Tate, H. R.

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KIKUYU 'ITHATHI' 261Sylviettaminima,Grant. CoastGreen-backedBush-creeper.~2, ~ 2. Manda. A smallspecieshavingthemantlewashedwith a decidedgreen.Cameropterapileata,Reich.(?). Pale-belliedWrenWarbler.~2, ~4. MandaandLamu. This is a smallspecieshavingthe head brownish,the mantlegreen,andthe undersurfacecreamy,with the flankswashedwith greyish. It is distinctfrominlandbirds.TURDIDlETurdustephronotus,Cab. Streaky-throatedThrush. ~ 7,~10. Mombasa,Lamu,Manda,andM'koi.Crateropussquamulatus,Shell. Scaly-featheredBabblingThrush. ~ 1, ~ 4. Mombasa,Lamu, and Manda.Argya rubiginosa Heuglini, Sharpe. Brown BabblingThrush. ~5,~ 7. Mombasa,Lamu,andManda.GeocichlaFischeri(?). Buff-breastedBabbler. ~1. Lamu.CossyphaHeuglini,Hartl., rufescens(?). Rufoufl-breastedCossypha. ~ 3, c! 2. MombasaandLamu. Thesebirdsaredistinct from birds of Nairobi district. Their call noteandsongis distinct.Cichladusaguttata,Heugl. SpottedBabbler.. ~ 3, ~ 5.Mombasa,M'koi, Lamu, andManda.Erythropygialeucoptera,Rupp. Pale-breastedBabbler.~2, ~ 1. Lamu andManda.KIKUYU 'ITHATHI'By H. R. TATEThe tw.o_Museumspecimensof the abovewereobtainedinFort Hall district,but it was impossibleto ascertaintheiroriginor originalowner,as thosewho onceknewhave eitherforgottenor refuseto disclosethe information. The largerof the' ithathi' (singular,'githathi ') is a circularpieceofVOL.VI.-No.12. T262 KIKUYU 'ITHATHI'red rock perforatedin the centre,16 inchesin circumferenceand41inchesin diameter. Thesmalleris moreofa cylindricalshape,thoughoneendtapersconsiderably;it isalsoperforated,FIG. I.-REDDISH BROWN STONE.FIGS. 2 .AND3.-BROWN VOLCANIC ROCK.and appearsto be a pieceof volcanicrock piercedlengthwiseby artificial means. Height 3 inches, breadth 3i inches,length 31 inches,circumference11! inches. My Kikuyuinformantsareof opinionthat the larger' githathi' hasbeenperforatedby a nativeblacksmith,andthereis no reasontosupposethat it wasformerlyeitherthe headofa stoneor theweightof a diggingstick.KIKUYU •ITHATHI ' 263•Ithathi' are (or were) used in the Kikuyu ceremonyknownas •ku-ringagithathi,'literally•to strikethegithathi,'Le. to sweara solemnoathon a magicstone.I first obtainedparticularsof this ceremonyin KyambuDistrict in 1909,and they appearin my articleon •KikuyuNativeLaw' in the Journal of theAfrioanSociety. I hadnotthenbeenableto obtaina specimenof a •githathi,'which Iwas informedwas kept hiddenawayin a caveor holein therocksby thefewnativesowningsuchstones,but theceremonyas describedto mewasas follows:Whena nativewishesto invokevengeanceuponanoffenderwhomayhaverefusedto pay a particulardebt,or compensa-tionfor anoffenceagainstriballaw,or whohasbeenguiltyofcheatingor fraud,he invokestheaidof the•ku-ringagithathi'ceremony,whichisin thiscaseacomminationservice,andnotanordeal. Two sticksof the •mugeri' tree are stuck into theground,andthe •githathi,'whichis broughtto theceremonycarefullywrappedupin dryleaves,ispoisedbetween.Theelderconductingthe ceremonystandsin front of the' githathi' andlays a switchof •mugeri' thereon,invokingvengeanceuponthe offenderat the sametime. The wordsusedare •Arorioni mumauyuwagithathi,'•May he be eatenby this curse(oroath)of the githathi!' The ceremonyis a publicone,all theeldersof the neighbourhoodbeingpresent,and three goats(givenby complainant)areeaten. Theceremonyis conductedin an openplaceor undera tree,andthe •githathi' is housedinsidea temporarygrassbooth. The oathhasto be repeatedeveryday for sevendays,meatand otherrefreshmentbeingconsumedby the eldersdaily. After sevendays the elderwhohasconductedthe ceremonyhashis headshaved,and, afourthgoathavingbeenkilled,hewearsa pieceof the skin onhiswristas a charm. Owingto thefact that afterconductingthis comminationservicean eldermay not have intercoursewith his wives for three months, complainantgenerallyengagesan aged man for this purpose,he himself pro-viding the goats. These two eat the fourth goat. Theceremonyis concludedby the sacrificeof one moregoat,and the elder who has conductedit finally spits on thegroundto indicatethat he spewsout the curseswhichhe has264 KIKUYU •ITHATHI 'invokedon anotherin orderthat they may not recoil on tohis ownhead.The offenderwhois the subjectof thecomminationdiesina fewmonthsunlesshe putshimselfright by payingthecom-pensationdemandedof him. My three informants,Kikuyuelders,all knewmenpersonallywhodiedafterbeingcursed.Mr. Hobley,in his' AkambaandotherEastAfricanTribes,'describesa trial by ordealwith a ' githathi' at whichhewasfortunateenoughto bepresentin person. It is evidentthere-fore that the 'githathi' was (andprobablystill is) usedbytheKikuyu asa meansof cursinga tribal defaulterandavail-ablefor useby the latter if he consentedto submithis caseto trial by ordeal.In the latter casethe accusedman at a largelyattendedpublic ceremonysworeon the' githathi' by holdingup thelatter by meansof two twigs held in his left hand andplacinganothertwig on the burnt clay tubewhich is usedasa ' githathi' in SouthKikuyulandand swearinghis innocencethereon. The procedureadopted by him was to discardfromhisrighthandatwigat theendofeachdeclaration. Thus•If I killed thepersonsof whosedeathI amaccused'(namingthem),•maythe" githathi" kill me.' 'If I wentto Embutobuy medicine,may I die,&c.'Purificationfrom contactwith the 'githathi' was after-wardseffectedby accusedrubbinga little chinaclay on hishands,and also eatinga little of the same,thosepresentrubbingtheirfeetin thecontentsofthestomachofaslaughteredgoatbeforeleavingthe place.The accused,I am glad to say, did not subsequentlydie,but enlistedas a policeman.TheHon.CharlesDandas,in a recentarticleon theKikuyuin the Journal of the AnthropologicalInstitute,statesthathome-made'ithathi' are sometimesused,but are naturallynot much respected. He mentions a famous 'githathi'ownedby a Kikuyu who inheritedit from his father,whoclaimedto havefoundit in his handonedaywhenhe awokefromsleep. It was apparentlya pieceof petrifiedwood.To-dayKikuyu eldersprofesstobescepticalastothepowerof the •githathi,' and state that its possessionwas utilisedSTONE BOWL FOUND IN SOTIK 265formerlyby unscrupulousownersas a meansof gainingprofitand notoriety. Thesemen,however,would not handlethetwo 'ithathi' presentedby me to the Museum,and theirattitude is that of a superstitiousEuropeanto whom thebreakingof a looking-glassor thesittingdownto tableasoneof a companyof thirteenconstitutesthe running of a riskwhicheveryconsiderationpromptssucha oneto avoid.Nevertheless,the Kikuyu are becomingdetribalisedsorapidlythat superstitionis dyingfast,andI doubtwhetherinanothertenyearsit will bepossibleto witnessa ceremonysuchasthatseenby Mr. Robleyin theKyambuDistrict.STONE BOWL FOUND IN SOTIKBy C. M. DOBBSWhileat SotikPost,aboutforty-fivemilesasthecrowfliesfrom Kericho, Lumbwa District, in July of 1917,a.nativebroughtme a stonebowl very similarin appeara.nceto thebowl discoveredin the samelocalityby Mr. Duirs and de-scribedin JOURNAL No.8, Vol. IV. p. 145. Just belowtheGovernmentBungalowat Sotik,andabouta quarterof a mileaway,thereis a smallstream,dryexceptin therains,calledtheKonjosio,bothbanksof which areusedas a salt-lickby thenatives. This streamrunSthrougha verydeepnullah,narrowat thebottomandwideningouttowardsthetop. Apparently,whenthe salt-lickfirst beganto beuse'd,thenativesdugtheearthawayatthebottom;andby degrees,astheroofsoftheseartificiallyformedcavesfell in, theywent on digginghigherandhigherup andfartherandfartheraway fromthestream.Mostof thesaltearthis nowexcavatedfromcavesquitecloseunderthesurfacesoilandfar fromthestreamandwellaboveit. It waswhilehe wasdiggingon the sideof oneof thesecavesabout10to 12feetbelowthe surface,that a nativedis-coveredthis bowl embeddedin the hard salt earth,andwhen

Kikuyu Ithathi

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Kikuyu Ithathi

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