The Gikuyu as a tribe is a fairly recent amalgam of mostly immigrant peoples, one that has somehow grown not through force of arms, but a policy of assimilating new ideas, people and practices from almost anywhere. The names we use reflect this policy as well as the different immigration waves that brought them and Nyeri is one of the most recent examples. Some of the significant influences are: 1. Antiquity - names that are shared by many African peoples and refer to a past so far back that the meanings have been largely lost. These include: Maina, Mwangi, Kimaru, Muchiri, Wacici, Wariua - the last 3 are traceable to ancient Egypt 2. Dorobo/Athi influence (common in Kiambu/Muranga/Mukurweini) - names like Chege, Muturi, Gichuki, Kinyua, Mbugua, Mburu, Mugo (most names associated with the professions of iron making, bee keeping, hunting, magic and medicine). 3. Kamba influence - Muchoki, Mwathi, Thiaka, Mumbi, most Women clan names, even the name Gikuyu. These are the progenitors of the first Gikuyu settlers in Muranga. 4. Masai influence (common in Nyeri) - Wangombe, Mureithi, Nderitu, Ngare, Nyokabi, Ngatia, Munyi (most names related to cattle keeping and warfare) 5. Meru/Embu/Mbeere influence - Most animal totem names - Njoka, Njue, Nyaga - (names related to agriculture and homesteading) Murimi/ Karimi, Wanja, Wahome, Kimathi) 6. Wazungu/Asian influence----those are recent and fairly obvious. The Gikuyu people also deliberately celebrated their status as immigrant people through the names they gave, especially to girls. Wandia, Wamaitha, Nyaguthii, Waruguru, Waithiegeni, Waitherero, Nyaikamba, Nyakabete, Wagaaki etc are all names denoting origin outside Gikuyuland

Agikuyu are actually closer to Aembu than Ameru.

Once again admin may have to start a thread on Gikuyu naming systems.This one was originally Governor Kahiga's

Ooops, my bad. It is a slow news afternoon. Things will get more exciting when Baba gets here No more language posts.

The Bantus around Mt Kenya were certainly one people until recent millenia and that mountain and poor transcom in the old days meant that people who moved to settle elsewhere easily lost touch with their origins and soon became another community picking new dialects and accents. Even among the Gìkùyù who grew up on the slopes you can tell which county one hails from.