Does anyone know a place I can learn more about Kenyan classical Philosophy. I am actually thinking more about how ridiculous that we as Kenyans due to lack of knowledge have abandoned the rich body of knowledge in our communities and embraced an eurocentric knowledge system and crowned to be superior than our knowledge that have been able to withstand the test of time.
in Agikuyu our governance structure was very democratic. There was no elder that was superior to the other. once you anyman was an elder he couldn't lose the status. Any dispute was brought before council of elders was adjudicated via a jury system. Every family member had an assigned role and duty in the family structure.
the way kikuyus stored their knowledge is through songs. if there was a significant issue or information that needed to be recorded for prosperity it was done via songs.
We had a very elaborate spiritual system. My mum told me in matters of religious ceremonies only a certain group of people who choosen due to their holiness would be performing these ceremonies. mostly were elderly men and women. She told me her grandmother participated in this ceremonies and would seclude herself for a period before she the ceremony to preserve her "purity".
After student abit in the last few days about the Yoruba knowledge system it has really affirmed my believe that knowledge is universal and our lack of understanding on a knowledge system shouldn't be used to claim it is "primitive" or has no basis on knowledge
in Kikuyu we had what were referred as Andu Ago ( A healer). there two types of healers. the mediciman/woman that cured physical ailments and Mugo (healer) that dealt why physiological illness. The psychological healer is what people think is a witch. However this was what into day call psychologists. the label of this healer as a witchdoctor was to my own opinion probably advanced by missionaries. the agikuyu knew that there were ailments that went beyond physical and required divine or psychological treatment.
now this brings me to next stage "muhuri wa Mbugu" this was a Seer. a psychic of those days. if wanted to know about the unknown you went to this Muhuri wa Mbugu ( the beads reader/roller). A seer relied on Beads or dices that he would flip in certain way that each roll of the dicea would be a reading. Now this where my interest lies. We know the Yoruba used a binary system to offer a reading on the 16 different outcomes using kola nuts to do each reading.
I want to know if any anthropologist has studied the Kenyan communities use of Beads to interpret the present or past or predict future?
Topic: Classical African Philosophy (Read 177 times)