Agĩkũyũ - The Economy

The Economy:

The chief occupation of the Agĩkũyũ was farming and rearing of livestock. A family which included a man his wife or wives and their children formed an economic unit. Labour was divided from the homestead to the fields. In house building the work of cutting timber and putting up the framework was done by men, while women cut and carry the grass used for thatching the house. They also plastered the walls with clay or cow dung. Men built fences around the homestead or gardens and cattle pens. They were night watchmen to protect crops against wild animals. Women carry out the entire housework including cooking, cleaning and fetching fire wood and water.

In the field men cleared the bush and cut the big trees and broke the virgin soil with digging sticks or hoes. Women came behind them and prepared the ground for sowing of seeds. Planting was shared by both sexes. Men planted bananas, yams, sweet potato vines, sugar canes, tobacco, and also provided poles for propping up bananas and yams. Women planted maize, various kinds of beans, millet and sweet potato vines. Weeding was done collectively. Cutting drains or water furrows and pruning banana plants as well as making roads and bridges was the work of men. Harvesting was done primarily by women. Tending of cattle, sheep and goats, as well as slaughtering, distributing meat and preparing skin was entirely men’s duty. Dress-making, pottery and weaving baskets was exclusively a woman’s profession. Wood-carving, bee-keeping and hunting were men’s occupations. Women took responsibility for grinding corn and millet, for making gruel, and pounding grains in wooden mortars. They also pounded sugar-cane for making beer. The brewing of beer was done by women and men. Trading was done by both sexes. Women carried chiefly grains to the market, while men bring sheep, goats or cattle. Farming was mainly done through crop rotation.

Children begun their activities in production very early. When young they were left at home to mind small babies, or are taken to the fields and allowed to play in one corner of cultivated field. As soon as they could handle a digging stick, they were given small allotments to practice on. Parents helped in planting seeds and helped them distinguish crops from wild plants or weeds. As the child grew a larger field was allocated according to that child’s abilities. Work was done collectively and crops cultivated in the care of the mother who was the managing director of food supply in the homestead. A girl continued to cultivate the plot till marriage, where in case her new homestead was near she continued to cultivate it and take the food to her homestead. If she went far the fields were left to the mother. The boy took full control of his fields when he married.

The wife was in charge of the homes food supply. After the harvest she stored enough grain to feed the family till the next harvest. Excess crops were taken to the markets where it was traded through barter. A wife who managed the economic affairs very well was not only highly regarded in her home but also by the entire community.

Cattle were a sign of wealth, as few people could afford them. Cattle played an economic role especially their hide used for bedding, making sandals and straps for tying firewood and carrying other loads. Cattle were never killed for food save in famine. Bulls and oxen were slaughtered for feasts. Cattle played a part in marriage ceremony, where a cow was given as marriage insurance (rũracio). Sheep and goats were used as currency. The price of almost anything was determined in terms of sheep and goats. Sheep and goats were used for various religious sacrifices and purifications. They were the main supply of meat and skins used as articles of clothing. They were also given as marriage insurance (rũracio).

On top of internal trade the Agĩkũyũ also traded with neighbouring tribes, the Maasai and the Akamba. With the Maasai, trade involved, spears, swords, tobacco, gourds and red ochre. There were inter-tribal markets where goods were exchanged but sometimes a group of men would organize into a trading guild and take their goods into the heart of Maasai country. This kind of trade would be conducted in the homestead of a friend who acted as the guide and protector of his friends and their goods. As for the Kamba, there were no special items, as both tribes were agriculturalists, unlike the Maasai who are herders. Soft chains, snuff-boxes or carriers, bows and arrows, and herbal medicines were among the articles exchanged in trading or given as presents to friends.