Remind yourself some history of Agikuyu.When Women Ruled! And the fall of Wangu Wa Makeri. It all started with Gikuyu and Mumbi who got nine daughters. They got married to 9 men. The men who married gikuyu nine daughters agreed to with condition to live in Gikuyus homestead,thus inadvertently establishing a matrilineal system of inheritance thus with the demise of Gikuyu and mumbi,each clan fell under a female head. There then followed a period of total dominion by women both in political,economic and family front with a wide ranging impact on the agikuyu societal lifestyle # women controlled the economic aspect in every sphere. # women held the ultimate political control and women chiefs and rulers occupied the top echelon of the political and governance structures of the community then. # men moved to the matrimonial home of the woman on marriage # women could marry many men at the same time{polyandry} In the height of arrogance,excessive excessive domination and mistreatment,the leading matriarch ruler Wangu Wa Makeri decreed that she will no longer be sitting in her royal stool but will instead conduct her royal duties sitting on a mans back! That was the last straw. It broke the camels back. Men plotted a revolution,on which they had to impregnate every woman including the reigning matriarch chief. With the plot in course they managed to overthrow her government and established an equally disturbed male leadership. This signaled start of patrilinial society,with overall male kings ,male led family units,and more importantly initial polygamous family units. The only notable male ruler of the period was named Gikuyu,who was of the aanjiru lineage..a despotic and authoritarian ruler who was deposed around 1545_1560 around the period of initiation of maanjiri and maamba age groups(riika) That was the last period when kikuyus were ruled by a king or central ruler. It was decided that a council of elders from one age group will be ruling(selecting a head chief among them) and dispensing justice as well as organising military expendations for conquest,defense and security. This would go for a period of 20 years when there would be a cultural and political ceremony of ITUAKA when power would be handed over to the next age group. During both periods MUTHIGI(a stick) was used s a traditional symbol of power and ITIMU (spear) as conferred power to call people to war. I see women overtaking men very soon. Infact, in the next 10years, women will have already taken over leadership in this country.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 08:48:44 +0000
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