The Kauma is a sub-tribe of the Mijikenda people. The Kauma sub-tribe is among the smallest of the nine sub-tribes of the Mijikenda people. Other Mijikenda tribes include: Giriama, Digo, Duruma, Rabai, Kambe, Chonyi, Jibana, and Ribe. There is a Sub-County known as Kauma within Kilifi County.
In Kilifi County, along the coast of Kenya, the Kauma community is using its culture to conserve and protect the Kaya Forest, a sacred site of the Mijikenda people that is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site for its adherence to cultural traditions.
The Kauma community still practices its traditional beliefs, which are key to the conservation of the forest and its wildlife. With the earth’s temperature rising, these forests are also vital to controlling carbon emissions that lead to global warming.
Culture, History, and Current Lifestyle of the Kauma
The Kauma people were organized around clans that were formed by families with a common patriarchal ancestor. They lived in fortified villages built in cleared areas of forested ridges.
There is Kaya Kauma and Kaya Chivare, a shrine for prayer where sacrifices and other religious rituals were done. These ‘kayas’ were located deep in the forests and it was considered taboo to cut the trees and vegetation around them. The kaya elders were deemed to possess supernatural powers including the ability to make it rain.
Today, the Kauma people have been assimilated into modern cultural practices, with a majority being either Christian or Muslim, and form part of the cosmopolitan population of Malindi, Mombasa, and Kilifi. However, some still practice their traditional ways and live on hinterlands in the outskirts of the city.
The culture of the Mijikenda people is rich in history and tradition. Reflecting the true nature of the African spirit, seen through their lively and vigorous dancing coupled with rhythmic, dramatic drumming.
Economically, the Kauma are farmers and livestock herders but have also embraced modern lifestyles where those who are educated have careers and businesses.
In the past, the girl child among the Kauma was not prioritized in terms of being empowered through education. But today due to free education all genders go to school to get their basic life right of education.