The Mbeere People

The Mbeere people are an ethnic group residing in the Eastern Province of Kenya, specifically in the Mbeere District.

They are part of the larger Embu-Mbeere subgroup, which belongs to the Bantu-speaking communities in East Africa.

Here’s a summary of the Mbeere people.

The Mbeere Family Structure

Traditionally, the Mbeere was a patrilineal society. They lived in homesteads that included families related to each other.

There were also several types of domestic systems, including polygynous, elementary, and extended families.

The husband was the head of the family, and his wife/wives lived in separate huts with her children.

The husband visited each of his wives in separate huts and was the final decision-maker at the homestead level.

The Mbeere Clans

The Mbeere people have two root clans: Mururi and Ndamata. They lived in communities with mutual interdependence as families and social units.

The Mbeere Dialects

The Wabeere people are one of the Bantu ethnic groups of Kenya in East Africa. They speak Mbeere, a dialect of the Embu language.

The Mbeere Age Sets

The Mbeere traditionally organized themselves into dichotomous generation classes. After circumcision, male age sets and generational classes formalized the influence of elderhood, both in political and ritual matters.

Recruitment into the generational class was governed by patrilineal descent. Being an elder marked membership in one or another senior age set and defined eligibility for participation in a council.

The Mbeere Naming System

Culturally, the Mbeere basic principle is to name the newborn after another person and to reflect in the name its sex, place of birth, time of marriage negotiation, and generation set, which are two chronologically alternating sets.

Parents were also obliged to name a baby after memorable events that either happened to encounter.

A baby was named by a midwife at birth who, in most cases, was an old woman in the homestead.

The first-born boy was named after the father’s father; the second boy was named after the mother’s father, while the third-born boy was named after the paternal kin in his father’s generation. This was also done in the naming of girls.

If a baby was born before marriage negotiations were over, he or she was only named from the mother’s side.

They opted to also name newborns after things of little importance, like grass (macaki) and leaves (mati).

Moreover, some parents decided to name their babies after encountering wild animals. For example, if an animal, especially a snake or frog, enters the house of a pregnant woman, then the baby will be named after it.

The Mbeere Marriage/Courtship

Traditionally, men had to be warriors before considering marriage. Girls, on the other hand, were considered ready for marriage after initiation. Marriage was a respected institution because it marked the union of a man and a woman.

The courtship started with a man finding a lady who suited him. He then devised a plan to court her and lure her into accepting his marriage proposal.

The soon-to-be couple would see each other, but the man was allowed into the in-laws' homestead when he gave tobacco to the woman he intended to marry.

The lady then took the tobacco home to her parents and explained its origin.

The lady's parents would investigate if the man suited their daughter and the clan he identified with.

Marrying from the same clan was taboo and would bring severe consequences if not considered.

The father to the groom would then seek some elders, prepare a special brew, and visit the lady’s family to plan the next stage of the traditional wedding ceremony.

The lady would then start visiting the man’s home to his parents with house duties to test whether she was a suitable wife.

During this time, the elders would draft dowry payment that was paid in terms of bulls, goats, and honey, among other things.

The dowry was paid after some time, but they agreed on the payment intervals. The couple would stay together as the man continued to pay the dowry.

Polygamy in The Mbeere Community

The Mbeere was a polygamous community. Polygyny was valued but occurred infrequently.

The many wives lived in harmony since they were treated equally and stayed in different huts with their children.

Gender Roles in Marriage

Many activities amongst the Mbeere people were defined by sexual division. The men were in charge of livestock and collected honey. They would also hunt and cultivate the land.

However, harvesting and gathering wild foods were done by both genders. Women were responsible for the well-being of children, pottery, weaving, and other household duties.

Widows in The Mbeere Community

Culturally, the Mbeere practiced the inheritance of widows. A brother to the deceased would marry his brother’s widow to continue the family name and provide for the widow's and her children's needs.

Divorce in The Mbeere Community

Divorce was infrequent among the Mbeere. They considered marriage a special union between two people caring for each other.

Inheritance in The Mbeere Community

The Mbeere inheritance practice followed patrilineal principles. A man would allocate land and property to the wife, who passes it to her sons.

The eldest son often inherited more than his brothers, and he was the sole manager of the properties.

Daughters did not inherit land but were given household implements because they would soon be married off and manage their husband’s property and land.

Death in The Mbeere Community

Traditionally, the dead were set out in the bush for wild animals to devour. Later on, the Mbeere started burying their dead.

When a person died within the household, his house was set on fire to remove the taint of death.

They believed that the dead joined the spirits in the wilderness. More so, the spirit could afflict the living who feared ghostly actions.

The spirits were also known for their nocturnal singing.

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