The fieldwork also involved observation of an actual purification and
rainmaking ceremony in the Kangundo district along with two field reenactments
from Wendo wa Kavete in the Kibwezi District and from A.N.M. Matingo in the
Machakos district. A major part of the fieldwork process was observation, which
was greatly enhanced by videotaping and recording field participants, especially
in re-enacted and actual rituals.
Method OfApproach: Archival Work -
This study also incorporates archives that provides detailed accounts,
names, places, and reactions to specific events mostly associated with Mau Mau.
The bulk of the archival work came from the following: Kenya National Archives
Nairobi (KNA), Kenya National Archives McMiIIan Memorial Library Collection,
Kenya National Archives Syracuse University Library Collection, National
Archives in London including the Colonial Office (CO) Files, and the School of
Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). These archives are invaluable in providing
Mau Mau oathing details, criminal court cases involving Mau Mau, reports, and
colonial correspondence that, when combined with the oral fieldwork, offer a
more complete picture of Kenya’s history.
The general approach to this study has been to use and engage a wide
variety of primary and secondary sources to go beyond the current
understanding of the Mau Mau war. My approach has not been limited strictly to
historical interrogations, but instead holds that truly understanding the war
requires a cross disciplinary approach. This historical study straddles
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