The Akamba in British East Africa: An Ethnological Monograph

Front matter

THE AKAMBA

AN ETHNOLOGICAL MONOGRAPH

BY

Introduction

During my linguistic and ethnographical researches in East Africa, which covered the period December 1910 to June 1912, my work was centred on the Akamba, a Bantu people living by agriculture, cattle-raising, and hunting, in the highlands south of Mount Kenia. I lived among these people from January to November I911 and from January to March 1912, and found among them a practically untrodden field of work. It is true the Akamba were not discovered yesterday; Dr Krapf was the first European to visit them (in 1849), but the many travellers who have hurried through the country have not given themselves time to stay there, since they have had more interesting goals before their eyes, generally Kenia or Lake Victoria. Thus, although the Akamba are mentioned in many Travels, they have not hitherto been the object of systematic study (the literature in which the people is dealt with will be mentioned below). My endeavour has therefore been to collect the material for as complete a monograph over the Kamba people as possible, dealing with material and intellectual culture (language, folk-lore, &c), and also taking into consideration anthropological conditions. The present treatise includes the results of the most important of my investigations into the subject of the Akamba’s intellectual culture. Lack of space and time, however, compels me to postpone the consideration of a number of subjects, among them the whole question of the medicine-man and the magics. Among the diversity of isolated questions that have had to be passed over, may be mentioned the following: customs associated with menstruation, many cases where sexual intercourse is prescribed or forbidden, different purification processes for removing »ceremonial uncleanness», different kinds of omens, &c.

The main points in the life of the individual which have been dealt with, would have been completed and made more exhaustive by a complete account of the development of the child and of family life. I hope subsequently to get an opportunity of working up these and many other points. But at the risk of seeming pretentious I consider that I may claim that, when once it is worked up, my total material will be sufficient for one of the most complete monographs that has been written about a people of the Bantu race.

Anyone who has been engaged in practical ethnological research work knows how warily one must go to work in order to gain reliable information. As often as that has been possible, I have with my own eyes been a witness of most of the practical occupations, as well as of different customs and ceremonies. In cases when I have been driven to fall back on oral statements, I have made a special point of obtaining them from reliable authorities. Information which has been obtained from one quarter has assiduously been controlled by enquiries in other quarters. This is essentially necessary, for it happens all too often that one and the same individual returns different answers to the same question on different occasions.

The putting of leading questions has been ‘avoided, for the native easily guesses what answer his interrogator would have, and if he is on good terms with him, he gives the desired answer in order to please. Even when leading questions are avoided, caution must be observed, for it often happens that the interrogated individual answers at random, in order to get rid of the troublesome questioner as quickly as possible. Further, I have only in exceptional cases turned for information to people from missionary stations, since the native unconsciously incorporates a good deal of what he hears there with his own conceptions; or else he is, or pretends to be, superior to the customs and traditions of his own people, with the consequence that he does not give a true picture of their beliefs and ideas. If, for example, he is questioned upon a matter which, from our moral standpoint, is condemnable, he perhaps feels embarrassed, and conveys the impression that the natives themselves also regard the custom in question as something repugnant, which is often by no means the case.

Finally, it is important in any study of primitive conceptions, to abandon one’s own standpoint and try to assume that of the natives, endeavouring to see things through their eyes. The author commenced his work with a somewhat limited acquaintance with

Introduction 5 general ethnology; but on the other hand, he set to work without the encumbrance of preconceived opinions and theories, and this I think has facilitated my efforts to grasp the natives’ way of thinking.

If it can be managed, linguistic and ethnological studies ought to proceed side by side. From my own experience, I know how much nearer one comes to the natives when one knows their language. Especially in East Africa, there is a great temptation not to trouble oneself about learning any other language than Kisuaheli, the >lingua franca» of East Africa. But even the most intelligent and skilful interpreter is not always able to interpret exactly, for the corresponding expression perhaps does not exist in Kisuaheli, and the interpreter finds himself driven to resort to other words, through which the original meaning is lost. I have had opportunities of making this observation more than once on the English government stations, when questions concerning the natives were under consideration.

It is of special difficulty to elicit the reason for a custom. Sometimes one succeeds after many if’s and but’s, but in most cases the stereotyped answer is: »It is a custom handed down from our fathers» (xz maundu ma andu ala ma tene). Of course the natives themselves very often do not know why they do this or that, but the African is very conservative and does not offend against time-honoured custom, even though he feels it to be troublesome and oppressive; if he did so, misfortune would come upon him. Often, indeed, the original reason for a custom has been lost sight of, and a native will give secondary reasons, or even his own explanation. Ordinarily, it hardily occurs to him to reflect upon the reason for a certain custom, any more than it occurs to us to ask why it is considered impolite to shake hands without first drawing off the glove, the explanation of which is, of course, that many centuries ago the warrior used to protect his hands with iron gauntlets. However, the ethnologist who asks »why?» is often helped by a comparative study of peoples; it often happens that the solution of a problem which has to be abandoned for the time being as insoluble, is met with far away in another quarter of the world.

The following works embrace all the literature of value that has been written about the Akamba, as far as I am aware. They are given in chronological order, since none of them can really be considered as quite scientific authorities, and it would not be worth while to try to make any distinctions. On the whole rather few scientifically trained observers have ever been among the African negroes:

J. L. Krapf, Reisen in Ost-Afrika 1837-55. Stuttgart 1858. Translated into English under the title of »Travels, Researches, and Missionary Labours», London 1860.

J. M. Hildebrandt, Ethnographische Notizen iiber Wakamba und ihre Nachbarn. Zeitschrift fir Ethnologie 1878 (pp. 347—-406).

Kolb, Im Lande der Wakamba. Luth. Miss. Blatt. 1898.

J. Hofmann, Geburt, Heirat und Tod bei den Wakamba. Leipzig 1901. Verlag der Ev.-Luth. Mission. 24 pp.

E. Brutzer, Begegnungen mit Wakamba. Leipzig 1902. Verl. der Ev.-Luth. Mission. 32 pp.

E. Brutzer, Der Geisterglaube bei den Kamba. Leipzig 1905. Verl. der Ev.-Luth. Mission. 16 pp.

E. Brutzer, Tierfabeln der Akamba. Archiv fiir Anthropologie 1g1o, Pp. 523-542.

C. V. Hobley, The Akamba and other East-African Tribes. Cambridge 1910 (pp. I—1I17).

C. V. Hobley, Further Researches into Kikuyu and Kamba Religious Beliefs and Customs. Jour. Anthropol. Institute 1911, pp. 406—457.

C. V. Hobley, Kamba Protective Magic. Man 1g12.

C. V. Hobley, Kamba games. Man 1912, pp. 179—180.

In »Totemism and Exogamy>», Frazer has a chapter on »Totemism among the A-Kamba» (vol. I, p. 420), which is a reproduction of Hobley's account in The Akamba etc.

There are a considerable number of works in which the Akamba are mentioned more or less in passing:

L. v. Hohnel, Zum Rudolph-See und Stephanie-See. Vienna 1892. J. W. Gregory, The Great Rift Valley. London 1896, pp. 346—351. H. B. Johnstone, Notes on the Customs of the Tribes occupying

Mombasa Sub-District. Jour. Anthropol. Inst. 1902 pp. 263—272. H. R. Tate, Notes on the Kikuyu and Kamba Tribes of British East

A short estimate of the respective values of the above-mentioned books will not be out of place here.

Mr Hobley, who is commissioner for the province of Ukamba and a prominent expert in matters connected with various East African peoples, gives a certainly brief, but fairly comprehensive, account of as well the intellectual as the material culture of the

Introduction 7

Kamba people. For a highly-placed official who can only visit the natives for short periods at a time and can seldom associate freely with them, it is clearly difficult to obtain all the necessary information. It is therefore scarcely to be wondered at that Mr Hobley’s book contains a considerable number of inaccuracies and mistakes; to such attention will be drawn in the following pages. Further, his ignorance of the language has the result that the native terms and other expressions he has collected, are often incorrectly reproduced phonetically, or misunderstood. In spite of that, the work is of great importance as a starting point and foundation for further investigations.

Hildebrandt’s work is interesting, as it describes the Akamba of over 35 years ago, but that work, too, contains much incorrect information. In spite of their popular style, the pamphlets of the Leipziger Mission contain much that is valuable and interesting; it is seen at once that Messrs Hofmann and Brutzer are well acquainted with the subjects they deal with.

For information as to existing literature on the Kamba language, reference may be made to my work, »Notes on the Kamba Language», Archives d’études Orientales, Vol. 10, Upsala 1916.

Perhaps I may also be allowed to mention the principal natives who have been of assistance to me in my work.

In the first place comes my servant and language teacher Krwoko wa Malata of the Machakos district. He showed great interest in the work, and I trained him systematically, until he exactly understood what I wanted. He is one of the most intelligent natives I ever met, and had served as an askarz (soldier) in the English police-troops, during which time he had learnt to associate with Europeans and to grasp their way of thinking.

Malata wa Krambi, the father of the former, an old man who is a specialist in ceremonial purification processes, of which he knows at least one that but few Akamba are acquainted with.

Mbouge wa Kipome, an itima, i. e. a medicine-man, who differs from the usual type of medicine-men in that he confines his activities to the curing of diseases (Machakos).

Mulinde, an old man of great consideration (Machakos).

Vindta, a mundu mue, i. e. an ordinary medicine-man from the district of Kibwezi. I pitched my tent near his village, and we were together every day. He conceived a great liking for me, and would gladly have accompanied me as a servant, if his occupation and reputation as a medicine-man would not have suffered thereby. Among other things, he initiated me into the secret ceremonies of the third circumcision, the so-called »men’s circumcision». The revelation of the abominable customs connected with these rites is punished with death, if the offence is discovered.

Makiti, »»eadman», a neighbour of the foregoing, for whom I had the opportunity of performing a service.

Muli, a disreputable and half degenerate individual living near the mission station of Ikutha. His rapacity betrayed him into showing me, among other things, where a valuable £zpztu (see Chap. X) was kept.

Further I must express my gratitude and recognition to many others, among whom are the following gentlemen:

Professor C. V. Hartman, to whom I owe the opportunity of undertaking my journey to East Africa; Professor J. A. Lundell, who by obligingly accepting my work for publication in Archives d’études Orientales, has secured for it the possibility of greater circulation. He has also kindly done a great deal of work with the proof reading; Mr S. Charleston, lecturer at the university of Upsala, who has helped me with the English text;

Mr C. V. Hobley, C. G. M., who drew my attention to the Akamba; Mr K. R. Dundas, district commissioner in Machakos, who took an unfailing and kindly interest in my work, and rendered me great assistance. The same may be said of the two missionaries, Mr C. F. Johnston, of the African Inland Mission, Machakos, and Mr Sauberlich, of the Leipziger Mission, Mulango.

Finally, I will only point out that a work such as the present one should preferably be worked up on the spot, in the milieu which it deals with. When one gets home and begins to systematise the material, one finds that, in spite of every care, a great many things have been overlooked which, for the sake of comple teness, it would have been desirable to include.