The story of Gikuyu and Mumbi is one of the most important myths in Kikuyu (Agĩkũyũ) tradition from Kenya. It explains the origin of the Kikuyu people, their family structure, and their connection to the land.
Genesis 1:1, In the begining God created heavens and earth,the earth was formless wasteland hence God saw it was good to create a Man and a Woman to take care of the lands.The same case as the gikuyu story that says..
The Beginning
Long ago, Ngai (God), the creator of everything, made a man called Gikuyu. Ngai placed him at the top of Mount Kenya (which the Kikuyu call Kirinyaga, meaning “the place of brightness”). From there, Ngai showed Gikuyu a beautiful land at the mountain’s foothills and told him:
“This will be your home. I give it to you, and you shall till the soil and feed your children.”This quote is also found at the time God was talking to Abraham.
Gikuyu descended to live in this fertile land, full of rivers, forests, and rich soil.
Mumbi – The Mother
Later, Ngai gave Gikuyu a wife named Mumbi (meaning “the molder” or “the creator”). Together they lived happily in the land and raised a family."Genesis(1:27)",God created A woman for the man
After they were created this where the story changes.There is no statement where there were only daughters born with one man.
The Nine (or Ten) Daughters
Gikuyu and Mumbi had nine daughters (some versions say ten). Their names became very important, because each one became the ancestress of a major Kikuyu clan. The daughters were:
Their were given name according to their purpose as the same case as the characters in the bible.The most favoured one seemed to be Njambi"the queen of intelligence)
Wanjirũ,Wambui,Wanjiku,Wangui,Wamuyu,Nyambura,Wairimu,Waceera,Njirui,Muthoni.
(Traditionally, they are referred to as the “nine daughters” even though some accounts mention a tenth.)
Wamuyu was the last known as Aicakamuyu clan.
The Mystery of Marriage
At first, the daughters had no husbands. Gikuyu prayed to Ngai, asking what to do. Ngai instructed him to make sacrifices under a sacred fig tree (mũgumo).(As to how he told abraham to sacrifice isaac to show his loyalty). After Gikuyu obeyed, nine strong men appeared from the mysteriously from the flames of sacrifice.(might be this where moses was standing and a burning bush appeared.) These men married the daughters, and from them came the nine Kikuyu clans.
Each clan traces its origin to one of Mumbi’s daughters, and that’s why the Kikuyu call themselves the House of Mumbi (Nyũmba ya Mũmbi).
Meaning of the Story
Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga) is sacred, seen as the dwelling place of Ngai.
The fig tree (mũgumo) remains a holy symbol in Kikuyu culture.
The nine (or ten) daughters explain Kikuyu clan organization.
The story ties the people to their land as a divine inheritance.
In short: Gikuyu and Mumbi are the founding parents of the Kikuyu people, chosen by God and blessed with the land and the daughters who gave rise to the clans.
The questions.
1.The simirality of the storys of the bible and how the formation of the gikuyu clan,question the ethinicity.
2.The use of the Flame,it is a statement the God emphasies in the bible to show how powerful he is.
3.The storys have no continuation,in the case of the of the gikuyimu we are not told what are the names of the grandchildren and also what did the the children of the men did for the living.In the bible the after children nobody knows their story.
4.The nine children,the number nine always symbolises the number of the month the women takes to give birth.
Comments (0)