Kikuyu people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 6,622,576 in Kenya (as at 2009 National Census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kenya | |
| Languages | |
| Gĩkũyũ, Swahili | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, traditional African religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Embu, Meru, Mbeere, Kamba, Sonjo other Bantu peoples |
| Person | Mũgĩkũyũ/Mũndũ |
|---|---|
| People | Agĩkũyũ |
| Language | Gĩgĩkũyũ |
The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. They speak the Bantu Kikuyu language as a mother tongue. The term Kikuyu is the Swahili form of the native pronunciation Gĩkũyũ. They are also referred to as the Agĩkũyũ or Nyũmba ya Mũmbi. Gĩkũyũ literally means a huge sycamore (mũkũyũ) tree and Agĩkũyũ thus literally refers to the children of the huge sycamore.
According to the 2009 Kenya Population & Housing Census, there are an estimated 6,622,576 Gĩkũyũ people in Kenya, about 16.9% of the country's total population.
Mythically, the nation of the Agĩkũyũ came from two original parents who were created by God, namely Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi. The word Gĩkũyũ means 'a huge sycomore tree'. Ngai refers to the creator who happens to be a life companion to the sycomore, the sacred tree from which the nation originated. The Kikuyu are of a Bantu people. They constitute the single largest ethnic group in Kenya, and are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya. The exact place that the Kikuyu's ancestors migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion from West Africa is uncertain. Some authorities suggest that they arrived in their present Mount Kenya area of habitation from earlier settlements further to the north and east, while others argue that the Kikuyu, along with their closely related Eastern Bantu neighbors the Embu, Meru, Mbeere, and Kamba moved into Kenya from points further north.
Until the arrival of Europeans, the Agĩkũyũ preserved geographic and political power from almost all external influence for many generations; they had never been subdued. Just before the arrival of the British, Arabs were involved in slave trade and their caravans passed at the southern edges of the Agĩkũyũ nation. Slavery as an institution did not exist amongst the Agĩkũyũ, nor did they make raids for the capture of slaves. The Arabs who tried to venture into Agĩkũyũ land met instant death. Relying on a combination of land purchases, blood-brotherhood (partnerships), intermarriage with other people, and their adoption and absorption, the Agĩkũyũ were in a constant state of territorial expansion. Economically, the Agĩkũyũ were great farmers and shrewd businesspeople. Besides farming and business, the Agĩkũyũ were involved in small scale industries with professions such as bridge building, string making, wire drawing, and iron chain making. The Agĩkũyũ had a great sense of justice (kihooto).
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Wikipedia