Tharaka old woman - Kenya
She is very old, she wears an ING Manchester United TShirt!
The Tharaka live on the eastern side of Mount Kenya. About 10% of them live in towns, the rest in the villages of the area.Meaning "starving", the Tharaka belong to the Ameru ethnic group. They speak a Bantu-language, the Meru. They are farmers and shepherds: they grow cereal crops, cotton, and sun flowers and rear cows, goats and sheeps. The decrease in livestock holdings, attributed to droughts and declining cultivable lands, is a concern for the Tharaka. Goat meat in particular is central both for their diet and custom. The Tharaka are also merchants, since they trade with people all over the country. They live in small huts with a corrigated iron roof.Village life is better considered (compared to the life in towns) since it preserves their culture. They have a strong sense of belonging. The "mukuru" (elder) is the most important person of the community, who gives advice and settle conflicts. In this tribe, like in others, there are age-sets: men have to go through several stages before reaching the highest one. There are various important celebrations: the birth of a child, circumcision, marriage and the harvests of June and January. Before marriage, a high brideprice is paid by the prospective groom to the wife's father. They have also an important rite of passage called "Kirimo", name of the mythical animal that swallows human beings and spits it out thereafter. They use arrows and have very efficient fighting techniques. So they still have kept their traditions, even if they are now also christians. There is an estimated 20% active Christians, and 70% have now adopted the christian faith. Tharaka people have an elaborate set of myths, that they share with the other Meru groups and keep in through their oral tradition. One of them involves an exodus from an original homeland (called Mbwa) near a large body of water, another the origins of the Tharaka art of healing (called ugao). According to the legend, the clan of Nyaga was born with the ugao art, which comes from the Mbwa land. But since they were poor, they had to teach other clans this art, in order to get some goats and food. Consequently, as per the myth, the art of healing is a single clan’s attribute. Furthermore, in the myth, there is a reference to clans classified by colours (black, white and red), the red clans being associated with the ugao art. As a consequence, Kenya is a country of a great diversity, as much for its environment and climate (which changes from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior) as for its peoples. And even if they tend to homogenize because of the modern life in cities, some clans still preserve their traditional customs and lifestyle.
Les Tharaka vivent dans la partie est du Mont Kenya. Environ 10% d’entre eux vivent dans des villes, le reste dans les villages de la zone.Signifiant « affamé », les Tharaka appartiennent au groupe ethnique Ameru. Ils parlent une langue bantoue, le mérou. Ils sont agriculteurs et éleveurs : ils ont des cultures céréalières, du coton, et des tournesols et élèvent des vaches, chèvres et brebis. La diminution dans l’exploitation de bétail, attribuée aux sècheresses et aux terres cultivables en déclin, est un sujet de préoccupation pour les Tharaka. La viande de chèvre en particulier est centrale à la fois pour leur alimentation et coutumes. Les Tharaka sont aussi des marchants, puisqu’ils commercent avec des individus de tout le pays. Ils vivent dans des petites huttes au toit de tôles ondulées.La vie au village est davantage considérée (comparée à la vie en ville) puisque préservant leur culture. Ils ont un sens poussé de l’appartenance communautaire. Le « mukuru » (aîné) est la personne la plus importante de la communauté, qui prodigue des conseils et règle les conflits. Dans cette tribu, comme dans d’autres, il y a des classes d’âge : les hommes doivent passer par plusieurs étapes avant d’atteindre la plus élevée.
© Eric Lafforgue
Tharaka old woman - Kenya
She is very old, she wears an ING Manchester United TShirt!
The Tharaka live on the eastern side of Mount Kenya. About 10% of them live in towns, the rest in the villages of the area.Meaning "starving", the Tharaka belong to the Ameru ethnic group. They speak a Bantu-language, the Meru. They are farmers and shepherds: they grow cereal crops, cotton, and sun flowers and rear cows, goats and sheeps. The decrease in livestock holdings, attributed to droughts and declining cultivable lands, is a concern for the Tharaka. Goat meat in particular is central both for their diet and custom. The Tharaka are also merchants, since they trade with people all over the country. They live in small huts with a corrigated iron roof.Village life is better considered (compared to the life in towns) since it preserves their culture. They have a strong sense of belonging. The "mukuru" (elder) is the most important person of the community, who gives advice and settle conflicts. In this tribe, like in others, there are age-sets: men have to go through several stages before reaching the highest one. There are various important celebrations: the birth of a child, circumcision, marriage and the harvests of June and January. Before marriage, a high brideprice is paid by the prospective groom to the wife's father. They have also an important rite of passage called "Kirimo", name of the mythical animal that swallows human beings and spits it out thereafter. They use arrows and have very efficient fighting techniques. So they still have kept their traditions, even if they are now also christians. There is an estimated 20% active Christians, and 70% have now adopted the christian faith. Tharaka people have an elaborate set of myths, that they share with the other Meru groups and keep in through their oral tradition. One of them involves an exodus from an original homeland (called Mbwa) near a large body of water, another the origins of the Tharaka art of healing (called ugao). According to the legend, the clan of Nyaga was born with the ugao art, which comes from the Mbwa land. But since they were poor, they had to teach other clans this art, in order to get some goats and food. Consequently, as per the myth, the art of healing is a single clan’s attribute. Furthermore, in the myth, there is a reference to clans classified by colours (black, white and red), the red clans being associated with the ugao art. As a consequence, Kenya is a country of a great diversity, as much for its environment and climate (which changes from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior) as for its peoples. And even if they tend to homogenize because of the modern life in cities, some clans still preserve their traditional customs and lifestyle.
Les Tharaka vivent dans la partie est du Mont Kenya. Environ 10% d’entre eux vivent dans des villes, le reste dans les villages de la zone.Signifiant « affamé », les Tharaka appartiennent au groupe ethnique Ameru. Ils parlent une langue bantoue, le mérou. Ils sont agriculteurs et éleveurs : ils ont des cultures céréalières, du coton, et des tournesols et élèvent des vaches, chèvres et brebis. La diminution dans l’exploitation de bétail, attribuée aux sècheresses et aux terres cultivables en déclin, est un sujet de préoccupation pour les Tharaka. La viande de chèvre en particulier est centrale à la fois pour leur alimentation et coutumes. Les Tharaka sont aussi des marchants, puisqu’ils commercent avec des individus de tout le pays. Ils vivent dans des petites huttes au toit de tôles ondulées.La vie au village est davantage considérée (comparée à la vie en ville) puisque préservant leur culture. Ils ont un sens poussé de l’appartenance communautaire. Le « mukuru » (aîné) est la personne la plus importante de la communauté, qui prodigue des conseils et règle les conflits. Dans cette tribu, comme dans d’autres, il y a des classes d’âge : les hommes doivent passer par plusieurs étapes avant d’atteindre la plus élevée.
© Eric Lafforgue