Who were Gikuyu and Mumbi?
It is believed that Ngai created and put the first man (Gikuyu) and woman (Mumbi) on earth. Traditionally, the Kikuyu trace their origin to this couple. According to folk tales, one day Ngai appeared to Gikuyu and allotted him the land at the south-west of Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga).
Where does the name Mumbi come from?
The name Mumbi comes from the Bantu root verb KUMBA, “BA”, the same root word that gives rise to “UMBA”. The prefix “Mu” is the Bantu noun classifier for nouns that have souls, like humans. The verb UMBA indicates the action of moulding, shaping, designing or creating.
Where did the Agikuyu migrate from?
They belong to a northeastern Bantu-speaking group. They are believed to have belonged to a long-term movement of Bantu-speakers who migrated from Central Africa or Tanzania in precolonial times.
Who were the first parents of Kikuyu?
To the Gĩkũyũ people, those who possessed the greatest life force, those closest to God were the first parents created by God because God directly gave them the vital living force. These first parents were so respected to be treated almost like God himself.
Who married gikuyu daughters?
When time came for the daughters to start families of their own, their father prayed and offered sacrifice to Ngai under a fig (Mugumo) tree. The next day nine men appeared under the mugumo tree who married the daughters. They became the ancestors of the nine Kikuyu clans.
Who married Gikuyu daughters?
What does Mumbie mean?
The word Mũmbi can be translated as “one who moulds”. Being derived from a Bantu root, the word Mumbi is also widely used by the Kamba ethnic community. Among the Kamba community the name carries the same meaning as among the Kikuyu’s.
How many clans are in Kikuyu?
nine
According to Kikuyu mythology, there were nine (or nine plus one) original clans. Two clans, the Acera and Agaciku, are thought to have formed through contact with neighboring Kamba. The largest clan is the Anjiru; its members were formerly renowned as great warriors and medicine men.
Where did God make Gikuyu and Mumbi from?
God made Gĩkũyũ and placed him near Mount Kenya at a place called Mũkũrwe wa Gathanga God saw that he was lonely and gave him a wife, Mũmbi. Gĩkũyũ and Mũmbi were blessed with nine daughters, but no sons. The daughters’ names, arranged from the eldest to the youngest were as follows:
How did the Gikuyu nation get its name?
Among the Kamba community the name carries the same meaning as among the Kikuyus. The story of the origin of the Agĩkũyũ: God ( Ngai or Mũgai – The Divider/sharer/Giver) created Gĩkũyũ and Mumbi, the founders of the Gikuyu nation. The nation is named after Mumbi (Nyumba ya Mumbi).
What do the Agikuyu call the Mumbi people?
The Agĩkũyũ refer to each other as Andũ a Nyũmba ya Mũmbi or people of the house or home of Mũmbi.
Who are the Mothers of the nine Gikuyu clans?
According to the mythology of the Gikuyu, the first parents Gikuyu and Mumbi after arriving at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga begat “nine” daughters who were the subsequently the mothers of the “nine” Kikuyu clans that bear their name. This is what Father Cagnolo writing in his book “The Akikuyu” published in 1933 wrote.