The Kamba Culture

The Kamba is the main cultural group of this region of Kenya . The following offers a basic profile of the Kamba people.

Language: Kikamba is the language of the Kamba. Those fortunate enough to attend school also learn Swahili and English.

Shelter: A typical Kamba rural homestead consists of separate buildings; for sleeping, cooking, a pit latrine. The buildings are usually made of mud walls and thatched with grass or straws. For those people with good income, their buildings are made from brick, with the roofs usually made from sheet metal. A building for storing food is usually made from sisal wood and has a straw roof. A cattle shed is usually an enclosure of thorny bushes where cattle, goats or sheep stay over night. Most of the homes in Wamunyu do not have plumbing or electricity. Homes that are in the city of Wamunyu sometimes do have plumbing and electricity. TVs and computers can be found.

Food: The staple food of the Kamba is corn mixed with beans or peas, as these can be dried, stored and eaten during the frequent droughts that Wamunyu experiences. Ground corn is made into ugali , a popular food of Kenya . Ugali is just like grits but it is cooked longer making it hard enough to break off pieces. During the rainy seasons or near areas with big rivers, tomatoes, cabbage, collard greens, avocados and bananas can be grown. Nyama choma , or roast meat is another popular food among the Kamba and Kenyans overall. Goat meat is the most popular as well as chicken.

Clothing: The Kamba men wear long pants and a variety of modern styled shirts. Young boys wear shorts. Kamba women wear blouses and skirts with kangas (brightly colored fabric) around their waists. Many also wear scarves. Young girls usually wear dresses. It is not uncommon to see children wearing their school uniforms. Shoes may be sandals, leather shoes, or sneakers. Many people go bare foot. 

Occupations: The Kamba people are very well known for their wood carving skills and basket making. Both of these crafts employ many people of Wamunyu. People also earn their living by teaching in schools, driving vehicles, shop keeping, cutting hair, running restaurants, repairing equipment and vending a variety of goods including water. However, most of the people in Wamunyu are subsistent farmers; people who need to grow their own food and raise their own livestock in order to survive. The common livestock kept include cows, goats, chicken and some sheep. Donkeys are very common and are used for carrying heavy things and especially water which is scarce. Some of the bigger farms sell their food and meat. Traditional bee keeping is also common among the Kamba. The kamba honey (asali) is very famous in Kenya for being very sweet.

Tools and Technology: As most people are occupied with farming, farm tools are necessary. Many are hand tools such as shovels, spades, hoes, mattocks, sickles, and plows, which are pulled by oxen. Knives, chisels, adzes, axes and saws are necessary in the wood carving trade. Hand pumped wells are used. Water is also stored in large cisterns. Vehicles are used but they are very expensive so most people use buses and minivans, known as matatus , for their long distant travels as well as bicycles. Ox or donkey drawn carts are also used to transport goods for short distances. In areas where there is electricity, modern equipment like computers and power tools are used.

Music and Art: The Kamba are a very musical culture. They love to dance as well. The drums they dance to may be carved from wood or metal containers, both covered in goatskin, cowhides or rabbit skin. It is not uncommon seeing people keeping a beat on a plastic bucket or empty plastic container. Dancers also blow whistles while they dance. They also wear belts around their shoulders and bracelets on their ankles all made from bottle caps. The main form of art is their woodcarvings and basketry. 

Beliefs: Many of the Kamba are Christian however; some still practice their older traditional beliefs.

Customs & Traditions : Some of the Kamba customary practices are:

•  Marriage.

For those who are Christians, church weddings are practiced while for traditional believers, they marry under traditional customary marriage. Under church wedding, a man is required to marry only one wife (monogamy) but under traditional marriage a man can marry many wives (polygamy). In both marriages, the man pays dowry or bride price to the parents of the bride in the form of cattle and goats.

•  Folklore

They include riddles, proverbs and folk stories, which are passed from parents to their children. Normally this is done separately for boys and girls. For boys, an aged grand father teaches this folklore at night in a courtyard fire. For girls, their grand mother teaches them in the evening as they prepare supper. The folklore is intended to educate the young on good morals and prepare them for adult responsibilities.

•  Naming ceremony

When a child is born, they are named according to the time, season or after their dead ancestors. All Kamba names have a meaning for example a male child born at night is called "Mutuku" while a female child born at the same time is called "Nduku".

Holidays

The holidays celebrated among the Kamba and also in the whole of Kenya are:

    Government: Kenya is a democracy and an independent republic. It is also a member of the United Nations. It is headed by a president. Its national flag has four colours: black, white, red and green. Black symbolizes the colour of the African people, White symbolizes peace, Red symbolizes the blood that was shed during the fight for independence while green symbolizes that the economy of Kenya depends on Agriculture.

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