called the Nyika or Nika by outsiders. It is a derogatory term meaning "bush people." Of the nine ethnic groups, the Digo are also found in Tanzania due to their proximity to the common border.
Each of the mijikenda groups has a sacred forest called the Kaya
Kaya
-Music:*Kaya , singer and creator of Seggae*Kaya , real name Francis Martin Lavergne*Kaya , former member of Schwarz Stein*Kaya , based in Liverpool...
: a place of prayer conducted by selected elders of the specific group. Kaya forests are a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/451 Mijikenda people are also known for creating wooden kigango
Kigango
Kigango is "a carved wooden memorial satute erected by the Mijikenda" peoples of north-eastern Africa. The vigango, which can be of stylized effigies humans and are placed vertically rising out of the earth, honor a dead member of the secret Gohu society. The traditional use-pattern of vigango is...
funerary statues for which there is an illegal international market.
The Mijikenda include the Digo, Chonyi
Chonyi
The Chonyi, also referred to as Achonyi, are one of the smaller tribes of the Mijikenda on the coast of Kenya. Their populations can be found in the villages of Lutsangani, Chidutani, Dzitsoni, Bundacho, Ziani,Karimboni, Chigojoni, Dindiri, Junju, Katikirieni, Mwarakaya, Pingilikani, Vwevwesi,...
, Kambe, Duruma
Duruma
Duruma is a settlement in Kenya's Coast Province.Chi-Duruma is the local dialect of Mijikenda language...
, Kauma, Ribe, Rabai
Rabai
Rabai, also Rabai Mpya, is a historic location in Kilifi District in the Coast Province of Kenya about 12 miles northwest of the city of Mombasa. It is the first place in Kenya where missionaries of the Church Missionary Society, CMS, established a Christian mission.Johann Ludwig Krapf came to...
, Jibana
Jibana
The Jibana or Dzihana people are an ethnic group from Kenya and a subgroup of the Mijikenda. There are approximately 28,000 of them, all Kigiryama speakers....
, and Giriama
Giriama
The Giriama are one of the nine ethnic groups that make up the Mijikenda ....
. Each have unique custom
Convention (norm)
A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted standards, norms, social norms or criteria, often taking the form of a custom....
s and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, although the languages are similar to each other and to Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
.