ABSTRACT

Originally published in 1959 this volume studies the ritual office of the Mugwe which was of great social significance among the Meru of the Central Province of Kenya and analyses the social changes and decline of the Mugwe which came about in the second half of the twentieth century. Until this book was published there was no published literature on the Mugwe - one of the most basic and firmly established elements of the old structure of Meru social life.

chapter One|30 pages

The Meru

chapter Two|20 pages

Visiting the Agwe

chapter Three|26 pages

Mythological Origins of the Ugwe

chapter Four|28 pages

‘Born to be Mugwe’

(Mugwe we ni guciarwa)

chapter Five|36 pages

The Power of the Mugwe

chapter Seven|22 pages

The Failing Prophet