The Research Questions
There are several important research questions that this study aims to
answer. It asks: Why is Mau Mau difficult to define?; Why is the historiography so
contested?; How has the oath been understood over time and across
geographical boundaries?; and What was the Mau Mau oath?. All of these
questions are addressed to provide a clearer understanding of the Mau Mau
movement and oath.
However, there are still questions of the relationship between power, the
oath, and Mau Mau that must be addressed. This dissertation started
questioning the role and importance of the oath in the making of Mau Mau. The
oath made Mau Mau, but at the same time the Mau Mau situation made the oath.
The oath enforced and sealed the Mau Mau culture of danger, violence, secrecy,
unity, and freedom from the British. The oath was the power behind the Mau
Mau movement.
This leads to the next question of how the Mau Mau oath became a
source of African power. The answer is that traditionally oathing has always
been a source of power in Kenya as in other societies, and the Mau Mau oath
was rooted in traditional oath. This power bound oathers together in brotherhood
and sisterhood, and if broken, the curse of the oath was believed to kill violators
and their family members. The belief in the oath and the oathing statements
served as a powerful force in the making of Mau Mau because members
understood the fatal consequences of not following through with their pledges.
The Mau Mau oath represents the power individuals have when they truly believe
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