TRADITIONS

Kaya elders uphold traditional faith

Despite early introduction of Christianity and Islam at the Coast, some individuals among the Mijikenda have stuck to traditional worship. Each of the nine tribes of the Mijikenda has its own Kaya (shrine). Mzee Pekeshe Ndeje, a Kaya elder, says the Kayas (shrines) are worship centres.Before becoming a kaya elder, one must undergo a rigorous test to check his perseverance, bravery and endurance.

A Kaya elder who conducts service in the forest must be beyond childbearing age so that children do not distract them from their services to the community.
Kaya elders are treated as priests and normally conduct prayer sessions in the forest.
Ndeje observed that the elderly men who put on the red, white and blue robes are mature enough to conduct prayers inside the Kaya. However, unlike other religions, the Kaya is out of bound for children. Only persons above 18 years are allowed inside the prayer venue.

“Ours is a way of life and one has to be old enough to be taken through the process,” Ndeje said.
As part of the religions dos and don’ts, worshippers are not allowed to wear shoes, shirts, trousers or any modern dressing. “Worshippers are only allowed to put on a shuka of a particular colour. Those who disobey are punished,” said Ndeje. Prayers in the shrines are held when the community is facing a problem viewed by elders as a threat to their survival.

Ndeje said several prayers have yielded results whenever the community faces severe drought.
“To demonstrate that God listens to us, when we go to the forest to pray for rain, it starts raining before we get back to our houses. This gives us confidence that our God is with us,” said Ndeje. Another elder, Mzee Abdalla Mnyenze, said sometimes the community makes sacrifices during prayers.

Role of religion

The most common animals sacrificed by the Mijikenda during worship are black cows and goats.
“Sacrifices by the community help God listen to our prayers and bring us closer to our creator,” said Myenze. These animals are normally slaughtered as offering when the community is faced with war or disease outbreak. Mnyenze said despite the influence of Western cultures, the Mijikenda way of worship has remained strong and receives support from educated people in the community.

African traditional religion is more than a culture because it spells out how people should behave.
The Mijikenda religion has set out clear rules on managing households, division of labour between husbands and wives and their duties. Ndeje noted that in case of a major problem, the community conducts joint prayers at the Kayafungo headquarters in Kaloleni District.
Kayafungo (shrine) is the largest prayer venue and decisions made by the community in that forest are and binding. To demonstrate how the community still embraces traditional religion, two years ago Mvita MP, Najib Balala was crowed “a Kaya elder” at Mwawesa village.
This infuriated Mijikendas, including Balala’s supporters, who described the incident as unacceptable and invasion of their place of worship by foreigners. The white, red and blue robes won by the Kaya elders, mostly during political functions, are used during worship.

By Ngumbao Kithi
THE STANDARD
Published on 27/07/2008
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