The Marakwet have a unique, dynamic history and culture that is still noticeable after years of evolution and urbanization.
They are part of a larger Kalenjin ethnic group.
They are known agriculturalists found in Kerio Valley and the northeastern parts of Kenya’s western highlands.
The Marakwet inhibit the Elgeyo Escarpments, the Kerio Valley, and the Cherengany hills that, are ecologically diverse and is home to several forests that are part of Kenya’s water towers with seasonal streams that support the development of irrigation and livestock production.
Here’s an overview of the Marakwet way of life.
History of Marakwet People
According to their traditions, the Endo and Almo Marakwet trace their origins to Misri, Egypt.
They migrated for different reasons like adventure, greener pastures for their cattle, and security against enemies, diseases, calamities, and epidemics. The clans could not date the time they left Misri.
Colonial Changes
The British colony invaded the Marakwet to spread Christianity. However, their presence brought about boundary issues that affected them politically and socially.
The African Inland Church was established and brought about education and the setting up of schools.
By 1959, many Marakwet families, especially the youth, enrolled in the schools and church missions.
Later, the two communities started having issues with boundaries which affected their peace. They felt looked down upon by the British colonials and felt defeated.
Dialect
‘Markweta’ is a Kalenjin language of Kenya. Endo and Sambirir have been used for northern and southern Markweta but are not distinct dialects.
Food and Economic Activities
The Marakwet grew finger millet and sorghum as their subsistence crop.
Only after the British came in 1918, they started growing maize, but their interest was gradual. However, it slowly gained in popularity but was done minimally.
The colonial agricultural service also introduced other crops like bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, cowpeas, mangoes, and groundnuts.
The Marakwet grew these crops for their food and never for commercial use unless with fewer cases of barter trade.
The Marakwet remained a subsistence economy. Farm work was done by hand, as is still the case today.
The ‘Merkweta’ were semi-pastoralists. Those living along the Kerio Valley often experience cattle rustling.
The Pokot and part of the Marakwet community have been practicing cattle raiding for the longest time.
Clans
The community has an exogamous totemic clan system that organizes marriage arrangements to prevent incest, manage water furrows and align all other social functions such as circumcision.
They are identified in territorial formats grouped into Almo, Borokot, Marakweta, Kiptani, and Endo. These territorial units have a trivial dialectal disparity.
Governance System
The Marakwet needed a solid political structure. However, they had a council of Elders, the dominant leadership structure.
Their main role was settling community conflicts and offering reconciliations to conflicting parties.
Their final way of settling a conflict included oath-taking, symbolizing agreement and reconciliation between the conflicting parties.
A curse was used on those who refused to follow orders or disrespected the elders. In other instances, the curse was also used to maintain peace.
People would fear curses since they believed that it sometimes haunts the whole family or community.
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Tribal Feuds
The Marakwet-Pokot conflict has visited untold suffering to the people of Kerio Valley for a long time, thereby collapsing traditional socio-political institutions of peace-making like kokwo and administration of oath-taking ceremonies.
The cattle rustling activity has since history and today been a conflict between the Marakwet and Pokot communities.
However, like many African communities, the Kalenjin Sub-tribe has a traditional system of law and order.
A council of Elders was the primary form of socio-political leadership. Their main duties were to ensure peace and unity in the society.
They used specific ways to prevent people from taking offense.
These methods included;
• Oath taking
• Enactment of penalties, i.e., in a situation of cattle raiding
• On land boundary disputes, elders held a Baraza, discussed aridly resolved them
• signing of treaties between the Marakwet and the Pokot
The use of oath was every day. A goat's ear is cut and given to all parties to eat. This was to force people always to speak the truth, thus ending the conflict.
Gender Roles and Status
Marakwet is a patriarchal society, and its gender roles are well-defined. The women did house chores, and the men cultivated crops and caring for cattle in the fields.
Marriage
Kachebugus clan members of the Marakwet community are believed to have married off their daughter to the Ilat (Lightening).
A story is told where a girl went missing while going to fetch water. The following morning, it’s said that several pots of beer and honey were found under a tree near the missing girl’s compound.
Elders sat down and drank the beer, deliberating on the event. It was later concluded that the beer and honey were dowries paid for to the girl by the Ilat.
Traditional Ceremonies
The Marakwet had two major traditional ceremonies.
The Moi ceremony
A ceremony called Moi was undertaken by girls about to be circumcised. Special attires called Siramoi made by grown women, were worn during the ceremony.
In Kenya today, female circumcision is illegal, and the communities are encouraged to adopt alternative initiation rites.
Child Naming Ceremony
Traditionally, a ritual calabash was cut and prepared during children's naming ceremonies.
The calabash would be placed on top of a big awl or burning iron (kolomei), which was used by the whole clan to name their children.
Once it was balanced, names would be called out. The child would be named if the calabash stood balanced on the awl. If not, the names continued to be called out until the calabash stood balanced, responding to the child's actual name.
Religion and Beliefs
During the war, women would sing and wear a special waistband called Legetyo to appease their ancestors so that those in the war would return safely.
The women also conducted blessing and cleansing ceremonies for cattle rustlers. This ceremony is performed early in the morning before the warriors disembark on their journey.
The marakwet women would sing and wrap the particular waistband ( legetyo) and a headgear called Songol. In the songs, they would curse away all the bad luck and impending conflicts.
The Marakwet traditionally had witch doctors who treated the ailing community members using several methods, including sacrificing animals.
Preventive charms were used to protect against witches and people with 'evil eyes.'
Death and the Afterlife
Among the Marakwet, death was considered a punishment. They had rituals to appease the gods so that death was not sent upon them.
The rituals would be performed during disasters such as famine and diseases.
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