6) Missions in Kenya

With Christianity and Catholicism as the top two religions in Kenya, it is no wonder that missionaries of these religions carried out the most mission work in Kenya. During the 1600s, while Portugal had a large influence in Kenya, the main goal of the Portuguese was trade. However, some of the Portuguese believed that Catholicism should be spread throughout Kenya. (1) Plans to build churches were made and some Kenyan people were converted, but their immoral lifestyles and actions of the majority of the Portuguese people reflected negatively on their faith and hindered the conversion of more people. (2) Having mainly motives of profit and power, their evangelism had very little impact on Kenya.

Portuguese Chapel in Malindi, Kenya
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portuguese_chapel_02.JPG

The first known missionary to Kenya was John Ludwig Krapf of the Church Missionary Society. (3) A German, Protestant Christian missionary, Krapf first came to Mombasa, Kenya in 1844. (3) Krapf translated the New Testament into a local language for the people, and encouraged Methodists to try to evangelize to the people of Kenya. (4)

Route of missionary John Krapf in Kenya
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Routes_of_European_explorers_in_Africa%2C_to_1853.jpg

Other Christian missionary groups to Kenya over the next hundred years included the Presbyterian East African Scottish Mission, the United Methodist Free Churches Mission, the English Society of Friends, the interdenominational Africa Inland Mission, and the Pentecostal Gospel Missionary Society. (5) As for Catholic missionaries, there were two main groups that reached out to Kenya.
The First, the French Congregation of the Holy Ghost, expanded to Kenya in 1899. (6) The Consolata Mission spread to Kenya in 1903 as a result of the Institute Mission Consolata, an institute for training missionaries. (7) Many of these organizations instituted churches in and around Kenya.

A missionary from Church of Scotland teaching a cooking lesson
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cooking_Lesson,_Kenya,_ca.1905-ca.1940_(imp-cswc-GB-237-CSWC47-LS7-033).jpg

When Kenya gained its independence in the 1960s, the churches began to become more autonomous. (8) Churches gained their autonomy at different rates and to different degrees following independence, some gradually and some all at once. (9) The Catholic churches of Kenya, though independent, still answer to the Pope of Rome. (10)

As of 2008, 80% of the population of Kenya identify as Protestant Christian or Roman Catholic. (11) As one can see from this large percentage, the Christian and Catholic missionaries had a large impact of the people of Kenya, whether directly or indirectly through the encouragement of the foundation of indigenous churches. Without the work of these missionaries, the religious make-up of the nation would look much different.

(1) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", The Portuguese Period, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html.
(2) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", The Portuguese Period, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 11-12.
(3) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", Modern Missionary Movement: The Protestant Missions, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 3-4.
(4) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", Modern Missionary Movement: The Protestant Missions, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 5-6.

(5) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", Modern Missionary Movement: The Protestant Missions, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 12-18.
(6) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", Modern Missionary Movement: Roman Catholic Missions, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 1-3.

(7) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", Modern Missionary Movement: Roman Catholic Missions, http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 4.
(8) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", From Mission to Church,http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 1-2.
(9) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", From Mission to Church,http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 1-7.
(10) "The Beginning and Development of Christianity in Kenya: A Survey", From Mission to Church,http://www.dacb.org/history/beginning%20and%20development%20of%20christianity%20in%20kenya.html, ¶ 6.
(11) (1) "International Religious Freedom Report", Section I. Religious Demography, http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2008/108374.htm, ¶ 1.

5) Kenya's First Contact with Other Nations

Outside nations and cultures had an influence in Kenya from a very early period. Interaction between the people of Kenya and other cultures is thought to have taken place as early as the 1st century AD. (1) During this time, many people living on the coast of Kenya worked as farmers or river fishers, using fishing in the ocean and trading with foreigners as merely a supplementary income. (2) Because of Kenya's close vicinity to the Arabian Peninsula, Kenya's first contact with non-African people was most likely with Arabs and almost certainly for the purpose of trading. (3) Over the next centuries, trade with Arab nations became a huge part of the coastal Kenyan economy. The Arabs had much more influence in Kenya during the 9th century when they came to form coastal trading cities such as Mombasa. (4) Through this Arabic influence, Islam became a common religion, especially along the coast. (5)

Location of Mombasa
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mombasa_County_location_map.png

Kenyan interaction with European nations did not occur until much later. The Portuguese first came to Kenya in 1498 under the leadership of Vasco de Gama. (6) The Portuguese reached out to Kenya and other African nations in an attempt to spread their Christian faith to nations inhabited by Muslims. (6) De Gama also knew that Mombasa was a key city of trade. (6) Through manipulation of the government, the Portuguese gained control of Mombasa and turned it into Portugal's main trading center, much to the Arabs chagrin. (7) The Portuguese eventually lost control of Mombasa to the Omani Arabs in the late 17th century. (8)

Vasco de Gama
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vasco_da_Gama_por_Jo%C3%A3o_Cardini.jpg

Fort Jesus built as a trading hub by the Portuguese in Mombasa, Kenya
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Fort_Jesus_Mombasa,_Kenya.JPG

During the 1800s, more European nations were trying to influence Kenya and other African countries. Germany and Great Britain fought for control and expansion of African territories in the late 1800s and Kenya eventually came under British control in 1888 as part of British East Africa. (9)

Map of Kenya as British East Africa
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Africa_1909_16a.png

Throughout the years of foreign influence, Kenya has been impacted both positively and negatively as a result of this interaction. Trade with different people such as the Arabs or the Portuguese has helped to stimulate the economy, especially in coastal cities. (10) However, the frequent conflict between these two people groups over who would control these coastal cities, and ultimately trade, was to the detriment of the Kenyan people as the fighting usually took place on Kenyan land. In addition, slave trading was typical with both the Arabs and the Portuguese and some slaves were subjected to harsh treatment. (11) It is difficult to know how many slaves who were bought and sold from places like Mombasa were actually people of Kenya, but regardless, slave trading did have an impact on Kenya. The British virtually brought an end to slavery in Kenya when they gained control. (12) However, the Kenyan people were not treated fairly or equally under British rule and would eventually rebel, ultimately leading to Kenyan independence. (13)


(1)"History of Mombasa", History Pre-Independence, http://www.mombasainfo.com/about-mombasa/history-culture/history-of-mombasa/, ¶ 2.
(2) The Swahili Coast", http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_e2.htm, ¶ 2.
(3) "A Brief History on Kenya", Pre-Colonial History, http://www.kenyarep-jp.com/kenya/history_e.html, ¶ 1.
(4) "Kenya", History: Swahili Culture and Trade (1st century-19th century), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Swahili_culture_and_trade_.281st_century.E2.80.9319th_century.29, ¶ 2.
(5) "Islam in Kenya", Historical Overview: Islamic Arrival on the Swahili Coast, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Kenya#Islamic_arrival_on_the_Swahili_Coast, ¶ 3.
(6) "History of Mombasa", History Pre-Independence, http://www.mombasainfo.com/about-mombasa/history-culture/history-of-mombasa/, ¶ 3.
(7)  "History of Mombasa", History Pre-Independence, http://www.mombasainfo.com/about-mombasa/history-culture/history-of-mombasa/, ¶ 3 and 4.
(8)  "History of Mombasa", History Pre-Independence, http://www.mombasainfo.com/about-mombasa/history-culture/history-of-mombasa/, ¶ 5.
(9) "A Brief History on Kenya", Colonial History, http://www.kenyarep-jp.com/kenya/history_e.html, ¶ 1.
(10) "The Swahili Coast", http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_e2.htm.
(11) "History of Mombasa", History Pre-Independence, http://www.mombasainfo.com/about-mombasa/history-culture/history-of-mombasa/, ¶ 4.
(12) "The Swahili Coast", http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_e2.htm, ¶ 5.
(13) "A Brief History on Kenya", http://www.kenyarep-jp.com/kenya/history_e.html, ¶ 3, 4, & 5.

4) Kenya's Natural Resources

Use of Natural Resources 

Information from the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook shows us that Kenya is rich in natural resources such as limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, and hydropower which are utilized to various degrees. (1) When it comes to minerals, the mining of soda ash produces the greates amount of income, accounting for 74% of the minerals exported from Kenya. (2) Though forests of Kenya play a huge role in the local and national levels, wood from Kenya generally stays within the nation and are not often used outside of Kenya. (3) As highlighted in a previous post, agriculture plays a huge role in Kenya's economy. Crops that are produced and consumed in Kenya are maize, wheat, sorghum, millets, cassava, Irish and sweet potatoes, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables. (4) Crops produced in Kenya then exported outside of the country include coffee, tea, pyrethrum, horticultural crops, and cotton. (4) Hydroelectric power is said to account for almost half of the electric power in Kenya. (5) However, this may change in the coming years as a result of the Kenyan government. (5)

Tea Crops in Kenya
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_crop.jpg

In recent years, there have been moves made in order to protect the natural resources from overuse. The Ministry of Environmental and Natural Resources developed a program in 2006 to try to lessen the overuse of trees and also prevent soil degradation. (6) Kenya has not seen much of a change in the way that they do agriculture, and thus, farming is done inefficiently and with a lot of waste. (7)

Deforestation in the Cherangani Hills of Khttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cherangani_hills_-_Deforestation.jpgenya

There have been a number of different countries who have established trade with Kenya over the years. During first through fifth centuries, Arab, Greek, ad Indian traders all did trade with Kenya. (8) In the eighteenth century, the Ottomans took control of some port areas of Kenya and established trade routes there. However, Britain overpowered the Ottomans in the nineteenth century and established the British East Africa Company. (9)

(1) "Natural Resources", Country Comparision to the World, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html. 

(2) "Industrial Minerals Mining in Kenya", http://www.mbendi.com/indy/ming/indm/af/ke/p0005.htm, ¶ 1.
(3) "National Integrated Natural Resources Assessment", State of natural resources and information availability: Forestry Resources, file:///C:/Users/pawn%20plus/Downloads/INRA%20proposal%20final.pdf, ¶ 5.
(4)  "National Integrated Natural Resources Assessment", State of natural resources and information availability:Agricultural Resources and Agricultural Biodiversity,  file:///C:/Users/pawn%20plus/Downloads/INRA%20proposal%20final.pdf, ¶ 3.
(5) "Hydroelectric Power in Kenya", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectric_power_in_Kenya, ¶ 1.
(6) "National Integrated Natural Resources Assessment" file:///C:/Users/pawn%20plus/Downloads/INRA%20proposal%20final%20(2).pdf
(7) "Kenya", Agriculture, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Agriculture.
(8) "Early Kenya History", http://www.kenyaconstitution.org/history/early-kenya-history/, ¶ 1.
(9) "Early Kenya History", http://www.kenyaconstitution.org/history/early-kenya-history/, ¶ 5.

3) Religions of Kenya

Religious Makeup of Kenya

The vast majority of the Kenyan population who identify with a religion claim to be either Protestant Christians or Roman Catholics. According to the U.S. Department of State's records, 58% identify as Protestant Christians, 42% as Roman Catholics, 10% as Muslims, 9% as various indigenous religions, and 1% as Hindu, Sikh, and Baha'i. (1) These percentages, however, are based upon the number of people who identify with a religion. Approximately 2.4% of the population say that they are nonreligious. (2)

Gikuyu Origin Myth

The Gikuyu tribe is a family group of indigenous people living in Kenya to the east of Lake Victoria. As our text, African Myths of Origin describes, they have their own story of how creation began and how their tribe was created. According to their story, a god named Mogai created the world and a man named Gikuyu to live in it. Mogai also created a wife for Gikuyu named Mumbi and allowed them to give birth to nine daughters. When Gikuyu asked for sons, Mogai told him to complete a sacrifice. After Gikuyu obeyed and completed this sacrifice, nine men were provided as husbands for Mogai and Mumbi's nine daughters. However, according to the myth, the woman at this time were stronger than the men and they ruled over their husbands in the families. When the men began to feel oppressed, they plotted a rebellion at the time that the wives were most vulnerable: during pregnancy. Their plot succeeded and from that point on, the men became the head of the families. (3)

Changes in Religious Makeup

Indigenous religions of different tribes in Kenya often have some key characteristics and commonalities. For example, almost all of these indigenous religions have a belief in one god or in multiple gods with one supreme god. (4) In addition, many of these religions have a strong belief in spirits. Types of spirits include ancestral spirits, nature spirits, and bad spirits. (5) Finally, most of these religions have religious leaders such as priests or shamans who perform religious duties for the good of the tribe. (6)

As one can see by the percentage of those who profess to be Protestant Christians, Christianity has made a huge impact in Kenya. This comes as a result of many Christian missionaries who traveled to Kenya in the 1800s. (7) The fact that many tribes already believed in a sovereign god made the transition to Christianity much easier. However, because Muslims also believe in one God, the indigenous people can also identify with it, making it the third most prominent religion in Kenya. (1)

(1) "International Religious Freedom Report", Section I. Religious Demography, http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2008/108374.htm, ¶ 1.
(2) "Kenya", Religion, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Religion, ¶ 2.
(3) Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of a Continent. New York: Vintage, 1997. pp. 159-161.
(4) "Studying Africa through the Humanities", The Supernatural in Indigenous African Religions, http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m14/activity2.php, ¶ 1.
(5) "Studying Africa through the Humanities", Types of Spirits, http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m14/activity2.php, ¶ 3, 8, and 12.
(6) "Studying Africa through the Humanities", Religious Leaders,  http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m14/activity2.php, ¶ 1.
(7) "Religion", http://republicofkenya.org/culture/religion/, ¶ 2.

2) Art and Music Tell the History of Kenya

Maasai Tribe Oral History and Music

Though accounts of history are usually provided through written accounts, much can also be learned through non-written records. For examples of the importance of non-written records, one can look to the Maasai tribe. The Maasais are a group of tribal people living in Kenya and Tanzania. (1) The Maasais' ancestors or believed to have originally lived in North Africa, However, they steadily made their way south along the Nile Valley and settled in Northern Kenya in the fifteenth century. (2)

People of the Maasai tribe in Kenya
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maasai_tribe.jpg

As an active tribal group in modern-day Kenya, the Maasais cling to their traditional way of life. A lot of their traditions are centered around oral narrations such as folktales, songs, stories, poetry, and chants. Much of their culture and history is told through these means of oral communication, rather than written. This communication recalls vital information such as the Maasais' knowledge of  traditional medicine, grazing customs. landscape ecology, livestock management, and the harvesting of wild plant foods. (3) Their oral communication is imperative to their way of life.

One ritual of the Maasai worth looking at is the aduma, the "jumping dance" performed during the coming of age ceremonies of young warriors. The men jump straight up in the air while attempting to uphold upright posture. This dance also plays a part in how young warriors find a wife. (4) Though the dance does not specifically outline the history of the tribe, it is a means of keeping the culture and history of the Maasai alive. Here is a link to watch the aduma.

Maasai men performing the aduma.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maasai_dance#/media/File:Mara-Young-Men-Jumping-2012.JPG

The Kenyan Flag

The flag of Kenya is another great example of a non-written record of history. Its colors and illustrations bear significant meanings. The black stripe symbolizes the people of Kenya and the green, the scenery and natural wealth of the nation. The red stripe, however, represents something much deeper. This stripe represents the blood of the people shed during their fight for independence. (5)

During the mid-1900s, the Mau Mau rebellion broke out against British rule in Kenya. (6) During the fight for independence, over 4,000 Kenyans were killed. (7) Though they were ultimately crushed during the rebellion, the people of Kenya were finally able to gain their independence through the Kenya Independence Act of 1963. (8) 

Finally, the Maasai shield and two spears centered on the flag represent the protection of all the afore mentioned symbols.

One can see that the flag of Kenya represents a huge part of their history. Written words are not always needed to remind a group of people about parts of their past. This is why non-written forms of historical records are just as important as written ones.

Flag of Kenya
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Kenya_(WFB_2004).gif

(1) "The Maasai Tribe", http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/maasai-tribe.html, ¶ 4.
(2) "The Maasai Tribe", History of the Maasai Tribe, http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/maasai-tribe.html, ¶ 1.
(3) "History of the Maasai", http://www.kitumusote.org/history, ¶ 1.
(4) "Maasai People", Music and Dance, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maasai_people#Music_and_dance ¶ 5.
(5) "Flag of Kenya", Symbolism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kenya ¶ 1.
(6) "Kenya", Mau Mau Uprising (1952–1959), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Mau_Mau_Uprising_.281952.E2.80.931959.29, ¶ 1.
(7) Kenya", Mau Mau Uprising (1952–1959), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Mau_Mau_Uprising_.281952.E2.80.931959.29, ¶ 2.
(8) "Kenya", Independent Kenya (1963), ¶ 1.