Mijikenda 'Nine Clans'

KAYA

‘Miji’ is Swahili for “clans/villages” while ‘kenda’ means nine, thus Mijikenda is a generic Swahili word originated from ‘Amidzichenda’ to mean ‘nine clans’. The Mijikenda comprises of nine clans: Giriama, Ribe, Rabai, Digo, Duruma, Kauma, Chonyi, Kambe and Jibana, each clan has its own Kaya. The Mijikenda word Kaya means home, this refers to the forests where our ancestors occupied and settled when they arrived in present day Kenya. The sacred forests located on the coast of Kenya, inscribed by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 2008, are used for the collection of medicinal herbs, to make sacrifices and hold religious prayers to the ancestral spirits when they call. Any other activities are forbidden, especially any activity that would harm the forest.