Kenya Ameru Tribe :: essays papers

Kenya Ameru Tribe Kenya is a country that has nine provinces. It lies on the equator on the slopes of Mount Kenya and the Nyamben Mountain Range. It covers an area of 3,850 square miles. The climate of Kenya is one of short rains between March and May, with a long rainy season between October and December. Temperatures range from 68 degrees in the higher altitudes around Mt. Kenya, to 90 degrees in the arid Semiaro lands. The people of Kenya hold a proud tradition of farming. Ninety percent of the people are farmers. The population is large and spread out covering both the dry, arid lands as well as the fertile areas. Crops grown fit the type of area of land in which they are cultivated. Livestock and beekeeping are other methods of farming popular in eastern Africa. Wheat is grown in the upper and lower Highlands. Pyrethrum, potatoes, maize, beans and tea are other crops that grow in the area. Farmers grow substance crops to feed their family as well as to sell for cash. The livestock are kept for dairy products used in the home. Maize, fodder beets, and napiergrass are grown to feed livestock. In 1880 changes were brought to Kenya from British Columbia. In 1963, Kenya won its independence. Their independence brought about a change in the economy. Prior to the separation, Kenya was forced to give profits to Britain. Independence provided changes in the relationship between the people and their land. The introduction of cash crops changed the Meru farming systems. The Ameru people could not produce enough of the cash crops and still have enough left to support their families. For the first time, they were forced to pay taxes. To prevent the exhaustion of the land, the people developed new methods of farming. By rotating the crops, larger profits could be made. The people of the Kenya/Ameru tribe came from the area around the Niger River in West Africa. They traveled through the Congo Basin up to Kantanga, where they moved toward the eastern part of Kenya. The Ameru arrived at Mt. Kenya as a single group. Originally they settled around Mt. Kenya. When the people began to migrate into eastern Kenya, the Koomenjave or Spiritual Leader divided the Ameru into three groups. The Koomenjave was responsible for keeping law and order. He was in political control of all of the groups within the Ameru Tribe.