Article

British East Africa: Kikuyu Customs and Beliefs.
Thahu and its Connection with Circumcision

Rites.
Author(s): C. W. Hobley
Source: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol.
40 (Jul. - Dec., 1910), pp. 428-452
Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2843265 .
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428
BP,RITISH EAST AFRICA.
KIKUYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.
THAHU AND ITS CONNECTION WITH CIRCUMCISION RITES.
BY C. W. HOBLEY, C.M.G.
[WITH PLATES XXVIII-XXX.]
Thahit,sometimnes called ngahu, is the word used for a condition into which
a person is believed to fall if he or she accidentally becomes the victim of
certaincircumstancesor intentionallyperformscertainacts whichcarrywith them
a kind of ill luck or curse. A person who is thahu becomes emaciated and-
ill or breaks out into eruptions or boils,and if the thahu is not removed will
probably die. In many cases this undoubtedly happens by the process of
auto-sucgestion,as it never occurs to the Kikuyu miindto be sceptical on a
matterof this kind.
It is said that the thtahtm conditionis caused by the ntgomaor spirits of
departed ancestors,but the process does not seem to have been analysed any-
further.
We are now in a positionto realize the attitudeof the Kikuyu mindtowards.
thaht&, and it is consideredthat the termcurse,in its medievalsense,expressesit.
Everyonewill rememberin the IngoldsbyLegendsthe pitiable conditionof the
Jackdawof Rheimsafterhe had been cursedby the Cardinalforstealiiighis ring;
now this would appeal to a Kikuyu,and he would at once say the jackdaw was
thahm. In one of the cases of thahu, quoted hereafter, it is possiblefora person
maliciously to lay a curse on a whole village by breaking,a cooking pot,and
in anotherinstance,a father can lay a curse on his son for disobedience,and
we thus have parallel instances from both higher and lower civilization,the
Cardinal curses the jackdaw with the help of the supernaturalpowerswithwhich
he is invested by virtue of his sacred position,but in the lower culture it is
apparentlyheld that any person can inflicta cuirseby invokingthe supernatural-
powersof the ngomaor spiritsof the dead ancestors.

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu Customsand Beliefs. 429
Truly the position has changed but little,but it would appear probablethat
as the priests had gainiedpower they arrogated to themselves the monopoly
of laying a curse upon their flock; the freedomwith which people use the
conventionalformulaof curses to this day is evidence,however,that the power
to inflicta curse was formerly at the disposal of all. It is importantto realize,
however,that when curses were believed to be effective,and if malicious,were
punishableby native law, people were more careful about the customthan they
are to-daywhen all belief in the power of a cursehas died away.
Some people use the termceremonialuncleanness to express the meaning of
thahu,but,as far as my enquiriesgo, the phrase inadequatelyexplains the Kikuyu
ideas on this question. Acts which cause a person to become thahu,are often
foundto be enumeratedunder the headirng " and " tabus."
of " prohibitions
The similaritybetween thahu and tabu is somewhat strikingand worth
considering. Tabu appears usually to be applied to some act or object by a man
who oftenacts in the dual capacityof rulerand magician. There is as far as can
be discoveredno record of a Kikuyu thahu having been imposed by any known
personaae,buitthesebeliefsmust have originatedsomewhere.and it may be that
they were originallyimposedone by one by great medicine men in formertimes
and have thus becomeincorporatedin what may be termedthe tribalreligion.
The removal of the curse is effectedby a processof lustrationwhich,in the
moreseriouscases, has to be done by the murtdumugo or medicine man,and in
othersby the membersof the native council or kiama; the latteris an interesting
case of the overlappingof judicial functionsand those of a sacerdotalcharacter.
The lustration ceremony is almost always accompanied by the slaughter
of a sheep and anointmentwith the contents of the stomach,and in some cases
the whitediatomiaceous earthcalled ira is used; the purification
is called ta7hika.
In a fewcases smokeis used as a purifyingagent and seems to be considered
effectivein some moretrivialcases.
The realityof this aspect of Kikuyu life and thoughtmay easily be under-
estimated,but it is importantthat all who wish to gain a deep insightinto native
affairsshould understandit and give the phenomenonits true value. To give the
questiona practicalapplicationit may safelybe said that no Kikuyu native who
becomes thahu,during the course of his employmentby a whitemaster,will rest
until he has been freed of his curse or ill luck, and will probably desert with
wages due to him in order to get ridof it; he cannotaffordto wait,the riskis too
great.
There is another curious side of the question; a Kikuyu when he is
circumcised undergoes this rite either according to the old Kikuyu custom
or according to Masai custom; the physical operation and result is the same,
but the cerenmonial varies, and for some unfathomedreason a man who is
circumcisedMasai fasnioncan do certainthingsor encountercertaincircumstances
with impunitywhich would,if he had been circumcisedKikuyu fashion,render
him thahu. This is a very curious fact,and the Kikutyuthemselvesdo not seem

430 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikmyu Customls
and Beliefs.
to be able to give any reason for it; the matter should,however,be made the
is derivedfromthe southernbranch
subject of furtherresearch,as my information
of the tribe,and manycustomswhich are droppiniginto disuse in that area, and
thus losing their inner meaning,are found to be very much better known in,
Kenya Proviniceor Mwaitumias theytermit.
List of Thahqt.
I will now proceeclto give a list of thahu which I have collected with the
assistance of Kinanjui and his kiama or councilof athurior elders; the question
of the two classes of circurncision will be discussedlater.
(1) If a small child dies and the mothercarriesthe body away into the bush,
the woman is thahu,and if the husband cohabitswith her beforeshe is purified,
he becomesthahttand the womanis cleansed. The man carries the thahu away
withhiim,and what is worse,may transmitit to his other wives. If the inan
becomes thaht in this way it is much more seriousforhim than the woman,and
a mundumngoor medicineman has to be called in: the womanhas to be purified
by threeelders,athuriya Kiama, and an elder woman mwirti. For instance,if a
man has two wives and the youngerhad becomethaliuin this way,the senior wife
would shave the head of the woman who was to be purified,and a sheep is killed,
and she is smearedwith tathaor the contentsof the stomach.
This thahuonlyfalls on those who have been circumcisedaccordingto Kikuyu
fashion: if the man has been circumcisedaccordingto Masai customhe does not
becomethahv.
(2) If a womanwho has assistedat a birth cohabits with a mianbeforethe
end of the umbilical cord of the newly born child has shrivelledup and come
away, and beforeshe has ceremoniallybathed herself,the inifant, althoughnot her
own,will become thahn. To remove the curse fromthe child the principalelder
of the village kills a sheep and smearsthe womanwith tatha,the contentsof the
animal's stomach,and thus cleansesher.
This applies to thosecircumcisedeitheraccordingto Kikuyu or Masai fashion.
(3) If a man touchesor carriesa corpsehe becomesthahuuntilhe is cleansed,
the lustrationis performedby membersof the local coulncilof elders,athuri ya
Kiama, and the final purificationby a rnundzurmngo or medicine man: if he
cohabitswith a womanbeforehe is cleansed she also becomesthahnu.
(4) Steppingover a corpse-this inflictsa thahu of a very serious nature,
the person contractsa sickness called mangu (possiblyleprosyis meant). He ig
said to break out into an eruption,the fingerscome offand the nose rotsaway.
To removethis thahuboth the elders,athuriya Kiama, and the nzundumugo are
called in, the latter procuresa bone of an elephantaiid-thebone is placed on the
groundand the athuriforma circleroundit,the patientthen steps over the bone;
the mundumugoafterwardspurifiesthe man in the usual was.'
1 The act of steppingovera corpseis probablyconsidereda serious insult to the ngoma.
This appliesto thosecircumcisedd la Kikuyu and d la Masai.

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu CtUstoms
and Beliefs. 431
This thahu applies to both sections of the tribe, viz., those circumcised
Kikuyu fashionand thosecircumcisedMasai fashion.
(5) During a marriageceremonyfive goats have to be presented to the
athuri ya Kiamat and they are killed fora feast. Aftertheyare slaughteredthe
eyes of the carcaseshave to be taken out,if during this process an eye becomes
cut or broken,the bride becomes thahu,and if nothing is done will not bear
children; the fatherof the girl has to presenta sheep to the athuri,and the girl
is purifiedby them-this is not a matter which necessitatesa medicine man.
This applies to both sectionsof the tribe.
(6) On the occasion of a birth,the youngmen of the village kill a sheep for
a feastcalled mambursa;if the man who slaughtersit cuts his fingerand his blood
drips on to the meat,he is thahuuntil he is purifiedby the athuriya Kiama.
(7) If a man, the head of the village, attends the circumcisionof a child
at the hut of one of his wives,he is thahuuntil the childrenwho were circuincised
in the hut are ciired; a mundm, mrigo then comes and purifieshim and the woman
in whose hut the childrenwere circumcised.
This only applies to those circumcisedKikuyu fashion,forit is the custom
of that sectionforthe village head to sleep in the hut where the circumcisionhas
taken place, and he becomesthahu,whereasit is the customfora village head who
was circumcisedMasai fashion to sleep in another hut until the ceremoniesare
quite over and he thus escapes the thahu.
(8) If one man kills another,and comes to sleep at a village and eats with
the familyin a certain hut,the people with whom he has eaten becomethahu,
and the skin on whichhe has slept is thahuand may infectanyonesleeping on it.
This is a case for a mundu n ugo who is called in to putify the hut and its
occupants.
If, however,the ownerof the hut and his familyhave been circumcisedMasai
fashiontheydo not becomethahu.
(9) If an importantelder dies he is buried by his sons and theyare thahu
until purifiedby the athuri ya Kiama, theyare smearedwithoil and theirheads
are shaved duringthe ceremony;this is not considereda very serious thahu. If
they have been circumcisedMasai fashionthey can be purifiedforthwith, but if
they belong to the other section it is necessaryfor them tQ isolate themselves
until the new moon appears.
(10) When a child is born the fatherkills a sheep,of whicha large part is
given to the woman who has assisted at the confinement, and if beforehe has
pegged out the skin and divided the meat he is summonedaway fromthe village
on urgentbusiness(niy informant gave an example,and said: " Suppose he was
arrested and takeni away as a prisonei"), the infant is thahu and the principal
elder of the village has to kill a sheep,take a strip of skin fromthe fore foot of
this animnal, and fasten it as a bracelet on the wristof the infantto removethe
ill luck.

432 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikoyt and Beliefs.
CUstorns

(11) If childrenare being circumcisedat a village,and the ownerof the hut
where the ceremonyhas taken place goes away to sleep at anothervillage before
he is cleansed,and, say, on the way,he meets a crowdof people,the childrenwho
were circumcisedwill all be thahn. This is a case fora mnund'a mugo.
This onlyapplies to thosecircumcisedMasai fashionas, by Kikuyu fashion,the
man does not sleep at anothervillage.
(12) If two men who were circumcisedat the samnle ceremonyfightand blood
is spilt,theyare both thahuuntil a mundcu mugocomesand removesit. He kills
the usual sheep and the athurior eldersput a stripof theskin of the sheep on the
wristof each of the two men. Persons who are circumcisedat the same feast are
called waeini. This applies to both sectionsof the tribe.
(13) If one man circumciseshis children according to Masai fashion and
anotheraccordingto Kikuyu fashion,and the formershould eat meat killed by the
latter,the formerwill be thahuand vicever-sd.
(14) If a personbelongingto the Mwithaca clan sleeps in the hut of a person
belongingto anotherrikcaor clan, the people of that hut becomethahu; this is a
case forboth medicinemen and elders,and it applies to both sectionsof the tribe.
(15) If a man throwssome earth at his wife,both become thahu; this is a
case fora medicineman,and both have to be purified. This only applies to those
circumcisedKikuyu fashion.
(16) If food is eaten froma crackedpot the personseatingit become thahu
and a mundumugohas to be called in. This affectsboth sectionsof the tribe.
(18) The wives of smiths are usually decoratedwitharmletsmade of twisted
stripsof iron called mithiorgi.If a man enters the hut of a smith,anid cohabits
with a woman so decorated,he becomes thahu. A sheep has to be killed arid a
supply of honeybeer provided,a strip of skin fromthe sheep is placed on the
wrist of the man, the woman,and any childrenshe may have; this bracelet is
placed on the leftwristof females,and the rig,ht wristof a male. The purification
ceremonyis performed by ainothersmith.
This thahuaffectsboth sectionsof the tribe.
(19) Persons eating food in a smithybecome thahm;the smithhimselfcan
purifyone fromthis curse.
It affectsboth sections.
(20) If a bead wornon a warrior'sneck or waist falls ilntofood,the persons
who partakeof tllefoodbecomlethah'tc; if such a bead falls into the grainstoreand
becomes inadvertently cooked with the food the result is the same; this only
affectspersonscircumcisedKikuyu fashion.
(21) If a Mu-Kikuyuhas had his cropsprotected.by magical processes per-
formedby a medicilneman (to protectin this way is called ku-roga),and some one
takes foodfroma gardenso protected,he becomesthahu,and this formof thahulcan
onilybe removedby the medicineman who has roga-edthe plantation.
This applies to bothsectionsof the tribe.

C. W. HOBLEY.-KiketyuCustomsand Beliefs. 433
(22) If a man has connectionwitha womanfrombehind,theyare both thahtu.

This is a veryseriousthahnt and both the athuriya kiama and a mnundu masgoare
necessary to remove it, neither the man nor the woman can eat any of the
.sacrificialsheep.
This applies to both sections.
(23) If a man beats his wifeand drawsblood thewomanis tahau,and theman
cannot sleep in her hut until she is freedfromit; the eldersare called in and killa
sheep. The two personsconcernedare not allowed to eat anyof the meat,and the
skin is reservedas a fee fora mundztmugowho is called in to performthe formal
lustration.
This affectsboth sectionsof the tribe.
(24) If a womanis carryinga baby on her back, and it slips out of the leather
garmentand falls to the groundit is thahn; the child must not be liftedfromthe
place whereit fell until a sheep has beelnkilled on that spot,this is a case forboth
the eldersof kiarnaand a medicineman. Both sectionsof the tribeare affectedby
this.
(25) If an elder or a womanwhen comingout of the hut slips and falls down
(on the ground he or she is thahuq, and lies there until a fewelders of kiama come
and slaughtera sheep near by,and some blood and tatha(contentsof the stomach
of the sheep) are rubbedon the spot where the personfell. The elders then say
So and so is dead, let us buryhim," and theyplant a sprigof the bushes called
inuknr-iaand mnthakwaon the site of the mishap. This applies to bothsections.
(26) If a man marriesa womanand she steals anythingfroma memberof her
father'sclan, she is thahn,and milk will flowfromher breastswithoutany natural
(cause,and any child she bears beforethe thahuis removedwill be thah7a. This is a
matterforthe athurioreldersof kciama;a sheepis placed on thewoman'sshoulders,
and its throatis pincheduntilit micturateson the woman'sbody,the sheepis then
killed, and the contentsof the gall bladder,mixed with urinefromits bladder,are
poured over the leathergarment of the woman,and her navel is touchedwith a
little of the mixture. The milk that was unnaturallyflowingfromher breastswill
then dryup, anldby this sign theywill know that the thahuis removed.
(27) If a man's son commitsadulterywith one of his father'swives,and the
fatheris still alive, the fatherbecomes thahuand not the culprit,the reasongiven
being that the fathertakes the thahubecause he begotthe son. The erringwoman
does not returnto her husband,she is not thahu,and can still bringfood to her
husband,but he does not cohabitwith her,and her hut is brokendown. The son
who has transgressedin this way has to make peace with his fatherby a formal
presentof a big male goat,nthengi. This thaltucan be removed by the athquri ya
k-iama;it is a veryseriousmatter,and if the thahut is not quicklyremovedfromthe
father,he will die.
It applies equally to both sectionsof the tribe.
(28) If a person touches menistrualblood,he or she is thahu; or if a man

434 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu Customsand Beliefs.
cohabitswith a womanin this conditionhe is thahm. The personwho is contami-

nated will firsttake somecow dungand thenred ochreousearth(thiriga)and plaster
it on the partof the bodytouched by the blood; ochreis said to be used because
it is the same colouras the blood; the womanfromwhomthe contaminationcame
is also thahut. The mundum'ugohas to be called in to purifythe persons.
(29) If one womanis circumcisedMasai fashionand anotherKikuyu fashion,
and the child of the latteris suckled bythe otherwoman,the child becomesthahu
this is a case fora mundumugo.
This applies to those circuincisedKikuiyufashion.
(30) If a hyaenacomesinto a hut at night,kills a goat and the ownerkills the
hyoenain the hut,the hut will be abandoned, and the whole village has to be
purifiedby the kiama.
(31) If a hycenadeftecatesinside a village,the village and its inhabitantsare
thahut, this is a case forthe kiarnato arrange; the usual sheep is killed and it must
be eaten by the people of the village. If a person belongingto anothervillage
eats any of the meat, a hyEena will come and defile the village where he
lives.
(32) If a womanis carryinga gourdon her back and it falls and breaks,she is
thahtt;this is a matterforthe elders of kiama to arrange.
(33) If a goat should come up to wherepeople are sitting,and tryto suckle
a woman's breast,the woman is thahn, the croathas to be taken away and
slaughteredat the village of the woman'sfather,and the eldersof kiamtaare called,
in to purifythe woman.
(34) If a woman is milking a cow and the calf climbs up on her shoulders
while she is so occupied,the calf is not allowed to suckle the cow again and is
forthwith slaughtered;this is a case forthe elders. The people of the village must,
not eat any of the meat,half is taken by the woman to her fatherand the other
half is eaten by the elders.
(35) When a womanhas recentlybeen confinedand the dischargesare still
unfinished,it has sometimeshappened that a cow has come along and licked the
stool upon which she has been sitting. In such a case she must immediatelytell
her husband,if not,he will become thahuand die, and all the other people in the
villaae will becomethahuin a lesser degreeand get ill. The cow has to be killed
withoutdelay by the eldersand is eaten by them; no personof thevillage musteat
of the meat unless he has been circumcised Masai fashion. Three elders il
Kilkuyuare said to have died fromn this thahu,withinrecentyears.
This onllyapplies to thosewho have been circumicised Kikuyu fashion.
(36) If a cow is out grazingand its tail becomestwisted round a treeit is

C. W. HOBLEY.-KikUTyuCustomsand Beliefs. 435
thahat,anld must be slaughteredthereand then; it is killed by the owner,and the

elders receivethe saddle and the youngwarriorsthe neck.
This only applies to cattle owned by personscircumcisedKikuyu fashion.
(37) There is a white bird called nyangi(the bird nyangi is in Swahili called
furakombe);if one is seen to settleon a cow,anidthe cow is notkilled,the ownlerof
the cow will be thaha and die. The cow must be killed thereand then and the
meat divided up, the eldersreceive the saddle,and the neighbouringwarriorsthe
neck,no personbelongingto the village must eat of the meat. The herd of cattle
also need to be purified,and the ownerof the village, assisted by the elders,must
take a female sheep which has not borne a lamb,and a male goat; these are
slaughtered,and the intestinesand bones of the animals (termedichAa) are placed
on a fire,whichis lit to the windwardof the cattle kraal,and the smoke passing
throughthe kraal and among the cattle will purifythe herd. If the bird was
killed amongthe cattle all the herdwould die.
(38) If a cow's horncomes offin a person'shand the aniinal is thahuand is
slaughtered,the meat is eaten by all. This applies to both sections.
(39) If a bull or bullock leaves the herd when out grazingand comes home
alone,and stands outsidethe village diggingat the refuseheap (kiaraini) withits
horns,it is knownto be thahtt, and is forthwithkilled by the owner. This applies
to both sections.
(40) If a goat is givingbirthto a kid,and the head appearsfirstand the body
is not bornquickly,it is said to be thahue, and is slaughteredby the owner. No
womanmust touch the nmeatof such an animal or she would become tlzahu,only
mencan eat themeat. Moreover,ifa goat whichis in kid shoulddie,no womanmust
touch it or eat the meat,the idea probably being that her fertilitymight become
contaminiated.This applies to both sections.
(41) If a womanbears twins the firsttime she has children,the twinsare
thtahn, and an old womanof the village,generallythe midwife,stuffsgrass in their
mouthsuntil theyare suffocated and throwsthemout into the bush. If, however,
a womanfirstbears a singlechild alndthen has twinstheyare not thrownout.
If a cowor a goat bears twinsthe firsttime,the same practiceis observed,and
a necklace of cowries is placed roundthe neck of the mother. This practice is
observedby both sections.
(42) If the si(le pole of a bedsteadbreaks,the personlyingon it is thahmt,
and a
sheep mlustbe sacrificed;this is a matterforthe kiama to arrange,and a bracelet
called rukwaru,cut fromthe skin of the sheep,mustbe placed on the wristof the
person,or he or she is liable to die. This applies to both sections.
(43) A maliciouspersonwill, sometimes,out of spite or in a fitor rage,take up
a cookingpot,dash it down to the ground and break it, saying the wordsurokuwo
Mwe, " Die like this." This is a veryserious matter and rendersall the people of
the village thahu; it is necessaryforthe people of the village to pay as much as
seven sheep to removethethahu. This is naturallyconsidereda crimeaccordingto

native law, and the offender is punishedby the eldersof kicama, who inflicta fineof
seven goats. This applies to both sections.
(44) If a son seriouslydisobeyshis father,he can be renderedthcahuby his
fatherrubbilng ashes on his buttocks,and cursinghim saying," May you be eaten
by my anus "; the son will have to take a sheep and then a male goat and a jar of
honeyand crave his father'sforgiveness;tne fatherslaughterstheanimal,and rubs
his navel and his buttockswith the meat and the curse is removed. This applies
to bothsections.
(45) If the head of a village has a quarrelwithanotherman,woundshim with
a sin?Jor sword,and blood is spilt in the village,the village becomes thcahu, unless
the offender takes his adversaryand leads him round the outskirtsof the village
lettingthe blood drip on the ground as theygo; the elderswill then have to be
called in,a sheepis killed,and theypurifythe village. This applies to bothsections.
(46) If an idiot or maliciously-minded personpicks up a skull,walks roun(da
village withit and leaves it on the thomi" or " place of conference,"
" the village
is thahu,and is in very seriousdanger. The eldersare firstcalled in and tlleytake
a sheep and drag it round the confinesof the village by the same route as that
taken by the personwith the skull,the animal is killed and pieces of the intestines
are draggedround the village; the meat of the sheep is only eaten by very old
men. Six othersheep thenhave to be killedby the elders,and finallythe medicine
man has to come and purifyeach personin the village.
(47) If a wild animal is killed amonga flockor herd of animals out grazing
the beastsare thahu; theycan be purifiedby the ownerand the kiacma;a sheep is
killedand the bones and intestinesare placed on a fire lit to windwardof the
infectedflockor herdand the smoke cleanses them and removesthe curse. VTide
Tylor's Primitive Culture,vol. ii, pp. 430-434, "Fire serves for purificationin
cases too triflingto requiresacrifice." This applies to bothsections.
(48) If domesticanimals are attackedand stungby bees theyare thahui; a
sheep is killed and the bones and intestinesare placed on a firelit to windwardof
the herd and the smokeremovesthe curse. This applies to both sections.
(49) If a son curses his fatherseriouslyhe beconiesthah?h;he has to bring
a sheep,whichis eaten by his fatherand mother,the fat is meltedand all three
are smearedwith it; the son then has to pea out tlle skin of the sheep in frontof
his mother'shut. This applies to both sections.
(50) If a person strikesanyone who is herdingcattle,etc.,and draws blood
the flockor herd is thahu; the offender mustpay a sheep,which is killed by the
elders, and a stripof skin (9rukwaru)is placed on the wrist of the offender;no
young person is allowed near durilngthe ceremony. This applies to both
sections.
(51) If the droppingsof a kite or crow fall on a personhe is thah2&;he must
shave his head and bathe at a river,alndthe elders kill a sheep and fastena strip
of the skin on his wrist. The skin of the sheep must not be peggedout to dryin
the village wherethe personlives. This applies to both sections.

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyfl Customsand Beliefs. 437
(52) If a womansleeps withher leathergarmentinside out it is unlucky,but

she is not thahu,the procedureis for her to spit on the garmentand turnit right
way. This applies to both sections,but it is much more unluckyfor a woman
circumcisedMasai fashion.
(53) When a man dies the eldest son gives one bull or a big male goat
(accordingto his means) to the athuriya kiama for a feast,the elders then teach
him his duties (kirira). The next step is to give the elders a male sheep
(k?u-hucuria), whichmustnotbe eaten by the children;this is to cleanse the village
of the deceased. Now if a son has not made these gifts and gone throughthe
necessarycereinoniesmarkinghissuccession,he cannlotparticipatein the sacrificial
feast which has to take place at the sacred fig tree after the death of an elder
(called kom-hoya Ngai); the principalwifeof thb deceased cali attend the sacrifice
but the other wives and theirchildren cannot, and if theydo they will become
thahuc and it is a case fora medicinleman to arrange. The women and childrern
fromthe neighbourinig villagescan go.
If a sacrificeis made at a sacred fig treeto invoke rain only,athuriya kiamna
can attendand eat it. No womanmustgo near. These rulesapply to bothsections.
(54) If childrellare beingcircumcisedat a villageaccordingto Kikuyu fashion
and the head of the village leaves the village on a journeybeforeeight days have
elapsed or,accordingto Masai fashion,beforefourdayshave passed,he and those of
his childrenwho have been operatedon become thahu; this is a case forthe medicine
man to arrange.
(55) If a child has been circumcisedand, on the firstoccasion after the
ceremonyon which he leaves his village, the goats and sheep comneback from
grazinoand enterthe village beforehe returns,he is thahu. He cannotreturnto
his village until it is removedaindmust sleep at a neighbouring village wheresome
of the otherboys reside who wentthroughthe ceremonywith him. To removethe
thahuhis fatherhas to kill a sheep and place a stripof skin (rukwaru) fromthe
animal on his wrist.
(56) If a fatherpicks up one of his children and places it on his back or
shoulders,the fatherbecomes thahqu and the child will die, the resultis the same
whicheverthe sex of the child; if he carriesthe child in frontof him thereis no
evil result. This is a case for a medicine man to arrange,and it applies to both
sectionsofthe tribe.
(57) If a personshould be bittenby a hyeenaor a dog he or she is thahub and
a medicine man has to be called in; he kills a sheep and places a bracelet or
rukwaruq of the skin on the wristof the patient. This applies to both sections.
(58) If a dog,dies in a village it is a veryserious matter,the head of the
village and his people are thahu, and the elders are called in. The village head
providesa sheepwhichis slaughtered, and thestomachcontents(tatha) are sprinkled
roundthe village,which is then ceremoniallyswept by the elders; the medicine
man is then called in to purifyall the people of what is called the rmugiro of
the dog. (Note. The mugiromeans the pollutionproduced by the blood of the

438 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu and Beliefs.
Customns
dog having fallen on the ground of the village or the death of the dog in the
village.) This only applies to the Kikuyu sectionof the tribe.
(59) The childrenand grandchildren of brothersand sisterscanllotintermarry.
If theydo it is a verygrave sin, and all childrenbornof such marriagessurelydie;
the thahlton them cannot be purged by any ceremonial. The parents are not
affected. It sometimeshappens, however,that a young man unwittinglymarries
a cousin; forinstance,if a part of the familymovesaway to anotherlocalitya man
mightbecomieacquainted with a girl and marryher before he discovered the
relationship. In such a case the thahuis removable,the elders take a sheep and
place it on the womian'sshoulders,and it is then killed,the intestinesare taken out
and the elders solemnlysever themwitha sharpsplinterof wood fromthe imukeo
bush,and theyannouncethat theyare cuttingthe clan " kutinyarurira," by which
theymeanthattheyare severingthe bond ofbloodrelationshipwhichexistsbetween
the pair. A medicineman then comesand purifiesthe cQuple. This only applies
to the Kikuyu sectionofthe tribe.
(60) If a parentgoes on a journey and while absent one of his or her sons
cohabitswith his wife the parenitsare thahtn,and upon re-entering will be seized
withillness. This is a case forthe medicineman,whohas to be called in to perform
a lustrationceremonyto purifythem; the offending son is notaffected. Sprigsof
the rnahoroa,muchathaand miteibushes are bound up tooetherand dipped in
water,and the water is sprinkledover the couple,a little is also sprinkledat the
gate of the village. This only applies to thosecircumcisedKikuyu fashion. It is
curiousto note that practicallythe salue customis observedby the A-Kamba.
(61) If a Kikuyu native kills a man belongingto another tribe he is not
thiahu;if he kills a man of his own tribebut of a different rika or clan to his own,
he is not thahu; if howeverhe kills a man belongingto his own rika or clan he is
thahm, and it is a veryseriousmatter. The mattercan be arrangedby the elders
in the followingmanner:-
Two trunks of the plantain or banana tree (called mirambain Kikuyu) are
placed on the grounldparallel to each other and an elder sits on each; one of them
is thenliftedup by anotherelder,and the offender has to seat himselfon the tree
trunk exactly in the same place; the otlher elder is then removedand the elder
brotherof the deceased or brothernext in age to him is put in his place.
The mothersof the offender and deceased then bringto the place foodmade
of everykind of fieldproducegrownby the tribe,also some meat; the usual sheep
is thenkilled by the eldersand a little of the tatha,or stomach contents,is then
sprinkledover the foodwhichwas providedby the mothersof the two parties.
The two elderswho firstsat on the plantain trunks then solemnlyeat a little
of this food,and also administera little to the offenderand the brotherof the
deceased. Two gourds containinggruel made of meal are then taken,and the
eldersput a little of the tathain each, anid one gourdis sent to the village of the
offender and one to that of the deceased. The remaining,food is then divided
among the assembly.

C. W. HOBLEY.-KikUyTtCustomns
and Beliefs. 4339
The followingday the eldersproceedto the local sacred figtree (mugutmo), and
kill a sheep there. They depositsome of the fat,the chestbone,the intestinesapd
the moreimportantbones at the footof the tree,the rest of the carcass is eaten
by the elders. They say that the ngonia,or spirit of the deceased,will visit the
tree that nightin the shape of a wild cat and eat the meat,and that thisoffering
will prevent the nyoma of the deceased from coming back to his village and
troublinothe occupants.
A medicineman thenhas to come and purifythe murdererand the brotherof
the deceased.
The above ceremonyis not consideredlegal, and cannot be performed, till the
blood moneyhas been paid.
The aDove case is a good example of the two stages of the removalof a more
seriousthahu,in the firstplace the spiritsof the deceased ancestorsincludingthat
of the murderedman have to be appeased, and then the personialdefilenment due to
the spilling of blood, which falls on both the murderer and the familyof the
mlurderedman, has to be removed by a separate ceremonyperformedby the
aledicine man,and it is interestingto nlotethat only the medicineman can remove
this latter.
The above thahuapplies to both sectionsof the tribe. In describingthe above
,details,my informantsexplained that accordingto Kikuyu native law tlle blood
moneyfora man was 100 sheep and goats anidnine sheep and goats in additionfor
,theelders. If,however,a man could not raise 100 goats it was the customforhimn
to give threedaughtersin paymnent plus the nine goats forthe elders.
The Kikuyu were formerlyonlyallowed to eat the followingwild animals and
birdsbeforebeing circumcised:-partridges(ngware),pigeon (ndutwa), and hyrax
(mi-karni). Many will not eat wild game throughouttheirlives,people followthe
custointheyhave been broughtup to observe; thosethat eat wild game probably
had Asi or Dorobo ancestors. A person who eats wild game does not become
thahu. This same view is held by both sections. The repugnanceto eatina wild
game probablyhad its originin totemism,but all traces of this beliefseem to be
lost in S. Kikuyu.
(62) The last of the thahut whichwill be quoted is one of some importance,as
it may be in primitiveculturethe germof one of the beliefswhichaffectthe life
~ofcivilizedpeoples. This is the ill luck whichis attachedto the sevelnthday.
A herdsmanwill not herdhis flocksformorethan six days,and on the seventh
must be relievedby alnotherman.
If a man has been on a journeyand absent for six days lie mutstnot return
home on the seventhday, and mustobservecontinenceon the sevenithday; sooner
than returnito his village onl that day he will go and sleep at the house of a
neighboura shortdistanceaway. If this law is broken,seriousillness is certainto
superveneand a medicine man (mundumugo)has to be called in to remove the
curse. Both sections of the tribeare subject to it, and both male and fernaleare
affectedand moreoverthe live stockof the offender will becomesick.

440 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu CustomsaqndBeliefs.
This beliefmakes it easy forthe missionariesto explain to the A-Kikuyu the

forceof the Christianobservanceof the Sabbath.
It will be well to reviewthe resuiltsof this inquiry,and it should be noted
that in a number of cases, about one-thirdof those enumerated,the thtahuis
broughtupon the offender or broughtupon a thirdparty,by the intentionalact of
the offender;in othercases the personand sometimeslive stockare the victimsof
circumlstances over whichthereis no control.
The investigationsthrowa vivid lightupon the,complicatednature of the life
historyof a Mu-Kikuyu,and it is prettyevidentthat a native of this tribecannot
go throughlifewithoutbecomingthahusometimeor other.
The thahu is, however, in nearly all cases removable by the elders and!
medicinemen for payment,and it may thereforebe urgedthat the beliefhas not,
much value as a moral restraint. This view cannot, however, be seriously
maintainedforthe followingreasons:-Take the case of a personwho commitsan
act whichhe knowswill bringthahu; it must be clearlyunderstoodthat he never
questions the liability of the principle,he goes about with the burden of the
misdeedon his conscience,this worrieshim so miuchthat he graduallygets thin}
and ill, and all this he puts downto the thalat. It thereforeends by his confessing
to the elders and begging them to free him from the curse. It is in essence
nothingmore or less than the confessionand absolutionof the ChristianChurch.
Then again we have to considerthe publicityofkraal life,verylittlegoes on which~
is not knownto the neighbours;polygamytoo increasesthis,a man confidesin one-
wife,she tellsanotherwifeand so it goes throughthe village; if one personcommits.
an act whichinflictsthahuon himselfor a neighbour,it will graduallyleak out by-
some means or other,anid public opinionwill insist on measures beingtaken to,
removeit. No livingpersonwouldever dreamthathe couldhope to evade thewrath
of thenygoma orancestralspirits. OfcourseoccasionsmayarisewhenthecommissiorL
of a prohibitedact may involve a third party,and the personwho committedit.
may preservesilence on the point,but the elderswill in mostcases be in possession
of complete informationas to the movements of every person in the neigh-
bourhood,and moreover,the demeanour of the conscience-stricken culprit will
invite suspicion, so in practice it is but rarelythat the offenderwould not be
detected.-
It is curiousto note how deeplythis divisionof the Kikuyu tribeinto the two
guilds Kikuyu and Masai permeates their customs. There is for instance a
ceremonycalled Ku-chiaruoringi,the literal translationof which is "to be born
l Videcases Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 26, 28, 49, 50, 54, 59, 61. The thahu&
beliefsalso occuramongthe Kamba tribeand therego by the name of makwaand also thabut;
theyhave nothoweveryetbeen fullyworkedout; the Hon. C. Dundas informs me thathe saw
a youthwho had incurredthecursethroughsittingon his brother-in-law's bed and thatit may-
also be contractedthroughsittingon a stool belongingto certainrelatives. Severalcases are,
mentionedon p. 102 of author'sworkon A-Kamba and otherE. A. tribes. The termthabz& is
extraordinarily similarto tabu and in manyways thereis verylittle difference betweentabus
orthahus.
andthabus

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikuyu Customsand Beliefs. 441
again,"and whichmust be undergoneby young people before theyare eligiblefor

circumcision. The occurrenceof these two ceremonies,connected as they are,
cannothelp but strikeone as being in a lowercivilizationthe genesisof the idea of
the sacramenlts of baptismand confirmation, and in factsome of the missionariesit
is said do not scrupleto explain the two Christiandoctrinesmentionedby reference
to the two pagan ones,and state that with the help of this key the natives at once
graspthe idea of theirdoctrines.
But to returnto the ceremonyitself-the formvaries with the guild of the
parents. Accordingto the Masai fashion,about eightdays afterthe birthof the
child,be it male or female,the fatherof the infantkills a male sheep and takes the
meat to the house of the mother,who eats it assisted by her neighboursas long as
they belong to the Masai guild. At the conclusion of the feast the motheris
adornedwith the skin fromthe leftforeleg and shoulderof the sheep,the piece of
skin beingfastenedfromher leftwrist to left shoulder; she wears this for four
days,and it is then taken offand thrownoni to her bed. and stays there till it
disappears. The mother and child have their heads shaved on the day this
ceremonytakes place; it has no connectionwith the namingof the child whichis
done on the day of its birth. The ceremonyof Ku-chiaruo ringi, according to
Kikuyu fashion,is as followsin S. Kikuyu. The day afterthe birtha male sheep
is killed and some of the fat of thesheep is cookedin a potand given to the mother
and infant to drink. It was not specificallystated that this had a direct
connectionwiththe ritereferredto, but the descriptioncommencedwitha mention
of this. When the child reachesthe age of fromthreeto six years the fatherkills
a male sheep,and three days later the novice is adornedwithpart of the skin
and the skin of the big stomach.
These skinsare fastenedon the rightshoulderofa boyor on the leftshoulderof
a girl. The skin used fora boy has, however,the left shoulderand leg cut out of
it, and thatfora girl has the rightshoulderand leg cut away.
The child wears these forthreedays,and on the fourthday the fathercohabits
with the motherof the child.
There is, however,one importantpoint,and that is that before the child is
decoratedwiththe sheep skin it has to go and lie alongsideits mother on her bed
and cry out like a newly born iinfant. Only after this ceremonyhas been
performed is the child eligibleforcircumcision.
A few days after circumcisionthe child feturns to sleep on a bed in its
mother'shut,but the fatherhas to kill a sheep beforehe can return,and the child
has to drinksome of the blood,the fatheralso has to cohabitwith the motherupon
the occasion.
Owing to similarityof name it is possible that the ceremonyof K1t-chiaruo
ringi might be confused with Ku-chitar'o kungi, which is of widely different
significance. This latter is an adoption ceremony,and is said to be similarto a
Swahili rite called ndugut K'ichanjiana. If a personhas no brothersor parentshe
will probablytry to obtain the protectionof some wealthyman and his family. If
VOL. XL 2 G

442 C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikmym Customsand Beliefs.
such a man agrees to adopt him he will take a male sheep and slaughterit, and
the supplianttakes anotherone. The elders are assenmbledand slaughter these
sheep,and stripsofthe skin(rukwarn)fromthe rightfootand fromthe chestof each
sheep are tied roundeach person's hand,each is decoratedwith stripsof skin from
the sheep of the other party. The poorman is then consideredas the son of the
wealthyone,and when the occasionarises the latter pays out live stock to buy a
wifeforhis adoptedson.
CircumcisionCeremonial.
As previously mentioned,the A-Kikuyu are circumcisedaccording to two
systems,some accordingto one and some accordingto the other.
(1) Km-ruithiaukabi,i.e.,Masai fashion.
(2) Km-ruithiaX Kikuyu or Gikuyu,i.e.,Kikuyu fashion.
The actual surgical operationis the same,but accordingto the Masai system
the boys stay in the hut,where theysleep afterthe operationtakes place, forfour
days,and thengo out, shoot birds,and wear the skins of the birdson the head anid
neck. When the new moon appears their heads are shaved,and each one then
goes to his home. The head of the village cannot sleep in the hut wherethe
circumcisedyouthsstay until theyare well.
Accordingto theKikuyu systemthe youthsstay in the hut foreightdays; on
the day of the operationa sheep is killed,and on the ninth day the fatherof the
childrentakes them away to their homes. The head of the village sleeps in the
hut wherethe youthsstay afterthe operationhas taken place.
Those circumcisedaccordingto Kikuyu fashionhold the feast called Mambura
the day beforethe operation; the writerrecentlywitnessedone of thesegatherings,
and so is able to describeit with some accuracy. It was held at a village between
the Mathari and Thigiri streams,and was on the 12th day of the moon,so there
does iiot appear to be any particular significanceas to date. Several thousand
people of both sexes had collected to dance and take part in the festivities;the
warriorswere dressed in their war paint and had theirbodies smearedwithred
or greypaint,and in some cases were picked out with star-likepatterns. The
womenwere all in theirbest,and freely smeared with red ochre and oil, a large
collectionof elders were there,and the chiefwas present,as he explained,in order
to keep orderand preventthe youno warriorsfrom- quarrelling. Over the gate of
the village two long pieces of sugar-cane were fastened,and all who entered the
village were supposed to pass underneath,the entraniceof the village was also
guardedby a bag of medicines belongingto a mnundu mwgo;these were supposed
to prevent anyone coming into the village to bewitch the candidates. In the
morninga big male goat,nthengi,was slaughteredby the elders of Kiama by
strangulation, and each male candidate for circumcisionhad a strip of the skin
fastenedroundhis rightwrist,and the same strip was also carriedover the back
of his hand and his second fingerwas passed througha slit in it. The male
candidateswere nude withthe exceptionof a stringof beads or so, and a necklace

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kikwyu Customns
and Beliefs. 443
made of a creeper called nkqurwa;the girls were nude as faras clotheswent,but

were enveloped in stringsof beads fromtheirnecks to below theirwaists. Much
dancing took place till a little after2 p.m.,when a ceremonial meal took place.
The candidates came into the village in Indian file,the girls leading the way.
They were received in frontof the hut,where they were to reside temporarily
after the operation,by a few elders who had for some time been preparinga
number of strips of a vegetable creeper,and smearingthem with a black oily
mixturd. Each girl firstcame up and had a piece of the creeperfastenedround
her left ankle; the creeper is called ruruera,and each piece was smearedwith
medicinemade fromthe untuand wangnontdui plants mixed with castoroil. One
of the elders then took a handful of porridgemade of ulimbi and mtama meal
(eleusine grainand sorghum),and placed some on a bundle of twigsof the mararia
bush and offered it to each candidate,the candidatebit a littlepiece and then spat
it out on the ground,the balance was thenplaced in her hand and she ate it. The
porridgewas placed on a flatstone used for grindingcorn. The boysthen came
along one by one and the ceremonywas repeatedin the same manner,but the
stripof creeperwas fastenedon the right ankle of each boy. It was stated that
the object of this portionof the ceremonywas to lessen the pain suffered by the
candidatesduringthe actual operation.
In anotherpart of the village a man was completingfivestoolsof whitewood,
these were roughlyhewn out of the solid,and were special seats forthe eldersand
old womenwho had to performthe ceremony.
Immediatelyafter the ceremonialmeal was finisheda great rush occurred,
and the candidates,followedby the crowd,galloped offto a mugumo,figtree,about
300 yardsaway; as they approached the boys threwclubs and sticksup into the
tree,and thenicommencedto climbinto the brancheshackingsavagelythe whole
time at the leaves and twigs; each youthhad a lightclub withthe head sharpened
to a blunt cuttingedge,and by dint of vigoroushackinggraduallybrokeoffsniall
branches which fell down ainong the crowdbelow,and were immediatelyseized
by the people,some of whomat once began to stripoffthe bark.
It was said that the bark was to bind roundthe heads of the candidates. The
people then danced roundthe tree,and this ended the proceedings. The leaves of
the figtree are collected and strewn in the hut wherethe candidatessleep after
the operation,and are said to be for the purpose of catching the blood, and
possibly to prevent the hut being defiledby the blood soakinginto the earthen
floor. They would never throw sticks into, or gather leaves from,a sacred
mugurmo tree.
The actual operationwas not seen,as it took place at dawn the following
morning;it takes place in the open near the village. The bulk of theprepuceis not
cut oftat all, but formsan excrescencebelow the glans,a small piece of skin only
is cut off;it is not buriedbut thrownaway.
2 G 2

444 C. W. HOBLEY.-KikUyu Customsand Beliefs.
ilambura festivities
precedingCircumei3ion
accordingto Masai fashion.
The festivalwhich precedes circumcisionaccordingto the Masai fashionwas
,alsowitnessed; it was originallyto have been held at fullmoon,but bad weather
caused its postponementtill the 25th day of the moon,whichseemedto be equally
propitious.
In the morninga sheep was killed and eaten by the elders,and about noon
the candidateslhadassembled. The people of the village and the candidatespassed
theSirtimein dancinguntilthe preparationswere conmpleted.The male candidates
were smneared fromhead to footwithashes,and were nude with the exceptionof a
belt of iron chain (munyoro),a bead necklet (kinyata),an iron dancing bell
(kigacmba)on the right leg near the knee; some worea ringof the ngmrwavine
roundtheirnecks.
The girls were decorated from neck to waist with a load of beads as in the
ceremonyaccordingto Kikuyu fashion.
The firstproceedingwas the decorationof each of the male candidateswitha
braceletmade of climbingeuphorbiaceousplant called mwimba c iguu.
The eldersof Kiama and the wives of the ownerof the village,who was one
of the elders,sat round in a circlein the middleof the village witha quantityof
tendrilsof the plant on a wicker tray,kitaru'ru, in the centre; a small gourdof
white diatomaceousearth,ira, was produced,and each person licked a littleand
then smeareda small portionof the whiteearthon his throatand navel; this was
to purifyhiinselffor the ceremony; a horncup of honeybeerwas thenproduced
and each one tooka sip, and then all simultaneouslyblew it out of theirmouths
in sprayon to the plant; the object of this was said to be to purifyor dedicatethe
plant to the use to whichit was to be applied. The male candidatesthen came up
one by one and a bracelet of the creeper was fastened on the right wrist of
each.
Aftera little more dancing the male candidates were seated in a row on
ox-hidesspreadout on the ground,a woman,the sisterof the owlnerof the village,
came along and pouredfirsta little milk and then a little honeybeer on the head
of the one on the leftof the line, she then smearedit over the scalp and shaved
a place on the rightside of his head and then passed on to the next; the shavinig
was merelyceremonial,as the candidates had all been shaved on the head before
coming to the ceremony-the native razor,ruenji,was used. The milk was in a
gourdand the beer in a cow horn. The male candidatesthengot up, anclthe same
performancewas gone throughwith the girls.
Shortlyafterthis two great branches fromthe matamatiyu tree were brought
to the gate of the village and held upright,one on each side of the entralnce;the
elders said that in the ceremoniiesaccordingto Masai fashion the matamatiyuhad
the same significanceas the nmugumo tree had in the Kikuyu ceremonial. The
candidatescame throughthe village dancing and singingall the timeup to near
the matamnaiyubranches,and stoppeda few yards away fromthem,still dancing

and Beliefs.
C. W. HOBLEY.-I(ikuym Customs 445
and singing. The song did not appear to have any greatsignificance, being to the
effectthat fromtime immemorialthey always had the matamnaiyu at these
festivals,and now it had come they could proceed to circumcisethe candidates
accordingto old custom.
They then all returnedto the village,and thecandidateswere arrangedin the
order in which thev could be circumcisedon the morrow. The owner of the
village divestedhimselfof his blanketand donnedan oily karossmade of goatskin
fromwhichall thehairhad been scraped; his hands were carefullywiped and some
ira (the whiteearth previouslymentioned)was pouredinto the palm of his hand
froma small gourd. He then commencedat the left of the line and anointed
each candidateon differelnt parts of the body with smearsof the whiteearth; he
was assistedby his principalwifeand two sistersand anotherelder.
The boys were firsttouchedon the tongue,and a line was then drawn down
the foreheadto the point of the nose,a spot was placed on the throat,the navel,
the palm of each hand,and finallybetweenthe big toe and firsttoe.
The procedurewith the girls was slightly different, first the tongue was
smeared,then a horizontalline was drawn across the forehead,thenthe palms of
the hands,the navel, and finallya band was drawnroundeach ankle.
After the candidates had thus been anointed,the elders took mouthfulsof
honeybeer out of a horn and blew it in spray over each candidate's head and
shoulders. This part of the proceedingswas a ceremonyintended to puirifythe
candidatesfromany thahu whichmightbe on them,and to protectthemfromany
thahu,wlhichwas possessedby an onlooker,being transferred to a candidate. The
spectators" ululued " loudlyduringthis operation.
It was thenabout 2 p.m.,and nothing furtherof importancetook place, the
crowd,whichhad been graduallygrowing,however,danced on till sundown.
At niohtfallI was told that each candidate receiveda dose of the crushed
seeds of a plant called ngaita which acted as an aperient,and in the morning
beforethe operationeach one had to bathe in waterin whichan axe head had been
placed to make it cold; it was howeverstated thatif therewere a large number
some would not botherabout this,but would bathe in the neareststream.
The operationtook place at dawn on the followingmorning,and was not
witnessed. No firewoodbut that fromthe matamaiyut treeis allowed to be used
in the hut wherethe candidatesstay afterthe operation.
This custom of circumcisionaccording to the two different systemsapplies
to both sexes. Both classes dance with the oval wooden shields called ndomi
before circumcision,and travel throughthe districtpainted with white clay in
zig-zagstripes.
A man circumcisedaccordingto Masai fashioncan marrya girl circumcised
according to Kikuyu fashion and viceversd; but a medicineman and the elders
have to performa ceremonyto changethe girl fromKikuyu to Masai beforethe
marriagecan take place. The ceremonyis said to be as follows:-a male sheep
is killed and the small intestinesare extracted. The medicine man and the girl

446 C. W. HOBLEY.-KikuyU Customsand Beliefs.
take hold of them,and the eldersthen cllt the intestines with threepieces of
wood sharpenedto a knifeedge and made of mathakwa, mukeo, and mulkenya
bushes. A pieceof intestixneis cutwitheach knife. The girl is then anoinlted
withthe fat of the sheep by anotherwomanand smearedoverwithtatha(the
stomachcontents) mixedwithwater.
In the case of a marriagebetweena couplebeloniging to differentguildsthe
man neverchanges;itis alwaysthe woman who relinquishesthesystemin which
shewasbroughtup. A man can,however, at his ownwishand forreasonsofhis
ownchangehis guild,thatis to say,a man brought up Masai fashioncan change
overto theKikuyuside. It is a muchsimplermatterforhimthanfora woman;
a male sheep is killed by the,elders,and a medicineman thencomesand puts
himthrough theordinary purificationcerenmony.
A manusuallybelongsto the guildof his father, thatis to say,he is circum-
cised accordingto the systemof his fatherand grandfather beforehim. The
markof a personcircumcised Masai fashionis as follows:-a copperringis placed
in the lowerlobeof eachear,aild a pieceof stickwithan ostrichfeather on it is
boundon eachsideof thehead; a bandof sansevierafibre, ndivai,is boundround
theforehead, and on thisbandbirdskinsare fastened.
Theywear theseornamnents for eightdays only; theyalso carrybowsand
arrowsand wearsandals. Aftereightdays theyput offtheornaments and give
up thebowsand arrows, leavingthemin thevillagewheretheywerecircumcised.
Theythenhavetheirheadsshavedat thevillagre and returnhome.
Thosecircumcised Kikuyufashiongo through noneof this,butwearfortwo
daysa stripof banana fibre, rnaigoia,in the lobeof each ear. Theyalso wear in
their ears for five days afterrecoverya round plug of mununga wood whitened
on the topwithira and a necklaceof the leaves of the mutathiplant. Thisis
probablya protectivemagicto preservethemfromevil influenceduringtheir
convalescence.
The marksjust enumerated onlyapply to the male sex. With regardto
girlsfurtherinquiryhas elicitedthefollowing facts:-A girlwhosefatherbelongs
to the Masai guild wears rings of copper on each ankle; these are called
ndogonmyi. A girlwhosefatherbelongsto the Kikuyuiguild wears an ankletof
ironwithlittlerattlesattachedto it; thisis callednyararunga.
If a girlwho is Masai marriesa manwhois Kikuyuthendogonyi are taken
offat marriage.If a girlwhois Kikuyumarriesa manwhois Masai she doesnot,
however, discardthenyarar-unga.
The elaborateceremonial of old daysin connection withcircumcision
is now
rapidlydyingout in SouthernKikuyu.
Inquiries were made as to whetherthe bull-roarer,which is well known in
Kikuyu as kiburuti,was used in these ceremonies,but curiouslyenoughit appears
to only surviveas a child's toy,whereasin manyof the neighbouring tribes
that and its firstcousin,the frictiondrum,are regularlyused in initiation
ceremonial.

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kilkcyu Customsand Beliefs. 447
-Extinction of fire in a hut.-Though unconnectedwiththe thahlubeliefs as

far as can be discovered,the ill luck whichis associatedwith the extinctionof
firein a hut is ratherinterestingto note.
If a man has several huts and the firegoes out in all of themin a single
nightit is extremelyunlucky. He must at once summon the elders,and they
kill a mnalesheep and sprinkle some of the stomachcontentsor tatha on each
fireplace. If his nearest neighbourslive some little way offhe religThts the fire
by mneans of a firestick,mwaki but
ku-thegetha, if they live near by he begs some
fire from them. When the sheep is killed theyalso frythe fatin a cookingpot
and sprinkle some of it in the village and pray to Ngai (God)-" We give thee
fat to drink,and beg thee not to extinguishthe fireagain."
If fire goes out in the hut of a medicineman it is not necessaryforhim to
kill a sheep like ordinarypeople,but he feels the ill luck all the same,forhe will
not travel next day, and if anyone comes to him formedicineor to be purified
he will not performthe ceremonyuntil a whole day has elapsed.
The elderswho were interrogatedabout this were quite clear that it was God
who put out the fireand not the Ngomaor spirits.
Mfiscellanea.-Acuriouscustomwas recentlynoticed duringa journeyamong
the Kikuyu. The dessicated carcass of a cow or ox was nioticedin the branches
of a tree by the roadside a little distance froma village,and it appears that if
cattle are lodged at the village of a friend and one should die, the owner is
informed,and he is asked to come over and see it and remove the meat. If he
does not come for some reason or other the carcass is hoisted into a treeso that
all may see. The object of this is that people may know that the beast was not
surreptitiously killed and eaten by the people of the village, and no claim can
then be lodged againistthemby the owner.
Occasionallyin a Kikuyu village the vertebraof an ox may be seen trans-
fixed on the stick whichsur-nountsa grain hut. This is a charmto keep butter-
flies away fromthe village,as it is believed that these insects carrysickness to
the goats and sheep.
PURIFICATION BY MEDICINE MAN.
KU-TAHIKIA IN KIKUYU.
Referencehas been repeatedlymade in this paper to purificationby the

medicine man, which generally concludes the ceremonies connected with the
removalof thahu. This ceremonyis the same in all cases in whichit is considered
necessary; it may vary a little accordingto the practice of a particularmedicine
man,but that is all.

448 C. W. HOBLEY.-KikuyutCustornsand Beliefs.
The writerwas recentlypresentat one of these ceremonies,and the procedure

was as follows:-The medicineman firstreceived a sheep; he then made a small
incision between the hoofsof the rightforeleg and rubbed a little medicineinto
the wound. This medicine was a powder made fromthe mararia bush and
mahunyuru,which is the epidermis and hair of a sheep. Probably the idea
underlyingthis was a consecrationof the animal forthe purposeof the ceremony.
The medicineman then broughta numberof sprigsof the variousplants-
Mahoroa,
furumbai,
Uruti-Emilia?
MUukandu,
ibtchatha-Emilca,
Sp.,
Matei or Mitei,
Ihurura, a creeping,vine-likeplant.
He separatedtheseinto two bundles,and bound each-atthe base with the creeper
ihurura,and theyresembledtwo hand brushesof greenleaves.
The motherof the patient or person who was to be purifiedthen fetched
about a pint of water fromthe stream,carryingit in a couple of banana leaves
laid over each other. A small depressionwas scooped in the ground,and the
water still in the banana leaves was depositedtherein. The medicine man and
the patient squatted opposite to each other. The formerthen put a varietyof
powdersin the water. These were enumeratedas follows:
(1) Powder made fromthe stomachcontentsof the treehyrax.
(2) Buthukumade fromthe muhokoraroot.
(3) Umiu,a reddishpowdermade fromthe root of a thornyplant.
(4) A powdermade fromthe irura (papyrus)and the mahoroaplant.
He then produced the dried right black fore foot of a sheep,dipped it in the
water,stirredup the contents,and placed the wetted foot in the mouth of the
patient,who licked it vigorouslyand then expectoratedthe liquid on to the ground.
This was repeatedsome twentyor thirtytiimes,and the medicineman all thewhile
recountedall kinds of dangersand evils in a chantingvoice with a generalrefrain,
"May you be delivered fromall these." He then took one of the bundles of
plants and dipped the lower end in the water. The patient licked it and
expectoratedas beforedescribed,the medicineman chantingthe whole time.
The same procedurewas then adopted with the secondbundle of leaves.
The patientthen stoodup, the medicineman took one of the brushes,dipped
it in the water, and sprinkledthe patient'shead and wiped the frontof his body
with the wetted bundle of leaves. The patient then turned round and the back
of his body was similarlytreated.
The patient then knelt down and washed his face withthe water and then
washed each footand leg. This done,he wiped his face,feet,and legs,firstwith
one bundle and then with the other. The patient then put his fingerinto the

C. W. HOBLEY.-KikCUyU Customsand Beliefs. 449
water and piercedthe banana leaf basin,and the watersoaked away into the earth.
The mnedicine man thengatheredup the banana leaves and his bundle of leaves
and depositedthemon the village manureheap, kiaraini.
There was still a final stage of the proceeding,viz., the anointingwithwhite
clay,ira. The patientstill stood in frontof the medicine man, who took from
a small gourd some of the whiteearth,and smearedit down the line of the nose,
on the upper lip, under the chin,on the rightand left big toe,and on the palms
of bothhands. He then took a littleof the medicinescalled irura and muhokora
and placed a littlein the palm of each hand of the patient,who crossed his hands
and, holding them in this position,alternatelylicked each palm. The medicine
man thenlicked a littleof.the above medicine,and the ceremonywas finished.
The purification ceremonycannot be performed withoutpayment,or it is of
no avail.
APPENDIX.
GENERATIONSOF THE A-KIKUYU.
In the December number of Main, 1908, the Hon. K. Dundas gives a list of
the Rika or circumcisionages of the A-Kikuyu whichprobablygoes back about
into detail; and certain
100 years or so, but this enumerationdid not go sufficiently
importantpointswere missed,so it has now been revised.
2bv!o9Fourwell-known elders, named Katonyo wa Munene, Karanja wa Hiti,
Ithongawa Kaithuma,and Mukuria wa Mucheru,were consulted,and thefollowing
lists are probably as reliable as any such lists,dependentas theymiustbe on the
memoryof old men, can be. The firstlist was given me by the firsttwo,the
second list by the second two. There are slightvariations,but these are almost
unavoidableunderthe circumstances.
Morika, singular-Rika, plural, is the circumcisionage or generation,and
corresponds more or less to the poror among the Masai. The Bika called
Manjiri, Mamba,Mandzuti, and Chumawere not recognizedby eitherof the elders,
who both commencedtheir count with Chiira, which is obviously the same as
Shiera of Dundas' paper, possibly the furthernorth one goes amongthe Kikuyu
tribethe fartherback will go theirlegends.
The followingis the list beginningat the mostremotepoint:-
VERSION L
1. Chiira.
2. Mathathi.

3. Enderni.
4. Iregi )
5. Kiarie These three,it is said, are oftengroupedas Iregi.
6. KCam.a
o J
7. Kinuthia
8. Karanja
9. JNjuguna The fathersof the oldestmen alive in the countrybelonged
10. Kinnyanju I to theseages,and theyare called Jaina.
11. Kathuru
12. NV#nanga J
13. Njerogi>,
means the orphans,ChiefKatonyo is of this morika.
14. Wainaina, means thosewho shiveredduringthe circumcisionceremony.
15. Mu3ngai, means swelled faces.
16. Kitao, refersto theireatingcolocasia rootsaftertheywere circumcised.
17. Ngua ya nina, thosewho wore theirmothers'clothes.
18. 211bugwaor Because the circumcisionwoundsdid not heal.
Kucht J
19. ilwiruri,name of a song theysang at the ceremonythat year.
20. Jwitungu,means sinallpox.
21. Kiambuthi,called Mwangi,thoseof the dancingplace.
22. Kirira or Because firewas seen on Kenya at the timeof the circumcision
qrugi J ceremony.
23. Manqorio,named after a sweet smelling tree used to decoratethe youths
aftercircumcision.
24. Rohangha, named after a girl who had decorated her ears before
marriage.
25. Wanyoiki,because theycame one by one to the place of circumcision.
26. Boro,the big stomachof a sheep.
27. Irnburu,the poorpeople (therewas a famineat the time).
28. Ngo'raya.
29. Kiniti, froma song.
30. Ingigi, season of the locusts (Katonyo's son, Thuku, belongs to this
generation).
:1.Mutgu Called Mwan,giTime of the smallpox,probablyabout 1895.
32. Kenjeko J LWhen circumcisedtheywent to dig potatoes
in the fields.
33. Karmande n r
Time of the caterpillarplague.
34. Wanyaregi The wanderers.
35. Kanyuto Called fwiringhu.This The man-eatingleopards; there
is a name given by the were several about in that
youths themselves to year.
36. Thegengi this age. They will The year of the cuttingof the
probably be renamed ! ironawire.

C. W. HOBLEY.-Kik6yu Customsand Beliefs. 451
37. Kariangarac later by the elders fTheyate gruelmade ofiminature

or Hatiba when the generation maize (Thuku's son belongsto
is complete. this year).
38. N]jege The porcupines.
39. Mafkio J LNamed after a liquid magic
medicine which was sold in
Kikuyu during the year.
Those circumcised in 1910
belong to this morika,it will
finishearly in 1911.
VERSION IL
1. Chiiira. 24. Marire.

2. Miathathi. 25. Wangigi.
3. Endemi. 26. Ngua ya nina.
4. Iregi. 27. Wakirutu.
5. ukfulria. 28. Jlfougwa or Kitindiko.
6. Kicharu. 29. Awitongu.
7. Kar,mao. 30. lfwi,ruri.
8. Kiarie. 31. Uchu.
9. Kirnemta. 32. Kiambuthi.
10. Kimani. 33. Ngugi or Ki,rira.
11. Karanja. 34. Mangorio.
12. Kinuthia. 35. Bohangha.
13. .Njuguna. 36. TVanyoike.
14. Kinyanjui or Kathuru. 3 7. Kinyiti.
15. Ngnanga. 38. Imboru.
16. l\5erogi. 39. Ingigi.
17. Ubu. 40. MJlutungu.
18. Wainaina These are often 41. Kenjeko.
19. Kangnethi groupedas Wai- 42. Kamande.
20. Kitao. J naina.
21. Vu,nyqai
o
22. Injehia lOften groupedas
23. Iiairanga I lfungai.
23. HJaiorangaJ
This bringsus up to the last few years, and the elders said they had no
interestin them.
The name given to the morikagenerallyhas some topical allusion to an event
whichoccurredduringthe year and about the timeof the circumcisionceremonies;
in courseof time,and the derivationsin
these allusions of coursebecomeforgotten
manycases now appear senseless.
One morikaextendsover two years or fourKikuyu seasons,called Kimera.

452 and Beliefs.
C. W. HOBLEY.-KikUyu Customns
The terms Mafinaand iwangias names for the rika of the last fiftyyears
seem to be fixedas faras one can gather,eg. :-
The ChiefKatonyo's fatherwas Maina.
Katonyo himselfis [wangi.
Katonyo's childrenare Mllaina.
Katonyo's grandchildrenwhen circumcisedbecomneAwangi.
His greatgrandchildrenwhen circumcisedbecomeMaaina.
So apparentlyeverypersonwhencircumcisedtakes the name of the morikaof
his grandfather.
The word morikais used indifferently as applyingto the largergroupas well
as to the group of a particular year. Any youngmen,however,who have been
circumcisedof recent years, and are still under the class Mwiringhu,would not
be called Mwangiuntil the group of years was complete.
The time of the completionof a groupofyearsis decidedby the elders,but
what determinedthe commencement of a new groupwas not ascertained.
These rika names only apply to males.
[Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, and 12 are fromphotographskindlylent by Mr. A. C.

Hollis.]

FIG. I.-SUGARt CANES OVER GATE, OF VILLAGE. FIG. 2.-FOOD FOR CEREMONIAL F
TO BE TIED ROUND LEG
FIG. 3.-EATING CEREMONIAL FOOD. FIG. 4.-EATING CER

SCENES AT AtMAMBURA," KIKUYU CIRCUMCISION FEAST, ACCORDING TO KIKUYU FASHIO
KIKUYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

FIG. 1.-MALE CANDIDATES. FIG. 2.-THE T
| -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-
FIG. 3.-FEMALE CANDIDATES. FIG. 4.-WARRIORS PR

SCENES AT "tMAMBURA, KIKUYU CIRCUMCISION FEAST, ACCORDING TO KIKUYU FASHI
KIKUYUJ CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

Journal of the Royal AnthropologicalInstitute, Vol. XL, 1910, Plate XXX.
FIG. 1.-WARRIORS AT THE FEAST, SHOWING FIG. 2.--MEN CLIMBING INTO THE "MUGUMO FIG TREE
ORNAMENTATION. TO GATHER LEAVES.
M11
FIG. 3.-FIG TREE FULL OF PEOPLE. FIG. 4.-CHIEF KINARYIRI AND HIS HEADMEN AT THE FEAST.
SCENES AT "CMAMBURA,"' KIKUYU CIRCUMCISION FEAST, ACCORDING TO KIKUYU FASHION.
KIKLJYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.


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British East Africa: Kikuyu Customs and Beliefs.

Thahu and its Connection with Circumcision

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BP,RITISH EAST AFRICA.

KIKUYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

THAHU AND ITS CONNECTION WITH CIRCUMCISION RITES.

[WITH PLATES XXVIII-XXX.]

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This applies to both sectionsof the tribe.

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(22) If a man has connectionwitha womanfrombehind,theyare both thahtu.

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cohabitswith a womanin this conditionhe is thahm. The personwho is contami-

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thahat,anld must be slaughteredthereand then; it is killed by the owner,and the

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(52) If a womansleeps withher leathergarmentinside out it is unlucky,but

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This beliefmakes it easy forthe missionariesto explain to the A-Kikuyu the

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again,"and whichmust be undergoneby young people before theyare eligiblefor

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made of a creeper called nkqurwa;the girls were nude as faras clotheswent,but

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-Extinction of fire in a hut.-Though unconnectedwiththe thahlubeliefs as

PURIFICATION BY MEDICINE MAN.

Referencehas been repeatedlymade in this paper to purificationby the

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.154 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:42:15 PM

The writerwas recentlypresentat one of these ceremonies,and the procedure

This content downloaded from 193.142.30.154 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 12:42:15 PM

GENERATIONSOF THE A-KIKUYU.

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37. Kariangarac later by the elders fTheyate gruelmade ofiminature

1. Chiiira. 24. Marire.

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[Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, and 12 are fromphotographskindlylent by Mr. A. C.

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FIG. 3.-EATING CEREMONIAL FOOD. FIG. 4.-EATING CER

KIKUYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

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FIG. 3.-FEMALE CANDIDATES. FIG. 4.-WARRIORS PR

KIKUYUJ CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

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KIKLJYU CUSTOMS AND BELIEFS.

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