analysis. This dissertation argues that contrary to the colonial and early
anthropological notions of colonial barbarism and savagery, the Mau Mau oath
was a sophisticated, elaborate, and structured phenomenon that was ordered
around symbols, gestures, rituals, meanings, and words.
This study is an intervention and an opportunity to understand the
meaning and structure of oathing during the Mau Mau period. It aims to
complement the existing literature such as David Anderson’s Histories of the
Hanged and Elkins’ Imperial Reckoning that question Mau Mau savagery and the
British efforts, motives, and interests in Kenya during the war. This dissertation is
focused on the oathing experiences of Mau Mau participants as a means to
better understand this often distorted past. An important aspect in understanding
the Mau Mau oath requires an engagement and exploration of pre-colonial
histories of African societies to examine core oathing principles, themes,
structures, and meaning during the pre-European, pre-Western, and pre-
Christian periods. The assumption is that an understanding of oathing in the past
will lead to insight on modern oathing.
In terms of foundational pieces on pre-colonial Kenyan society, this study
engages the primary documents and manuscripts of Charles W. Hobley, Charles
Dundas, and Gerhard Lindblom.24 All three men were important early writers on
Kenya. Hobley wrote Ethnology of Akamba and Other East African Tribes in
24 Charles W. Hobley, Ethnology of Akαmbα and Other East African Tribes (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1910); Charles Dundas, History of Kitui Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of
Great Britain and Ireland. 43 (July-December, 1913): 480-549; and Gerhard Lindblom, The Akamba in
British EastAfrica An Ethnological Monograph Uppsala: Appelbergs Boktryckeri Aktiebolag, 1920, for
example, and have been instrumental in providing the foundation for understanding early Kenyan
civilization.
12
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