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The Taita people are an integral part of the broader Bantu ethnic group, actively contributing to Kenya's diverse cultural landscape.
They belong specifically to the Coastal Bantu subgroup and trace their ancestral roots to Taita-Taveta County, located in the southeastern part of the country.
Want to know more of the Taita people?
Keep reading!
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Family Structure
In the traditional Taita society, the family served as the fundamental social unit, akin to many other African communities.
Family units were typically extended and resided together in homesteads. The patriarch, usually the father, held the authoritative position within the family.
In his absence, the eldest son would assume responsibility for managing the family affairs.
Each wife within the family had her own separate living quarters where she resided with her children, while the husband had his own designated hut.
Consequently, a homestead would encompass multiple wives, their children, and sometimes extended family members living in close proximity.
This familial arrangement fostered a sense of communal living and mutual support within the larger family structure.
Clans
The Taita conisisted seven clans. Each with a numerical name derived from the claimed order of arrival in the Taita Hills.
Here are the seven parent clans of Taita;
Wasadu
Wanya
Wasanu
Wasasadu
Wanyanya
Waikumi (Wakuavi Masaai)
Wambisha (Dorobo, Ndegere/ Ndigiri)
Subgroup
The Taita were grouped into different smaller sub-tribes.
The Wadawida traditionally lived around Dawida, the Wakasighau who hailed from Kasighau, and the Wasagalla who resided in the Saghalla part of the Taita Hills.
Dialects
The Taita speak the Kitaita and several other dialects among the different sub-tribes.
Age Sets
After circumcision, Taita men were identified with different age sets. The council of elders (Kambi) is comprised of the highest level of age set.
Another age set comprised prophets (Wafisi) who had authority over religious and ritual matters of the community.
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Naming System
In the Taita community, childbirth was not only a joyous occasion but also a revered event.
Mothers were esteemed and celebrated for bringing new life into the world. Following the birth of a child, the naming ceremony held significant importance, as names bestowed upon newborns carried deep significance for their future.
The Taita practiced a naming tradition rooted in honoring the elderly members of the father's lineage.
This practice aimed to preserve familial legacies and ensure the continuity of family names across generations.
They believed that by naming children after respected elders, the essence of those individuals would live on through the child.
Furthermore, there was a strong belief that failing to name a child after a specific close relative could lead to negative outcomes, such as infertility or premature death before reaching adulthood.
Thus, naming rituals were not merely symbolic but held genuine spiritual significance within the Taita culture.
The naming process followed a structured pattern within the family. The firstborn child typically received a name from the father's side of the family, while the second-born child was named after a relative from the mother's side.
This alternating pattern continued with variations until the mother ceased giving birth, ensuring a balanced representation of both parental lineages within the family's naming tradition.
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Marriage/Courtship
In Taita culture, marriage was traditionally arranged through a process involving the families of the prospective bride and groom.
Initially, the families would establish a friendship, which often evolved into an agreement for marriage between their children.
This process involved several months of deliberations, during which the parents exchanged vows and gifts, solidifying the marriage plans.
Central to the marriage negotiations were dowry discussions, typically involving the payment of livestock over time.
The wealth and status of the groom's family were taken into consideration, and payment in installments was common to ensure a lasting union between the families.
When the girl reached marriageable age, a customary practice known as "kidnapping" would take place.
This involved the prospective in-laws taking the girl while she was engaged in daily tasks like fetching water or gathering firewood.
Subsequently, she would be secluded in a hut where elder women would impart important knowledge on family values, marital responsibilities, and parenting.
Similarly, the groom would undergo a period of seclusion, during which he would be taught about his roles and responsibilities as a husband. Upon completion of the seclusion period, both the bride and groom's heads would be shaved, symbolizing the beginning of their new life together in marriage.
This intricate process not only facilitated the union of two individuals but also served to strengthen the bonds between their respective families, emphasizing the importance of tradition and community in Taita marriage customs.
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Polygamy
Most of the Taita families practiced polygamy. Marrying more than one wife meant more sons and, thus, the continuation of the family name for generations.
Gender Roles in Marriage
Among the Taita, roles were gender-defined. The men would clear the land, and the women took over the cultivation. Men did harvesting.
The men were also responsible for educating the male children, while the mothers taught the girls the culture and taboos of their tribe.
Widows and Widowers
When a woman’s husband died, she was to select a man from the husband’s family.
She was also free to choose who she would marry again. A man was allowed to marry another wife in case his wife passed.
Death
In the Taita culture, the burial practices were deeply rooted in tradition and spirituality.
Their unique approach involved a distinctive ritual where only the skulls of the deceased were exhumed and stored in cave-like tombs after one year.
These sacred caves held immense significance as they served as the final resting place for ancestors.
The skulls were meticulously arranged inside the caves, facing the sun, and organized in lines based on clan or lineage affiliations.
These caves were revered as important religious sites, symbolizing the connection between the living and the deceased.
However, not everyone was granted the privilege of being buried in these caves.
The Wadawida sub-tribe, for instance, reserved this ritual for elderly men, while the Wasaghalla included women and children.
Those who were deemed criminals or offenders within the community did not undergo the cave burial ritual.
Instead, they faced a different fate, being thrown to their deaths from cliffs after being found guilty of their transgressions.
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Final Thoughts
The Taita people were guardians of rich traditions, from arranged marriages to unique burial rituals.
Their familial, cultural, and spiritual practices defined their identity. Notably, their distinct cave burial, emphasizing ancestry, sets them apart.
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