Kenya

Let us learn about it!

Kenya is a country located in the continent of Africa.

Up close

Key facts

• Official Name: Republic of Kenya• Area: 225,000 square miles ( 582,646 square

kilometers)/ Kelowna is about 2,904.86 square kilometers/ B.C is 944,735 square kilometers.

• Capital: Nairobi • Population: 41.8 million ( 2013) • Languages: The national languages are Swahili

and English.

Key facts

• Location: Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa. It has a coastline on the Indian Ocean and straddles the equator.

• Bordering countries: It borders the countries of Ethiopia and Sudan on the north, Somalia on the east, Tanzania on the south, and Uganda on the west.

The people!

• There are more that 70 different ethnic groups in Kenya. Each has its own language and culture. The three largest ethnic groups are the Gikuyu (Kikuyu), Luo, and the Luhya.

Kikuyu tribe• They are Kenya's most popular and the largest ethnic

tribe, making up 22 percent of the country's population.• Kikuyus speak the Kikuyu language, and most of them live

around the fertile central highlands and Mount Kenya where they mainly grow tea and coffee.

Kikuyu tribe continued…• The first Kenyan president, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was a

Kikuyu.• Kenya's third and current president, his Excellency Emilio

Mwai Kibaki is from the Kikuyu tribe. • Professor Wangari Maathai, Africa's first female Nobel Peace

Prize winner was also from Kikuyu tribe.

Kikuyu food

• In most rural Kikuyu homes, typical traditional Kikuyu food includes githeri (maize and beans), mukimo (mashed green peas and potatoes).

The Luhya tribe• Luhyas are Kenya's second largest ethnic tribe following

the Kikuyu, and they account for 14 percent of the Kenyan population.

• Luhya people are great sports enthusiasts, especially when it comes to rugby and soccer.

Luhyas continued…• Luhyas produced most of the players on Kenya's national

soccer team.• Traditional bullfighting is still considered a sport among

sections of the Luhya ethnic tribe. • They speak Luhya language.

The Luo( Luh- WO) tribe • The Luo tribe is the third largest community in Kenya and

makes up close to 13% of the entire population.• The Luo tribe has traditionally produced many scholars and

other educated persons, For Luos living in rural areas, freshwater fishing in Lake Victoria is the most important economic activity.

Let us try and say this together!

• The Luo tribe speak the language Dholuo• Children enjoy playing language games in Dholuo.

Among these is a tongue- twister game.

For example, Let us say “Atud tond atonga, tond atonga chodi “, which means, "I tie the rope of the basket, the rope of the basket breaks."

The artists- The Maasai tribe

• The Maasai live in southern Kenya and still keep many of their traditional ways.

• The Maasai life is divided into different stages, which is marked by the way they dress and their interesting beadwork.

Women• Girls and women wear large beaded collars that extend from

their necks down onto their chests, looking like round bibs. • Unmarried women may decorate their upper ears, but only

married women may wear earrings.

The Men

• They are called the warriors.• The men grow their hair long and braid it, they

decorate their hair and bodies with ochre, a reddish-yellow pigment found in the ground.

• They also wear a beaded belt with a decorative patch that carries the scabbard( a short sword) .They also wear bracelets, anklets and decorations of the ears.

• The elders have shaved heads and wear much less beadwork.

The “warriors” of Maasai tribe

Let us try making a bracelet or anklet

• Typical bead colors are red, blue, black, white, yellow, orange, and yellow-green.

Directions• Cut the construction paper 12 inch (30.5 cm) by 1.5/2 inch (5 cm). • Make a pencil mark at the top, ( 1 inch/ ~3 cm) Wrap the strip around

your wrist, arm, ankle. Make a pencil mark on the bottom of the strip even with the first mark.

• Cut slits about 1-2 inches(3cm/5 cm) long at the pencil marks, Trim the band if it is too long.

• Cut of the graphic paper to match the size of your anklet/bracelet. • Using Red, blue, orange, black, white, yellow, and green colored pencils,

markers, create your design.• After you are done designing your graphic paper, glue it on to your

construction paper. • To wear: Wrap band around your wrist, arm, or ankle. Connect by

inserting the top slit into the bottom slit.