Kikuyu

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Bantu-speaking ethnic group native to Kenya, known for their agriculture and rich cultural traditions
2. Pertaining to the people originating from Central Kenya, who speak the Kikuyu language and practice a variety of customs
3. Relating to the largest ethnic group in Kenya, celebrated for their historical role in the country's political landscape and social organization

Etymology: The Kikuyu are the largest ethnic group in Kenya, and their name in English is a borrowing of their own name for themselves, "Gĩkũyũ." The English form simply drops the diacritics and the distinctive vowel marks of the Gikuyu language, which belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger-Congo family. Because the word arrived in English as a proper noun for a people, it has always been capitalised, and it is used both for the community and for their language. The name's own origin is tied to the fig tree. According to the Kikuyu tradition, their ancestor Gikuyu was settled beneath a sacred "mugumo" fig tree (a species of Ficus) at a place near the Kenyan highlands, and the community took its name from that founding figure. Readers should treat this as an oral tradition rather than a documented fact, but it explains why the fig appears so often in Kikuyu cultural life.

Synonyms: Gikuyu