Worship in the Ameru culture

Abstract

Debates around African traditional religion (ATR) systems have unravelled controversial viewpoints in academia. However, there is consensus amongst scholars on the major features of ATR cosmology designed for the multicultural African context. It is against this background that this paper adopts the defined ATR lens in its exploration of worship in theAmeru culture in Kenya, with specific reference to its mutually intelligible dialects notably Mwimbi, Imenti, Muthambi, Chuka, Tigania, Igembe, Tharaka and Igoji. The areas of study were in Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties in Kenya. Data collection entailed interviews and focused group discussions with a total of 40 resource persons on the Ameru culture aged between 45 and 102 years from the aforementioned counties. Research findings reveal that the Ameru cosmology mirrors ATR belief systems which resonates with beliefs in a supreme god or gods, ancestral spirits, witchcraft, and medicine men.