This thesis explores the social, political, and symbolic roles of the Mijikenda kayas in the Coast Province of Kenya. The kayas, which exist today as sacred grove forests, are the original homesteads of the Mijikenda and the organizational units from which the symbolic authority and esoteric knowledge of the Mijikenda elders are derived. As a result, I conceptualize kayas as the physical space of the forests, but also complex networks of political, metaphysical, and symbolic power. While the kaya forests and their associated institutions have often been framed as cultural relics, I use this lens to illustrate how the position of the kayas in Mijikenda life has influenced broader social and political developments.
Three main themes are developed: the first theme addresses how the kayas were used in different capacities to create space from the encroachment of colonial rule. Second, this thesis examines how Mijikenda elders used the symbolic role of the kayas and kaya institutions to reaffirm their special knowledge and privileged place within their own communities and within political movements. Finally, the third theme of this thesis explores the shifting image of the kayas in relation to colonialism, politics, and conservation.
These themes work to examine the variability in the strength and significance of narratives on the kayas in colonial discourses, Mijikenda communities, and in contemporary conservation. This exhibits tensions as well as continuities in the invocation of Mijikenda traditions up to the present day. The kayas, far from being solely historical relics, continue to influence social and political discourses of coastal Kenya.