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Kikuyu Christianity
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In the novel The River between, Ngugi give a good account of the effects that colonialism had on the Kikuyu people. Ngugi goes on to demonstrate how the ideas of the modern Christian-European ways come into conflict with those of the traditional Kikuyu people and how for the Kikuyu, maintaining these traditions mean more than just following the path of their ancestors, but also about maintaining their identity as a people. Ngugi shows the complications and obstacles that arise when people on both sides fail to unit for a common cause and are unable to adapt and evolve their way of thinking to form a new way that benefits all.
Ngugi portrays the Kikuyu as a people torn between two worlds. On one hand they feel obligated to hold true to their traditions, customs, and way of life. On the other they have missionaries imposing a new belief on them, a belief that contradicts almost all they have held as being dear to them. This leads to a mixed reaction to colonialism, where one group embraces the change and the other meets it with fear and contempt. Ngugi sets the land scape of his story to reflect this, the Kameno and Makuyu ridges are separated by the Hanoi River. The river is in itself a metaphor for the issues that divide the Kikuyu people.
The two tribes are as different as night and day, the Christians who live in Makuyu follow their leader Joshua who is a person with a very limited view of Christianity. Ngugi describes Joshua as a “man with no roots” (Ngugi 141). Joshua represents the Kikuyu who have converted to Christianity; they are described as people who seem to suffer from an identity crisis. This is evident when Joshua’s daughter Muthoni decides to get circumcised against her fathers will. Muthoni is a Christ...
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...colonialism in Africa was to eradicate the identity of the African and replace it with a more European one. Doing this would make the African people easier to control and subjugate. This is detrimental to the identity of the African because it takes away their very foundation on which their idea of self is created and replaced it with something foreign and unfamiliar. Their foundation goes from a strong to one that is soft and weak which causes them to not know where they belong. Ngugi’s work shows that in order for the Kikuyu to survive and take back what is theirs, they cannot just cling to the old ways, yet they should not fully adopt and embrace the ways of the colonial powers. Instead they need to learn from the white man and adapt it to fit their own culture. They need to make a new hybrid system that combines the best of both worlds and empowers them.
In the rough and tropical island of Papua New Guinea, lived an exceptional aggregation of individuals called, The Gebusi. In the 1980's, The Gebusi tribe was anything besides up to date and acculturated. The Gebusi had their own particular singular and special customs and conventions that they rehearsed and accompanied. The Gebusi tribe took part in custom homosexuality, divination or witchcraft was exceedingly respected and polished, and they partook in particular sister-trade relational unions. By 1998-99, The Gebusi tribe had made another lifestyle. The Gebusi had gotten accustomed with new social convictions, modernization due to “western ways” that had changed their lives until the end of time especially changing their ways and view on gender roles and sexuality.
In the Great Basin culture area, lived a once great peoples, The Kawaiisu. This tribe lived along the Sierra Nevada, and nearby Piute and Tehachapi mountains, which sometimes causes them to be categorized as Californian, also due to their similarities. As there are no extensive accounts of archeology in the Kawaiisu area, neither excavated nor published, two types of remains can be found of this aboriginal past. Scattered through the region are pictographs and “bedrock mortar holes. A test site was home to 300-500 mortar holes as well as approximately 16 house rings and many artifacts. Numerous settlement sites have been exposed and the examination of the rock art has led to be part of the Kawaiisu mythology. Regarding their history, the earliest mention of the Kawaiisu people was found in the diary of Francisco Garces, then being referred to as “The Cobaji.” He wrote that they were a generous people and were declared as “not stingy like the people of the West.” In the mid 1800’s miners and travelers started flooding the area, which brought forth occasional clashes between the natives and newcomers. The physical penetration of the land was not usually a part of these dispute...
The Kenyan feminist and environmental activist, Wangari Maathai, explores the legacy of colonialism and oppression in her native country through her moving 2006 memoir, Unbowed. Maathai explains that over the course of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Africa experienced a massive influx of white settlers. In an effort to solidify control over recently acquired colonies, many European powers had encouraged large numbers of their ethnically white citizens to make a new home on the African continent. As a result, thousands of native Africans were displaced. Maathai’s ancestors, the Kikuyu and Maasai peoples were among them. The majority of these forced dislocations took place in the highland regions. The rich soil and temperate climate of this area had proven attractive to native African peoples for centuries; and it seemed the new British settlers found it equally tempting. After most of the land’s original occupants were transported to the Rift Valley region of western Kenya, settlers began taking advantage of the highlands’ vast natural resources. The land was essentially ravaged as ancient forests were clear-cut in order to make room for agricultural plots. The introduction of the plantation system, with its non-native plant species, large-scale hunting, and systematic recruitment of Africans as field laborers, signaled the next phase in the oppression of native Africans (Maathai 6-9).
The notion of the Native Americans being a savage race who are inherently dangerous is a prevalent misconception in both storylines. In Zitkala Ša’s story the missionaries arrive at the camp in order to offer a new life and education to the children of the tribe. Yet, Bonnin alludes to the prospect that the invitation goes beyond the good, Christian nature of those offering schooling to the young Indian children. There is an underlying ...
“The sun never sets on the British Empire,” Great Britain often bragged. By 1914, about 85% of the earth’s surface was colonized by Europe. Between 1884 and 1885, The Berlin Conference took place to carve up the African continent (Background Essay). Europeans saw high potential in Africa and thought the continent was empty, even though it was not. It was roughly “untouched” and they thought they could do anything they wanted (Doc.1). Great Britain’s colonization in Kenya affected the country’s religion and culture, education, and government.
...to their clan, the faith in their gods, the villagers quickly gave up their possessions to follow this loving, accepting way of life that the clan had. denied them. Works Cited and Consulted Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996.
William James, a famous American philosopher, once stated, “The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives”. This quotation effectively illustrates how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives. This concept is clearly demonstrated throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, by establishing a connection through the development of its characters and the change in traditional African tribal villages seen in the Nineteenth Century. It will be established how various characters demonstrated by the author throughout the novel exemplify how change in one’s attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs can alter the environment in which one lives addressed by William James’s quote above. First, by analyzing Achebe’s development of Okonkwo’s character through his initial character description and the emergence of outsiders, it is evident that he is portrayed as an old fashioned character that is less responsive to change. Secondly, through examining Nwoye’s character, Okonkwo’s son, it becomes apparent that the youth in the novel are more open-minded, easily persuadable and more adaptive to societal changes. Lastly, uncovering the meaning behind the arrival of European missionaries, it becomes apparent that Achebe defines this group as being a “disease”, poisoning the society in which Okonkwo lives. The author look’s at individuals as being critical and influential figures in shaping the environment to which they belong, beginning with Okonkwo.
Colonialism has plagued indigenous people worldwide and has spelled disaster for countless cultures, languages, and traditions. Over the past 500 years there have been different phases of colonization in Africa as well as other various parts of earth. There were many reasons behind exploration and colonization including economic and tactical reasons, religion, and prestige. Colonialism has shaped the contemporary understanding of individuals from Niger as well as other parts of Africa and other places too, like the Chambri and Tlingit people; mainly in economics. Because of the colonial past of so many cultures, numerous indigenous people today face many issues.
While Collins does a succinct job of examining the economic and political factors that heightened colonization, he fails to hone in on the mental warfare that was an essential tool in creating African division and ultimately European conquest. Not only was the systematic dehumanization tactics crippling for the African society, but also, the system of racial hierarchy created the division essential for European success. The spillover effects of colonialism imparted detrimental affects on the African psyche, ultimately causing many, like Shanu, to, “become victims to the white man’s greed.”
History has been told through various forms for decades. In the past, history was more commonly expressed through word of mouth, but more recently in the past century, through written text. While textbooks and articles give formal information with little to no bias, novels give a completely new perspective from the people who experienced it themselves. The Novels, God’s Bits of Wood, written by Sembene Ousmane, and No Longer at Ease, by Chinua Achebe give a more personal account of the effects of colonization. These two novels tackle the British and French method of colonization. God’s Bits of Wood takes place in the late 1940s and sheds light on the story of the railroad strike in colonial Senegal. The book deals with different ways that the Senegalese and Malians respond to colonialism during that time. No Longer at Ease is set in the 1950s and tells the early story of British colonialism and how the Nigerians responded to colonization. Comparing the two novels, there are obvious similarities and differences in the British and French ways of rule. African authors are able to write these novels in a way that gives a voice to the people that are most commonly silenced during colonialism. This perspective allows readers to understand the negative ways that colonization affects the colonized. Historical fiction like God’s Bits of Wood and No Longer at Ease are good educational tools to shed light on the history and effects of colonization, but they do not provide a completely reliable source for completely factual information.
I went to the store. On a brisk Sunday afternoon, I went to the store out of desperation because we did not have any more chili powder for the tacos that I was already in the process of making. Those two sentences say that same thing except the latter paints a completely better picture. Whenever you read something, details are everything. The Mountain People, is an ethnography written by an anthropologist named Colin Turnbull. His book took place in the 1960’s and was published in 1972. His research is over the Ik people who live in the Uganda, Sudan, and Kenya area. His details of his accounts are what makes his research appealing to the everyday person. He does a great job of painting a word picture for his audience. The Ik people were going through a difficult time because of war and other government issues in their country. Traditionally hunters, the Ik are forced to farm and reside in areas that they are not used to and this causes their lifestyles to be completely changed. Turnbull shows us that the Ik people are now a me first society while they rarely ever look after each other.
Throughout Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, struggle between change and tradition is one of the most relevant issues. The Igbo villagers, Okonkwo, and his son Nwoye all experience this problem in many different ways. The villagers have their religion defied, Okonkwo reaches his breaking point and Nwoye finally finds what he believes in. People have struggled to identify and cope with change and tradition throughout history, and will continue to struggle with this issue in the
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
The Maasai People from Kenya represent a pastoral society. They rely on the taming and herding of livestock as a means for survival. Those responsible for herding livestock are the Maasai warriors and boys, especially during drought season. They had cattle, goats and sheep as their livestock. I did notice a social transformation in their society. Each individual has their job to complete daily. For example, the women formed the houses, milked the cattle, cooked for the family and supplied them with water. The men made the fence around the Kraal and secured the society and the boys were responsible for herding livestock. These multiple duties, commanded by the elderly, eventually started emerging to new and different customs such as trading with local groups. This was
Colonialism is a situation whereby a dominant imperium or center carries on a relationship of control and influence over its colonies (Key Terms in Post-Colonial Theory, n.d.). In this drama, Aidoo not only tells a disobedient child’s story, but she actually reveals a very important historical moment in Ghanaian history through the personal tragedy of Anowa and Kofi Ako. Anowa in this drama represents Africa. Her destruction represents Africa’s fall which was as a result of the actions of selfish men (represented by Kofi Ako) who only cared about amassing wealth to the detriment of their fellow Africans’ wellbeing, thereby betraying Africa as a whole.... ...