The Munyoyaya are a small, closely knit people group, living in Tana River district of Kenya, North of Coast province. From a total of 1,600, about 20% live in Garissa town. The Munyoyaya depend on beehives and other products of the forests for subsistence as well as for the maintenance of their social, ethical and spiritual order. Among these groups, bride price is counted in beehives, not cattle, and there are trees in the forests that "listen to their souls," mediate disputes and bring peace and prosperity. When riverine trees are cut down, the community’s economic and spiritual security is uprooted as the waters that supply it with fish and plants for weaving boats and baskets begin to recede. The pacifist Munyoyaya also use the forests to shelter when enemies attack. Non-violence is the fundamental ethic of these humble people and the tortoise is the tribal totem, for the animal best expresses the community ethic and lifestyle
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 01:35:31 +0000