Pre-colonial traditional organization of the people of Vihiga and their early response to Friends’ African Mission’s Educational Initiatives in Kenya
Abstract
This paper describes the pre
-
colonial traditional organization of the people around Kaimosi, in Vihiga District
Kenya, in terms of religion, and socio
-
economic organization. The paper also deals with the nature of early
education in the area, the relationship that existed among Friends African Mission schools and lastl
y, the
educational developments at Kaimosi Girls and Chavakali High Schools. Being a historical study, the
historical
method of inquiry into the past was a
dopted. Primary sources of data consulted included oral testimonies of
actual participants or witnesses of events in Vihiga District.
O
ther primary sources used
were
archival documents
either personal or institutional such as correspondences, photographs, mission publications, minutes
of meetings
and colonial government annual reports. The main secondary sources utilized were published and unpub
lished
articles and boo
ks. Prior to the coming of Europeans, the local community had a religious structure. One of the
key elements of kinship structure among the Abaluyia was the family. Traditional education was large
ly informal
since in most cases, there were no definite inst
itutions such as schools. Information was mainly disseminated
orally from acknowledged traditional authorities to the target audience. Learning was not systematiz
ed by
adherence to a specific curriculum. Individuals simply learned by experience in the cour
se of their interaction
with members of the community and the physical environment. Every adult played the role of a teacher
. Content
grew out of the actual physical and social situation of the learner which made it relevant and meani
ngful. Thus
education
was a community responsibility. One of the chief responsibilities of adults was to provide the learn
ing
situation and the guidance necessary while children, on the other hand, were there to acquire the es
sential
knowledge, responsibility, skills, attitudes
and values from the learning environment be it physical, social or
spiritual. There was a lot that children learned by listening to myths, legends, folk tales proverbs
, riddles, folk
songs, rhymes and other aspects of oral literature. Besides promoting me
ntal development, oral literature was
entertaining and it was a form of pass time. Then there were social ceremonies which gave children o
pportunities
to learn about the social organization of the clan, the general mode of living, some aspects of trib
al cu
lture,
customs and the laws that governed the way of life including taboos, religious beliefs and superstit
ions.
URI
http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_3_No_18_October_2013/11.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11295/81996
Citation
Namatsi, Beatrice A(2013). Pre-colonial traditional organization of the people of Vihiga and their early response to Friends’ African Mission’s Educational Initiatives in Kenya. International journal of humanities and social science, 3(18); pp. 79-9093-101Publisher
University of Nairobi
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