AKAMBA
Akamba are a Kenyan people who speak ki-
kamba and are mostly found in the Central
Eastern part of the country (Kitui, Machakos,
Makueni, and Mwingi districts). Early pioneers in
iron smelting within the region, the Akamba had
advanced weaponry (e.g., iron-tipped arrows) that
gave them an edge over surrounding communities
and earned them a reputation as gallant warriors,
great marksmen, and tradesmen. Trading mainly
in ivory, beer, honey, iron implements, and beads,
they bartered their wares with neighboring
Maasai and Kikuyu, as well as with the Arabs
along the coast.
The sociopolitical structure of the Akamba
includes the family unit,musie~(both nuclear and
extended), which subsequently is a part of the
small and the big clan (mba~ι). A clan traces its
origins to a known hero. There are about 20 big
clans, each distinguished by its distinctive animal
totem, with members considered close kin who
predominantly practice exogamy. Initiation/
circumcision,nzaι~ko, provides another basis of
defining subsets within the population. Occurring
between the ages of 10 and 15, it sorts the popu-
lation into age sets/groups.
At the clan level, ad-hoc councils of elders,
nzama ya atumι~a—men and women selected by
virtue of their old age (senior most age group),
perceived wisdom, and respect in society—govern
both the administrative and judicial affairs of the
community. The elders comprise the highest for-
mal authoritative body and have the final say on
community matters. In this capacity, male elders
administer a special oath (kι~thitu~) with great mys-
tic and magical potency meant to elicit informa-
tion. Fear and respect for the medicine man
(mu~ndu~mu~e) and the controller of evil (mu~ndu~
mu~ou~) also served as a primary component of
social control.
According the Akamba creation myth, after
creating the ancestral or spirits clan (mbaι~ya
aimu~), the Supreme Being (Mu~lungu/Mwatu~angi)
created the first man and woman and placed them
on Mt. Nzaui in Machakos. Imprints of God’s feet
are said to still be visible there. Spirits (and the
living-dead),aimu~, mediate between the dead and
the living, as well as punish by inflicting illnesses
and physical damages. For this reason, sacrifices
are offered to them. The spirits also play a crucial
role in the continuation of the community because
they are understood to form the fetus in the
woman’s womb. At death, the human soul departs
from the body and goes to the spirit world,
becoming a living-dead.
Sacrifices to the Supreme Being and the spirits
were performed at designated shrines and usually
included chickens, goats, sheep, cattle, and, on
rare occasions, a human child. In the latter case,
only during national disasters such as famines,
epidemics, and so on was a child from the ances-
tral clan sacrificed (usually at the foot of the
sacredMu ̃ ku ̃ yu ̃tree). This was the price that the
ancestral clan had to pay for their failure to make
designated blood sacrifices to the Supreme Being.Andrew M. MbuviSee alsoMaasaiFurther Readings
Linblom, G. (1920).The Akamba in British East Africa
(2nd ed.). New York: Negro Universities Press.
Ndeti, K. (1972).Elements of Akamba Life. Nairobi:
East African Publishing House.AKAN
The Akan are one of the best-known cultural
groups in Africa. Currently 4 million strong, they
are the largest cultural grouping of Ghana, repre-
senting approximately half of the country’s popula-
tion. The AkanAbusua(family), or clans, includes
the Akuapem, Akyem (Abuakwa, Bosome,
Kotoku), Asante, Brong-Ahafo, Fante, Kwahu, and
Nzema. The Asante and Fante are the two largest
of these subgroups. Although the political, social,
religious, and customary practices of the Akan are
similar, each clan shares a common cultural heri-
tage and language, which, added to their historical
tradition of group identity and political autonomy,
contributed to the formation of individual nation-
states during the precolonial period. This entry
briefly describes their culture and then examines
their ideas of spirituality in more detail.Akan 23