Sirikwa
Encyclopedia
The Sirikwa were an ethnic group in the Western Highlands of Kenya
, being most prominent from 12th to 15th century.
The area inhabited by Sirikwa expanded to today's Sotik, Nakuru
, Cherangani Hills
, Mount Elgon
and Eldoret
. The Sirikwa were primarily cattle herders, but they also carried out small scale cultivation and gathering of fruits and other wild plants.
The Sirikwa disappeared as an ethnic group in the 17th and 18th century by amalgating to new communities in the area, such as Maasai and Kalenjins. Their language may have contributed to the Kalenjin languages
. Sirikwa are also sometimes identified with the Oropom.
Although not ethnically closely related and despite different lifestyles, the Sirikwa had a close economical and cultural relationship with the hunter-gatherer
tribe of Ogiek. They also shared linguistic similarities. The Sengwer community living in the Cherangani Hills claim descendance from the Sirikwa, though assimilated to the Pokot since colonial times until the change of government in 2002.
Sirikwa were possibly linked to the Engaruka
in Tanzania's crater highlands and related to the Iraqw (Mbulu) people who still live nearby and speak a distinct South Cushitic language.
Sirikwa territory ran from Lake Turkana in the north to Lake Eyasi in the South. Its crossection ran from the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley to foot of Mount Elgon. Some of the localities include Cherengany, Kapcherop, Sabwani, Sirende, Wehoya,Moi's Bridge, Hyrax Hill
, Lanet
, Deloraine
(Rongai
), Tambach, Moiben
,Soy, Turbo,Ainabkoi, Timboroa, Kabyoyon, Namgoi and Chemangel (Sotik).
The holes became inefficient due to increasing cattle raiding, particularly by the Galla and Borana and later the Maasai and Nandi. This forced the Sirikwa to disintegrate in various directions. Those who took the easterly route settled among the Kikuyu, Meru, Embu, Pokomo and even the Mijikenda in Shungwaya. Those who went down south founded such nationalities like the Kuria and Sonjo. Thamlich Ohinga on the south eastern shores of Lake Victoria was a settlement of Sirikwa. The group that went west via northern Mount Elgon ended up in the Kingdoms of Bunyoro, Buganda, Busoga and the majority were bantuized on the western side of Mount Elgon or eastern Buganda to form the Abaluyia and Abagusii Bantu groups. The Babukusu sub nationality of the Abaluyia is 80 per cent Sirikwa.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, being most prominent from 12th to 15th century.
The area inhabited by Sirikwa expanded to today's Sotik, Nakuru
Nakuru
Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...
, Cherangani Hills
Cherangani Hills
Cherangani Hills, gently rolling slopes in the western highlands of Kenya, are one of Kenya's five main forests. The highlands, the large central plateau, is divided by the Mau Escarpment rising from the border with Tanzania up to the Cherangani Hills, fencing the plateau that rises to the slopes...
, Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon
Mount Elgon is an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, north of Kisumu and west of Kitale.- Physical features :It is the oldest and largest solitary volcano in East Africa, covering an area of around 3500 km²....
and Eldoret
Eldoret
Eldoret is a town in western Kenya and the administrative centre of Uasin Gishu District of Rift Valley Province. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres above sea level at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas...
. The Sirikwa were primarily cattle herders, but they also carried out small scale cultivation and gathering of fruits and other wild plants.
The Sirikwa disappeared as an ethnic group in the 17th and 18th century by amalgating to new communities in the area, such as Maasai and Kalenjins. Their language may have contributed to the Kalenjin languages
Kalenjin languages
The Kalenjin languages are a group of twelve related Southern Nilotic languages spoken in Kenya, eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. The term Kalenjin comes from a Nandi expression meaning 'I say '...
. Sirikwa are also sometimes identified with the Oropom.
Although not ethnically closely related and despite different lifestyles, the Sirikwa had a close economical and cultural relationship with the hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
tribe of Ogiek. They also shared linguistic similarities. The Sengwer community living in the Cherangani Hills claim descendance from the Sirikwa, though assimilated to the Pokot since colonial times until the change of government in 2002.
Sirikwa were possibly linked to the Engaruka
Engaruka
Engaruka is an abandoned system of ruins in the Great Rift Valley of northern Tanzania , famed for its irrigation and cultivation system. It is considered one of the most important Tanzanian archaeological sites.-Site:...
in Tanzania's crater highlands and related to the Iraqw (Mbulu) people who still live nearby and speak a distinct South Cushitic language.
Sirikwa Holes
The Sirikwa culture is still seen as the Sirikwa Holes, which were round depressions having a diameter 10–20 metres and average depth of 2.4 metres which were built on hillsides. They were surrounded by stone walls or wooden fences. Sirikwa holes occur as clusters, with usually 5 to 50 holes at a site, but sometimes over one hundred. Nowadays these holes are often covered by grass and bushes. The Sirikwa kept their cattle inside these fenced enclosures, but built their houses outside them. The holes itself were built for guarding purposes. Sirikwa holes were semi-permanent, after several years they were abandoned and the communities moved to build new pens elsewhere.Sirikwa territory ran from Lake Turkana in the north to Lake Eyasi in the South. Its crossection ran from the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley to foot of Mount Elgon. Some of the localities include Cherengany, Kapcherop, Sabwani, Sirende, Wehoya,Moi's Bridge, Hyrax Hill
Hyrax Hill
Hyrax Hill is a prehistoric site near Nakuru in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. It is considered one of the country's most important neolithic excavation sites. Hyrax Hill dates from 1500 B.C. and was discovered by Louis and Mary Leakey in 1926....
, Lanet
Lanet
Lanet is a commune in the Aude department in south-wern France.-Geography:The commune is located in the Corbières.The village lies in the middle of the commune, on the right bank of the Orbieu, which flows northwestward through the commune....
, Deloraine
Deloraine
Deloraine may refer to the following:*Deloraine, Tasmania, a town in Australia.*Deloraine, Manitoba, a town in Canada.*Earl of Deloraine, a title in the peerage of England...
(Rongai
Rongai
Rongai is a town in Nakuru District, Rift Valley Province, Kenya. It lies 30 km west of Nakuru, along the A104 Road and the railway line between Nakuru and Uganda. It is about 10 kilometres north of Elburgon and 15 kilometres east of Molo . The town lies 1912 m above sea level and has a...
), Tambach, Moiben
Moiben
Moiben is a settlement in Kenya's Rift Valley Province....
,Soy, Turbo,Ainabkoi, Timboroa, Kabyoyon, Namgoi and Chemangel (Sotik).
The holes became inefficient due to increasing cattle raiding, particularly by the Galla and Borana and later the Maasai and Nandi. This forced the Sirikwa to disintegrate in various directions. Those who took the easterly route settled among the Kikuyu, Meru, Embu, Pokomo and even the Mijikenda in Shungwaya. Those who went down south founded such nationalities like the Kuria and Sonjo. Thamlich Ohinga on the south eastern shores of Lake Victoria was a settlement of Sirikwa. The group that went west via northern Mount Elgon ended up in the Kingdoms of Bunyoro, Buganda, Busoga and the majority were bantuized on the western side of Mount Elgon or eastern Buganda to form the Abaluyia and Abagusii Bantu groups. The Babukusu sub nationality of the Abaluyia is 80 per cent Sirikwa.