mv_ufanisi wrote:The e-book called “The Discovery of Lake Rudolf and Lake Stefanie” by Ludgwig von Hohnel which describes Count Samuel Teleki’s travel to Lake Turkana between 1887 and 1888.
On Page 284, it says “Abdullah had bought 200 Slaves from Kikuyuland and Kambaland on his way from the coast to Lake Baringo”.
On Page 302 there is an account of the Count Teleki’s caravan being offered slaves for sale in Kikuyuland including a young woman with a baby at her breast and with a three year old little boy at her hand all of who were then bought by Jumbe Kimameta for twenty rings of iron wire and twenty strings of Masai beads all of which were approimately equal to the value of 1 Dollar.
Here being clear evidence of slave dealing in Kikuyuland.
I have read the book and it states clearly that the slaves were wakamba or maasai or those captured/ escapees from trading caravans. Note that whenever the kikuyu raided other communities they killed the men and old women and took away the young women. And those captured could not be taken as wives by their captors but were seen as property. So yes kikuyus had slaves but those slaves were not kikuyus.
Pg 340
Quote:The natives (wakikuyu) brought food ,weapons, and ornaments in great qantities for sale. They also offered us slaves , chiefly girls from Ukambani, with a few Masai maidens. They were ready to accept almost anything in payment, but they preferred deep red Masai beads and thick brass wire. Some of our people,
who had been ailing ever since we left Taveta, ran away here in the night, probably tempted by the fertility of the land , but their fate was pretty sure to be slavery , and the natives always consider such fugitives their property. A good many caravan
men are caught in this way, but they always hope to evade their new masters on some favourable opportunity.
Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.