Overtly Muslim, Covertly Boni: Competing Calls of Religious Allegiance on the Kenyan Coast

311 Pages·2006·2.41 MB·English

by  Mark R.J. Faulkner

Overtly Muslim, Covertly Boni
Studies of Religion in Africa
Supplements to the Journal of
Religion in Africa
Edited by
ff
Paul Gi ord
School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Deputy Editor
Ingrid Lawrie
The Mirfield Centre, West Yorkshire
VOLUME 29
Overtly Muslim,
Covertly Boni
Competing Calls of Religious Allegiance
on the Kenyan Coast
by
Mark R.J. Faulkner
BRILL
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2006
Cover illustration: Ali Sani, a local diviner and healer, stands with his family in
front of the house they are building on the outskirts of Bargoni village.
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Faulkner, Mark R. J.
Overtly Muslim, covertly Boni : competing calls of religious allegiance on the
Kenyan coast / by Mark R. J. Faulkner.
p. cm. — (Studies of religion in Africa, ISSN 0169-9814 ; v. 29)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN–13: 978–90–04–14753–9
ISBN–10: 90–04–14753–5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Boni (African people)—Religion.
2. Kenya—Religion. 3. Somalia—Religion. 4. Islam—Kenya. 5. Islam—Somalia.
I. Title. II. Series : Studies on religion in Africa ; 29.
BL2480.B67F38 2006
297.089'935—dc22
2006043879
LC2675.N7P36 2005.82968'0747'1–
dc2
ISSN 0169–9814
ISBN 13: 978 90 04 14753 9
ISBN 10: 90 04 14753 5
© Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill Academic
Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
prior written permission from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is
granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to
The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
Fees are subject to change.
s
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLAND
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations, Maps and Tables .................................... vii
Glossary ...................................................................................... ix
Preface ........................................................................................ xi
Introduction ................................................................................ 1
Chapter One The Academic Framework .............................. 6
Chapter Two Bargoni ............................................................ 39
Chapter Three The Coming of Islam to Bargoni ................ 58
Chapter Four Religious Activity in the Bush ........................ 91
Chapter Five Islam in the Public Sphere in Bargoni .......... 134
Chapter Six Religious Activity at the Homestead Level .... 188
Chapter Seven Conclusion ...................................................... 248
Epilogue ...................................................................................... 259
Appendix One Documentation and Map Pertaining to
Land Allocation in the Bargoni Area .................................. 261
Appendix Two Trees, Shrubs and Plants Used for
Religious/Medicinal Purposes ................................................ 267
Appendix Three (a) Various Meanings
Ascribed to Bao Numerology ................................................ 278
(b) Various Meanings Attached to Bao Tetragrams .......... 279
Bibliography ................................................................................ 283
Index .......................................................................................... 289

ILLUSTRATIONS, MAPS AND TABLES
Photographs
1. Mzee Bobitu Kololo stands at the edge of the bush. p. 7
2. The D568 passes through Bargoni. The mosque is the white
building half hidden by the mango tree. p. 45
3. A typical village scene during the El Niño rains that precipitated
the horrop tree prayers. p. 92
4. The horrop tree prayers: The men assemble prior to the prayers
proper. The horrop tree is to the right of the picture. p. 94
5. Home sporting a white flag to keep malevolent spirits away from
the house and the baby. p. 108
6. Wedding scene: A bride’s trousseau is carried into the compound
of her husband. p. 170
7. Preparing bark from the baobab (Adansonia Digitata) prior to plait-
ing a divining rope. p. 192
8. Blessing the hunter: Ali Sani sits on a mat in the midst of the
women. p. 198
9. Circumcision Ceremony: With the child sitting on the knee of
his obaa, Mzee Habole performs the cut. p. 206
10. Making an offering at the tomomi shrub (Watheria Indica) prior to
extracting the root. p. 232
11 and 12. Ali Sumoi Bwana Parua ‘thief-hunting’. Open indicates
innocence, closed reveals guilt. p. 244
Maps
Map 1. Bargoni in Relation to the Lamu Archipelago and the coast
of East Africa. p. xiv
Map 2. From Map, Dated 1992, Emanating from Lamu District,
Detailing Proposed Demarcation of Land in the Area Around
Bargoni. p. 266
viii list of illustrations, maps and tables
Tables
Table 1. Comparison of Rainfall Figures (in millimetres)—Long Term
Monthly Mean for Lamu (over an 81 year period) v. Rainfall for
the period June 1997 ’till May 1998. p. 41
Table 2. Bao Tetragrams. p. 218
GLOSSARY
Included in this list are words appearing more than once in the text
or judged to be essential for the understanding of what is taking
place. The names of trees and shrubs are not listed, as they appear
separately in appendix 2.
buibui the black, all enveloping wrap worn by Muslim women
dawa medicine
dereto a (Boni) malevolent spirit
duka a shop, especially of the small, village variety
El Niño a weather phenomenon that caused a long and heavy rainy
season on the Kenyan coast
fundi an expert in a particular field
haramu polluted according to Muslim dietary laws
ithai Boni spirits of the bush
kafir a pagan, a non-Muslim
kanzu a white cassock worn by Muslim men
Kimbo a brand of cooking fat
kitenge a brightly coloured wrap worn by women
kofia a hat, in the Bargoni context an embroidered variety orig-
inating in Lamu
liwali formerly a headman appointed by the government to deal
with the affairs of the Islamic community
mabati corrugated iron sheeting used especially as a roofing material
madrasa an Islamic school where Arabic and Qur’anic instruction
is dispensed
makuti palm thatch used for roofing
mandazi a deep fried doughnut
mwalimu a teacher, both a school teacher and an Islamic teacher
Mzee term of respect used to address a male elder
panga a bush knife, a machete
sadaka an offering
safari a journey
shamba a field
shifta a Somali bandit
sufuria an aluminium cooking pot
uchawi sorcery or witchcraft