The name is absent

spiritual world.¹⁵ It was interpreted as a blessing that first involved prayer,
sacrifice, and communion with the spiritual world and God.¹⁶ In an annual 1909
report, this important aspect OfAfrican cosmology was captured in the statement,
“God we bring you food, we pray for rain. We pray for food.”¹⁷ The reciprocal
relationship between prayers, sacrifices, and blessings has been a long
embedded practice for living in peace and is still relevant in managing limited
resources.¹⁸ The ceremonies and offerings to spirits resulted in the Aimu
(Ancestors), Mulungga,¹⁹ and other spirits blessing Kenyan societies with stability
and gifts (i.e. rain, food, fertility, prosperity). The ability to live in peace and in
balance with the environment over long sweeps of time is evidence of a civilized
and harmonious society. Kivuto Ndeti pointed out that this concept of African
environmental management was demonstrated long ago:

“One thing that always puzzled me was how one could account, without
traditions, for the existence of 300 million Blacks in a continent of about 12
million square miles. Obviously, these people must have traditions as old as
any area and perhaps older than most. They must have mastered their
environment; otherwise they would be extinct. The sheer weight of numbers
on the continent is an indication of the Africans’ successful adaptation to their
environment.”²⁰

This statement reminds us that purification in Kenya is not an act conducted in
isolation but a process connected to one’s social and cosmic relationships.

¹⁵ Field analysis from Wendo Wa Kavete. Kibwezi District. “Purification Ritual Performance.” December
2008. Video tape recording and notes, and “Purification and Rainmaking Ceremony.” Kangundo District.
December 2008. Video tape recording and notes.

¹⁶ Field analysis from Wendo Wa Kavete. Kibwezi District. “Purification Ritual Performance.” December
2008. Video tape recording and notes, and “Purification and Rainmaking Ceremony.” Kangundo District.
December 2008. Video tape recording and notes.

¹⁷ Report from District Commissioners Office Kutui, James B. Ainsworth, KNA Machakos Annual Report,
1909, p. 15.

¹⁸ This was a clear point observed during field analysis, “Purification and Rainmaking Ceremony.”
Kangundo District. December 2008. Video tape recording and notes.

¹⁹ The High Spirit

²⁰ Ndeti, Elements of Akamba Life, viii.

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