History, Culture and Orature: A Study of Shimoni Slave Caves

Abstract

Shimoni slave caves in Kenya are a significant historical site reminiscent of the history of slave trade on the East African coast. A people’s Orature always embodies their philosophical world view, their religious orientation while at the same time recording moments in and aspects of their history. In this regard, the study investigated whether the community around Shimoni reconstructed the traumatic experience of slave trade through their Orature. The objective of the study was to examine how the people’s philosophy of life is reflected through their oral narratives in their attempt to reconstruct their history. The data for the study was collected through face to face interviews with the informants. Participant observation was employed to enable the researcher to interact freely with the oral literature material. Purposive sampling and snowballing were used to identify the informants. The narratives collected were analyzed to establish the morals transmitted through them and their implication for the community. The functionalist theory was instrumental for the analysis of the function of the narratives. The findings reveal that the narratives of the community not only reconstruct the history of slave trade but also reflect the philosophical world view of the community. They show that the community believes in divine intervention, unity among its members and sanctity of life. Bad deeds were punished as a way of ensuring conformity.

Keywords: Shimoni, Slave caves, History, Philosophy, Culture, Oral narratives