The religious significance of kilumi rituals,songs and dances among the Akamba of Kitui district
Loading...
Date
2013-09-03
Authors
Ndanu Musau, Josphine
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
.This is a study of kilumi among the Akamba of
Kitui District. It was undertaken because no in-depth
study had been written on the Akamba religious dances
and songs. The study investigates, analyzes and
interprets kilumi, a type of religious dance never
systematically analyzed before. By filling this gap
in research literature, this study has provided scholars
of religious songs and dances elsewhere with some
useful insights.
This study explicates the factors contributing
to the decline of the kilumi dances. However, it
should be noted that kilumi as an established cultural
dance remains very much alive to the Akamba, although
its socio-religious occasions are on the decrease.
Special attention is paid to ~ilumi song texts because
through them, the Akamba express deep reverence for
their ancestral spirits.
The researcher participated in lsilumi dances,
observed and subsequently analysed the religious
significance of kilumi rituals, songs and dances -
the main objective of the study. The respondents
were sampled from the five divisions of Kitui District.
The researcher constructed a flexible questionnaire
which was used as a tool of procuring the necessary
vii
information from both traditional and church elders.
The interviews were tape recorded when possible and
later transcribed. These raw data which constituted
the main source were augmented by information from the
libraries to provide the basis for analysis and interpretation.
Data collected was classified into four
categories suggested by the Akamba elders themselves.
Accordingly, the kilumi rituals and dances fall into
four main groups, namely:
( 1) Worship -k-i -l.-u-mi
(2 ) Therapeutic kilumi
( 3 ) Cleansing kilumi
(4) Initiation kilumi
The songs are categorised according to the various
spirits which are believed to possess individuals in
the kilumi dances.
One of the findings of this study is that formal
education, urbanization, Western technology and
Christianity are the major influences which have
made the ~ilumi rituals and dance occasions to
decrease. However, it was discovered that the
medicine people and the strong beliefs of the Akamba
have contributed to the survival of kilumi.
viii
This thesis has been organized into five chapters.
Chapter One gives the background for the whole study,
both the cultural-religious background of the Akamba,
and the basic research design. Chapter Two reviews
the literature related to this study's topic in order
to show the existing information. Chapter Three gives
an analysis of the kilumi songs and their religious
interpretations. In chapter Four, kilumi rituals and
dances have been described and analysed. In this
chapter, also, the factors affecting these phenomena
have been explicated. The chapter shows that, despite
the impact of cultural flux, these phenomena continue
to be a reality. Chapter five summarises the whole
thesis and gives the major findings and oonclusive
remarks of the study. In it, various suggestions are
made, for example, it is suggested that a kind of
dialogue should exist between the indigenous Akamba
and Christians for the latter to become acceptable to
the former.