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Total population | |
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344,415 [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Kenya | |
Languages | |
Taita | |
Religion | |
African Traditional Religion, Christianity | |
Related ethnic groups | |
People of the Kilimanjaro Corridor |
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The Taita people are an ethnic group in Kenya's Taita-Taveta County. [2] They speak Kidawida or Kitaita, which belongs to the Bantu language family. The West-Bantu migrated to the Taita-Taveta County around 1000-1300. [3]
There is debate about whether the Taita people migrated to Kenya through Tanzania. They settled in Kenya in five groups, each occupying different areas in the present-day Taita-Taveta District. During their settlement, the Taita-speaking people interacted with other tribes such as the Taveta, Pare of Tanzania, and Maasai. However, evidence suggests that migration occurred interchangeably throughout the history of these groups, and the Taita people should be considered part of the larger population inhabiting the Kilimanjaro Corridor.
The Taita subgroup or subtribes include the Wadawida, who traditionally lived around Dawida; the Wasagalla, who lived around Saghalla; and the Wakasighau, who lived around the Kasighau massif of the Taita Hills. The Saghalla people speak Kisaghala, which is closely related to Kigiriama or Mijikenda, a language spoken by nine tribes. The Kasighau subgroup is closer to the Pare and Chagga of Tanzania but still speaks Taita.
Traditionally, the Taita tribe consisted of lineages or clans (vichuku, singular kichuku), each occupying a specific territorial area in the hills. [4] These lineages were independent political units, and before colonialism, there was no concept of a unified Taita tribe. [5]
While there were shared cultural traits among the Saghalla, Kasighau, and Dawida, such as "burials" of skulls in caves and rock shelters, there were slight variations. The Dawida only kept the skulls of elderly men above the age of seventy, whereas the Saghala kept skulls of women, children, and men. In some parts of Saghala, they also stored the skulls of members from other communities who died in their territory.
Another tradition among the Taita is the secret cult of the Wabasi. The origins of this tradition are not well-known, but it thrived among the Taita people. The Wabasi were a feared cult group in Taita and had sacred forests and meeting places. If someone joined the Wabasi cult, they could only be buried by another Abasi member.
Mwangeka, Joseph Mwambi a legendary figure for the Taitas, resisted the British colonists from encroaching on the lands of the Wataita.
Today, the Taita language (Kidawida, Kitaita) has evolved into a rich language that incorporates numerous shared words from neighboring communities such as Chagga, Pare, Maasai, Mijikenda, and others with whom the Taita people have coexisted.
The Taita people have various dialects within their community. The Mbololo Taita have their own dialect, while the Bura Taita have another. The Dawidas encompass several dialects, including Wusi, Kidaya, Mghange, Chawia, Mwanda, Kishamba, Werugha, Wumingu, and Wundanyi. Kisaghalla and Kasighau represent relatively independent dialects. When visiting other Taita Massifs, speakers of these dialects would refer to their destination as "going to Dawida."
Most Taita people are Christians. The traditional religion revolved around the spirit of the ancestors. While Taitas believed in one supreme god, Mlungu, this god was only called upon and given sacrifice for the appeasement or thanksgiving in times of calamities and misfortune. In normal times sacrifices were made to the ancestors or household gods. Only a small number of Taitas still practice the traditional religion
Previously, the Taita Hills held religious significance, featuring prominent rocks (known as "Magamba") and caves called "Mbanga." These sites were considered sacred places for worship and as resting places for the deceased. The caves also provided security and shelter, serving as isolation wards for individuals afflicted with contagious diseases. Patients would be confined to the caves, and food was provided for them. If a patient survived, they were allowed to rejoin the community. Additionally, certain forests held sacred value and were off-limits for other activities, contributing to conservation efforts. These sacred forests, called Fighi, are akin to the Mijikenda's Kaya.
Conversely, the hills and rocks were used for disciplinary purposes and instilling fear. Criminals would be taken to these locations and thrown from the heights to their death. Furthermore, the caves housed dangerous creatures, including large poisonous snakes.
Most Taita families traditionally practiced polygamy. Marriages were typically pre-arranged, with the groom being a family friend of the bride's family. The negotiation process (known as "Wupe") involved the bride's father and maternal uncles making important decisions, often focusing on the dowry payment, which typically consisted of livestock. Over time, the dowry would be paid in installments.
When girls reached a suitable age for marriage, a practice known as "kidnapping" would occur. This involved the prospective in-laws "kidnapping" the girls during the evenings when they were out fetching water or firewood.
The Chagga are a Bantu ethnic group from Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. They are the third-largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They historically lived in sovereign Chagga states on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in both Kilimanjaro Region and eastern Arusha Region.
Mijikenda are a group of nine related Bantu ethnic groups inhabiting the coast of Kenya, between the Sabaki and the Umba rivers, in an area stretching from the border with Tanzania in the south to the border near Somalia in the north. Archaeologist Chapuruka Kusimba contends that the Mijikenda formerly resided in coastal cities, but later settled in Kenya's hinterlands to avoid submission to dominant Portuguese forces that were then in control. Historically, these Mijikenda ethnic groups have been called the Nyika or Nika by outsiders. It is a derogatory term meaning "bush people."
Kilimanjaro Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is the municipality of Moshi. With the 3rd highest HDI of 0.640 in the country, Kilimanjaro is one among the top five most developed regions of Tanzania. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,640,087, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,702,207. For 2002–2012, the region's 1.8 percent average annual population growth rate was the 24th highest in the country. It was also the eighth most densely populated region with 124 people per square kilometer. The most well-known tribes in the Kilimanjaro region are the chagga, rombos, and pare.
Kenya is a multilingual country. The two official languages of Kenya, Swahili and English are widely spoken as lingua francas; however, including second-language speakers, Swahili is more widely spoken than English. Swahili is a Bantu language native to East Africa and English is inherited from British colonial rule.
Taveta is the name of a tribe found in Kenya. It is also the name of the principal town in the land of the Taveta people and the name of the surrounding subdistrict of Kenya.
The Taita Hills, sometimes also spelled as Teita Hills, are a mountain range located in the Taita-Taveta County in south-eastern Kenya. The hills consist of three massifs: Dawida, Sagalla in the southern side of Voi township and Kasigau in the south near the border of Tanzania. The Dawida massif is the largest and tallest of the three, with an altitude of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level at its highest peak, Vuria. Dawida has three other main peaks: Iyale, Wesu, and Susu.
The Segeju are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group mostly based in Tanzania's Tanga Region and Kenya's Kwale County. Most Segeju reside in the small coastal strip between the Tanzanian city of Tanga and the Kenyan-Tanzanian border. However, some Segeju have migrated to urban areas in other parts of Tanzania or Kenya, in hopes of better employment opportunities and quality of life. Segeju migration to urban areas often results in severance of community ties, leading to a lack of transmission of important cultural traditions and language.
The Rwa or Meru sometimes Rwo are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based on the south and eastern slopes of Mount Meru in Meru District of the Arusha Region of Tanzania, the Rwa population is estimated to number 198,000.
The Kuria people (also known as the AbaKurya, are a Bantu community in Tarime District of Mara Region in Tanzania and southern Kenya. Their homeland is bounded on the east by the Migori River and on the west by the Mara River estuary. Traditionally a pastoral and farming community, the Kuria grow maize, beans and cassava as food crops and coffee and maize as cash crops.
The Arusha people are a Bantu ethnic and indigenous group based in the western slopes of mount Meru in Arusha District of Arusha Region in Tanzania. The Maasai regard the Arusha people as related as they were once a part of the immigrant Maasai whom arrived in Arusha in the late 18th century from Kenya. The Arusha people are not to be confused by Arusha residents who are a mix of people of different ethnic backgrounds that are born and reside within the borders of the Arusha Region.
Bura is a town in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya.
Digo (Chidigo) is a Bantu language spoken primarily along the East African coast between Mombasa and Tanga by the Digo people of Kenya and Tanzania. The ethnic Digo population has been estimated at around 360,000, the majority of whom are presumably speakers of the language. All adult speakers of Digo are bilingual in Swahili, East Africa's lingua franca. The two languages are closely related, and Digo also has much vocabulary borrowed from neighbouring Swahili dialects.
Mwatate is a town in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya. It is the county capital, although it is the fourth-largest town in the county. Other urban centers in Taita-Taveta County include Voi, Wundanyi and Taveta.
Taita Hills Association (THA) was a political organization established around the issue of land alienations in Taita Taveta District. It was established in 1939 as a branch of Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) and banned in 1940 with KCA and Ukamba Members Association. The association was linked to the land politics of colonial Kenya.
Wadawida are a subgroup of the Taita people of South Eastern Kenya in East Africa. These Bantu speaking people are in origin and language more related to the Taveta (Tuweta) people of Kenya, and the Pare who live at the Pare Mountains, Chagga who live on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and Sambaa people of Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.
Lake Jipe is an inter-territorial lake straddling the borders of Kenya and Tanzania. On the Kenyan side, it is located south of the village of Nghonji while on the Tanzanian side, it is situated within Mwanga District, in Kilimanjaro Region. The lake is fed mainly by the Lumi River, which descends from Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as streams from the North Pare Mountains, being on the leeward side. The lake's outlet forms the Ruvu River. Kenya's unfenced Tsavo West National Park protects part of the lake's northern shore, while on the Tanzania side Mkomazi Game Reserve is nearby. The lake is known for its endemic fish, as well as water birds, mammals, wetland plants and lake-edge swamps, which can extend 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Jipe's shore.
Taita is a Bantu language spoken in the Taita Hills of Kenya. It is closely related to the Chaga languages of Kenya and Tanzania. The Saghala variety is distinct enough to be considered a language separate from the Daw'ida and Kasigau dialects.
Taita Cushitic is an extinct pair of South Cushitic languages, spoken by Cushitic peoples inhabiting the Taita Hills of Kenya, before they were assimilated into the Bantu population after the Bantu Migration into East Africa. Evidence for the languages is primarily South Cushitic loanwords in the Bantu languages Dawida and Saghala, as well as oral traditions of the Dawida and Saghala.
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The Chagga States or Chagga Kingdoms also historically referred to as the Chaggaland were a pre-colonial series of a Bantu sovereign states of the Chagga people on Mount Kilimanjaro in modern-day northern Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. The Chagga kingdoms existed as far back as the 17th century according to oral tradition, a lot of recorded history of the Chagga states, was written with the arrival, and colonial occupation of Europeans in the mid to late 19th century. On the mountain, many minor dialects of one language are divided into three main groupings that are defined geographically from west to east: West Kilimanjaro, East Kilimanjaro, and Rombo. One word they all have in common is Mangi, meaning king in Kichagga. The British called them chiefs as they were deemed subjects to the British crown, thereby rendered unequal. After the conquest, substantial social disruption, domination, and reorganization by the German and British colonial administrations, the Chagga states were officially abolished in 1963 by the Nyerere administration during its third year as the newly independent nation of Tanganyika.