New comment on your post #4256 “Comparing Kikuyus to the Jews sounds like a mere joke, but….”
Author : Anthony (IP: 213.147.70.6 , 213.147.70.6)
Commentary:
History
The predominant oral tradition concerning the Meru’s early history is a fantastic fable that seems to combine elements of both truth and fiction and has close parallel to Jewish mythology
Taken as a whole, the Meru have one of the most detailed and potentially confusing oral histories and mythology of any people in Kenya.
It is also one of the most deeply intriguing, at least from a western point of view, as it contains extremely strong Biblical similarities that suggest to some that they may once have been one of the lost tribes of Israel, and to others that they were once Jewish, in the same way that the Falashim of Ethiopia remain Jewish to the present day.
This history includes a good part of both Old and New Testament stories: a baby in a basket of reeds who becomes a leader and a prophet, the massacre of newly born babies by an evil king, an exodus, the parting and crossing of the waters by an entire nation, Aaron’s Rod in the form of a magic spear or staff, the leadership of a figure comparable to Moses, references to ancient Egypt (Misiri), and so on.
In brief, it recounts that the Meru were once enslaved by the “Red People”. They eventually escaped, and in their exodus came across a large body of water called Mbwaa or Mbwa, which they crossed by magical means. The details of the tradition are replete with parallels to the Old Testament, and also contain references to events described in the New Testament.
This has led many to speculate that the Meru are perhaps the descendants of one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, or that they were once Jewish, or had been in profound cultural contact with a people that certainly were (such as the Falashim of Ethiopia).
Considerable if inconclusive anthropological research has been conducted and documented with respect to this startling aspect of Meru Mythology. The book by Jeffrey Fadiman “When We Began There Were Witchmen” deals with this subject.
Other interpretations of Meru history incorporates aspects of Meru mythology and spans about three centuries. There are no written records for the first two centuries and what may be learned must come from memories of the community’s elders. The predominant tradition has to do with a place called Mbwa. This tradition tells how the Meruan ancestors were captured by the Nguuntune (the “red people”, literally the “red clothes”, generally taken to mean the Arabs) and taken into captivity on the island of Mbwa. Because conditions were intolerable, secret preparations were made to leave Mbwa. According to some oral tradition sources was located in present day Yemen. Others identify Mbwa with Manda Island near Lamu and the water as the ocean channel.
When the day came to leave Mbwa, a corridor of dry land is said to have been created for the people to pass through the Red Sea. They later followed a route that took them to the hills of Marsabit, eventually reaching the Indian Ocean coast.
There they stayed for some time; however, due to climatic conditions and threats from the Arabs, they traveled farther south until they came to the Tana River basin. Most traditions say most went as far south as Tanzania until finally reaching the Mount Kenya area. This seems to combine two separate myths of origin from different segments of Meru history, one from the north and another from the east.
The eastern origin tradition indicates westward migration from the coast. This correlates with traditions of other Bantu peoples like the Giriama and the Pokomo. The Meru people have traditionally been considered to be Bantu. The Meru are actually of mixed origin, with some claiming an origin from the north or west, as well as the coastal origins. Cushites referred to as Mwoko in Meru traditions were already living there when the Bantu groups arrived in various stages of migration. The Meru are share many similarities with the Embu, and Kikuyu as well.
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