Wazua
»
Club SK
»
Culture
»
Through the Dark Continent
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
tycho wrote:The analogy of a mzungu and a mwafrika being the same as of an educated adult and a five year old is quite telling.
Whose bar is being set low, and why is it being set low? Inaitwa inferiority complex. He needs prayers.
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
Pg 267 of the book says... Quote:The Kikuyu appeared to have no regular hour
for eating, except in the evening, when the day's work is over. Then everybody, men, women,
and children, could be seen sitting round a huge
calabash, cut in half to form a kind of basin,
all helping themselves from the contents of the
vessel.
In connection with this custom of the
evening meal, I may here make mention of the
open-handed hospitality which is the rule rather
than the exception. I have often noticed
a native come into a village at the time of the
evening meal, walk up to the circle, and sit down
and help himself to the meal; and on my remarking to the
headman on the number of his grown-up sons
I have been told, *' Oh, that is not one of my
sons ; he is a stranger." When I asked where
he came from, I was told that they did not know ;
they had not asked him even his name, and knew
nothing whatever about him. He would settle
himself by the fire for the night, and go on
his way the next morning without his host being
any the wiser as to his name or where he came
from.
This is one of the points in which these natives
so often set an example worthy of imitation by some of the so-called civilized Christians.
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
Kumbe technology was not restricted to Europe. It had also independently evolved elsewhere. Pg 269 Quote:The Kikuyu make all their own weapons spears,
swords, and arrows—from the iron which
is found in various parts of the country, and
which they smelt. The native blacksmith
uses a large stone as an anvil, and
possesses a variety of hammers, some of them
being simply ordinary pieces of stone, while
others are in the form of a dumb-bell, which he
grasps in the middle when striking with it.
Singularly enough, the tongs which he uses to
hold the heated iron are practically the same as
those used by the English blacksmith.
For cooking or for storing
large quantities of water they use earthenware
pots, which are made in certain districts of the
Kikuyu country in practically the same way
as pottery is made in our own country, being fashioned out of a particular kind of clay and then burnt to
harden them.
I do not think that I have mentioned that the
Kikuyu cultivate a large amount of tobacco from
which to make snuff, for, although they do not
smoke, all the men take snuff. Many of the
other tribes grow tobacco, but not to such an
extent as the Kikuyu, who know better how to
cure it than any of their neighbours ; in fact,
the Kikuyu tobacco has such a reputation in the
country that to my surprise I found that the
natives about Lake Rudolph, and even right
round as far as Abyssinia, were inquiring for
Kikuyu tobacco.
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/10/2008 Posts: 9,131 Location: Kanjo
|
masukuma wrote:A tiger does not proclaim his tigritude, he pounces! some of these things are self evident! the very fact that we have to rely on the words of a random white dude and not have our own well kept and documented narratives points to this very lack. Of course the Stanley Morton wrote based on his biases... I don't think he had the total entirety of African history to play with as he wrote his stories based on his experiences. So don't take quotes like Quote:The Kikuyu are excellent workers, and
are now to be met with in every part of the
dependency.
In my opinion the Kikuyu will ultimately become
the most important among the native races of
this part of the continent, owing to their greater
intelligence, industry, and adaptability. to be too damning or too comforting. It really doesn't matter - the fact that we didn't tell stories points to a deficiency or an immaturity of culture. In the same way you go visting your relatives and see a shrewd 5 year old boy... possibly a good reader or can play board games. The 5 year old is clearly different from his lot but while you are impressed...he impresses you FOR A 5 YEAR OLD! you don't really think he is the greatest polymath that ever existed... only that you did not expect him to do whatever he/she is doing. Thus was the Kikuyu - the bar was too low and that should not be props on them but damning on the rest. who told you we didn't tell stories? i.am.back!!!!
|
|
|
Rank: Member Joined: 5/22/2014 Posts: 321 Location: Ndeiya
|
hardwood wrote:Kumbe technology was not restricted to Europe. It had also independently evolved elsewhere. Pg 269 Quote:The Kikuyu make all their own weapons spears,
swords, and arrows—from the iron which
is found in various parts of the country, and
which they smelt. The native blacksmith
uses a large stone as an anvil, and
possesses a variety of hammers, some of them
being simply ordinary pieces of stone, while
others are in the form of a dumb-bell, which he
grasps in the middle when striking with it.
Singularly enough, the tongs which he uses to
hold the heated iron are practically the same as
those used by the English blacksmith.
For cooking or for storing
large quantities of water they use earthenware
pots, which are made in certain districts of the
Kikuyu country in practically the same way
as pottery is made in our own country, being fashioned out of a particular kind of clay and then burnt to
harden them.
I do not think that I have mentioned that the
Kikuyu cultivate a large amount of tobacco from
which to make snuff, for, although they do not
smoke, all the men take snuff. Many of the
other tribes grow tobacco, but not to such an
extent as the Kikuyu, who know better how to
cure it than any of their neighbours ; in fact,
the Kikuyu tobacco has such a reputation in the
country that to my surprise I found that the
natives about Lake Rudolph, and even right
round as far as Abyssinia, were inquiring for
Kikuyu tobacco.
@ Hardwood, which book is this you are quoting? where to get it?
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/1/2011 Posts: 8,804 Location: Nairobi
|
|
|
|
Rank: Member Joined: 5/22/2014 Posts: 321 Location: Ndeiya
|
Thanks Hardwood....though it's blank for me. Was it a link?
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
Mtafiti wrote:Thanks Hardwood....though it's blank for me. Was it a link? Yes, I posted the link for 24hrs and then I deleted to protect siri za nyomba.
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/1/2011 Posts: 8,804 Location: Nairobi
|
BTW there's also great literature by contemporary Kenyans on this subject of understanding our traditions in the present context.
And the good thing is most of it is online.
I haven't been celebrating Kenyan scholarship, but I think we are really trying. Cheers to Kenyan scholars!
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
Hehe. Exploration wasn't as tough as many would think. They had 4x4s, complete with a boot for the luggage  . 
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
hardwood wrote:Hehe. Exploration wasn't as tough as many would think. They had human 4x4s, complete with a boot for the luggage . I just wish this was a picture of a black man exploring England while being carried around by British men as he discovers the British countryside. And being amazed by the alien "primitive" British life and culture.
|
|
|
Rank: Veteran Joined: 11/13/2015 Posts: 1,596
|
@Hardwood, please search for this youtube video "Black Man's Land - White Man's Country - ep 1 of 3 *RARE*" Very fascinating.
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
hardwood wrote:Hehe. Exploration wasn't as tough as many would think. They had 4x4s, complete with a boot for the luggage . Only Idi Amin knew how to handle the white man. Wish we had more amins in africa then we wouldnt have been repressed so much by whites.  One day all the western ambassadors (UK, US, EU etc) were summoned and ordered to kneel and pledge loyalty to him as the ultimate ruler. He had conquered the whole world. 
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/28/2015 Posts: 9,562 Location: Rodi Kopany, Homa Bay
|
|
|
|
Rank: Elder Joined: 7/1/2011 Posts: 8,804 Location: Nairobi
|
We may be interested in also looking at Africans who were integrated into the not so normally recounted countries like Iran, Paraguay ... Like today, I'm thrilled to scour the net for Afro-Iranians in Iran and how their lives are described... https://www.middleeastey...d-slavery-iran-970665328
|
|
|
Wazua
»
Club SK
»
Culture
»
Through the Dark Continent
Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
|