Hi Cliff.
During the December holiday my cousin came home to visit my grandparents. His name is Aggry Mtalaki. He schools at Pwani University, 4th year now. He later sent me this report about the Taita. I hope you will like it.
Margy
Origin, migration and settlement of the Taita community
By Aggriey Mtalaki Pwani University, Kenya The Taita people are a coastal Bantu tribe living in the Taita hills near the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The Taita consist of 3 tribes · Wadawida · Wasaghala · Wataveta The Taita hills consist of 3 main hills: Dawida, Sagalla and Kasighau. Dawida is the most fertile and densely populated area of the Taita community. The Wadawida living on the slopes of this hill practice different forms of agriculture, selling the bulk of the food they produce to the residents of coast province living in Mombasa. Origin of the Taita communityThere are three versions explaining the migration of the Taita. · The first version asserts that that the taita came from west Africa around Cameroon highlands and bauchi plateau of Nigeria; therefore this points to the Niger basin as the possible cradle land of the Taita. · The second version points that the taita came from the Katanga region in south eastern Congo. They spread east ward of the forest edge near the lower Congo or Zaire and lower Kasai. · The third version points that the taita came from a place called Misiri around Southern Sudan moved into Turkana area then into Mt Elgon then moved into Nyanza and later into central and eastern regions Taita movementThe Taitas are believed to have migrated from central Africa along side other other coastal Bantu tribes. Arriving in present day Kenya from the south through Shungwaya. The settlement at shungwaya but with the attacks from the Cushitic communities (the Oromo/galla), the taita migrated back to the Taita hills. The hills provided the taita with refuge from raids and attacks by the neighboring communities such as Maasai tribe Today the Taita have settled on the Taita hills and they mostly depend on Agriculture. Taita dialectsIn dialects Taita people have very many dialects. The Mbololo Taita have their own, Bura Taita have onother, Wisu, Kidaya, Mghange, Chawia, Mwanda, Kishamba, Weruga, Wundanyi. These are the so called Dawida Kisaghalla and the Kikasaghau are rather independent dialects. Reasons for the Taita migration· Drought and famine- climate in their cradle land had become unreliable/ unpredicted. · Population increases which resulted into overcrowding – It led to scarcity of grazing and agriculture land. · The constant attacks (external pressure). They moved due to external pressure, especially due to the migration of the Arabs into West Africa and the migration of the cushites into the East Africa. · Internal conflicts – internal misunderstandings/ conflicts · Epidemics and diseases/ natural calamities. They moved due to natural disasters e.g. earth quakes, over flooding of rivers like river Niger, sickness diseases such as Nagana. · Search for fertile land for Agriculture. · Love for adventure – The Taita wanted to find out what was happening in other areas. · Group influence they had seen their relatives and friends move. · The need for water and pasture. · To export their Iron working culture. Effects of the migration and settlement of the TaitaThe migration of the Taita had both positive and Negative impact. Positive· Introduction of Iron working into East Africa. · Introduction of new crops e.g. Yams, bananas. · They absorbed other tribe’s e.g. the gatherers. · They introduced centralized advanced station. · Introduced substance Agriculture Negative· Led to depopulation due to frequent attacks. · Loss of culture due to cultural absorption. Bantu intermarrying with the non Bantu people, whom they came across. |

























