Sacred Forest

The next day Keith and I went to Kaya Kinondo which is a sacred forest for the Digo people of the Kenyan coast. I have always had a fascination with trees so a place dedicated to their spirituality was definitely a place I wanted to be. Granny and Cian stayed home having had a little too much sun the day before and giving Keith and I the chance to just relax and enjoy how peaceful a place can be where people understand the inherent nature of wise old trees.
Kaya Kinondo was the home of the Mijikenda which means “Nine Homesteads”. These nine tribes lived in this forest and cared for the trees here. Juma Harry, our guide and caretaker of this kaya, described the trees like they were his oldest and dearest friends. Inside the kaya all had to wear a kaniki (sarong), no headgear of any kind was allowed, you could not make loud noise or show affection to anyone…expect the trees. He told us that the Mijikenda believed that hugging an old tree would add years to your life and so he encouraged us to hug one of his old friends square around the middle – and it was so big you couldn’t fit your arms around it. He showed us the “strangling tree” that takes the life of it’s host over several hundred years. He showed us the Tamarind tree (like the spice) that signified the old Mijikenda village because it was not native to the area but would have been brought here almost 900 years ago and signified “home”. He showed us the Lianna tree that was used medicinally for pregnant women who had stiff backs or for men that could not get stiff :P and in one area of the forest a Lianna tree had grown with a swooping branch between two other trees so strong that a grown person could swing. As we were shaded from the hot midday sun by the protective branches of this lush, ancient forest we walked the footsteps of this askari’s (soldier) ancestors and it was so incredible to be with a person so proud of where he came from and what his people had loved – that he continued to love and dedicated his life to safeguard.