Afirca Blog (Kenya)

Africa Blog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya#Pre-colonial_history
.

During the Pre-Colonial times at around 2000 BCE in Africa Cushitic speaking people from Northern Africa moved into Kenya. While the Nilotic and Bantu- speaking people moved into the Kenya thus forming three-quarters of there population. People in Kenya were very skilled with iron-working. Kenya's economy supported agriculture, fishing, metal production and trade with foreign countries. However around the 6th or 9th century CE Kenya switched to a maritime- based economy and began specializing in shipbuilding so that they could travel south to other port cities such as Kilwa, Masoko, Shanga, and Swahili along Africa's eastern coast. In the Swahili coast of Kenya man Kenyan’s traded ivory and slaves with the Arab world and India. Which meant that close to 90% of Kenya’s population was enslaved in the pre-colonial times.

                The colonial time in Kenya dates all the way back to the establishment of a German protectorate over the Sultan of Zanzibar’s coastal possession in 1885, which was followed by the arrival of the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1888, which led to the Kenya-Uganda railway in which the British built. Which led to the outbreak of World War 1. In August of 1914 the governors or (protectorate) and German East Africa agreed to a truce in an attempt to keep young colonies out of direct hostilities. Also during the early part of the 20^th century the interior central highlands were settled by the British and other European farmers who became wealthy farming coffee and tea. The result of the British and other 30,000 Europeans moving to Kenya resulted in whites gaining a political vote since they contributed so much to the economy.

Kenya gainded independence from Britian by using their strong army which fought Great Briten, and during that sate of emergency Kenya declared the first direct election of Africanti and the Legislative Council took place in 1977. Kenya became independent on Dec 12th, 1963, and the next year joined the commonweath.

Present Day current events that are happening in Kenya included the proposal Prince William gave to his soon to be wife with his mother Diana’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring,  on their holiday vacation in Kenya during October, and this engagement was marked a public holiday all across the UK. Another recent news story from Kenya includes the Glenn Red Squirrel Group which was made as of January 11^th 2011 to help develop a red squirrel Safari.

Some interesting facts that I learned about Kenya were that it was situated on the equator on Africa’s east coast described to be the cradle of humanity, and I learned that Kenya’s full name is the Republic of Kenya not just Kenya and that Kenya’s capital is Nairobi. http://www.bbc.com/ .

Myth Creation Story Connections

Myth Connections

"In the begging" One of the few ways that most myths start was used in at least three of the myths that we read in class and used in both of my online myths. I found this interesting because there were so many other creative options a myth could have started and interesting ways that could grab a reader’s attention, yet still they used the very plain and simple phrase " In the begging" This reminded me of fairytale and fantasy stories because most fairy tales begin with "Once upon a time...".

            Another connection I made while watching the Incan Life Creation myth online was that the creator of people wanted the humans that he made to be intelligent and remember who their creator was, just like how the creators of the other myths kept trying to make humans out of a new material like wood and rock to see which material would make them the smartest, and if the humans forgot who their creator was then they would move on and try another material. I also noticed that in almost all creation myths including the Incan that it starts off with one man in charge who then makes two people either male and female or just two male and then sets them off on earth to discover how to make people and develop the culture and land as humans or people of the same type not just one god who is a spirit.

The other online article that I choose to read and learn more about was the Inuit I found out that they have some very similar creation ideas and yet they also had very different creation ideas. For example the first woman ever made was made from clay just like how people were made in other myths. One difference that I realized was that the first man ever made came from a plant made by a human/raven bird. I found it interesting that the 1^st species of life in this myth was a mixture between a bird and a human because this “god” did not have a big overall power however it did have the ability to fly. I also found it different or interesting that the wings played such a key role in this story because the beats of the raven’s wings created the water and land. One last connection I made with this myth and other myths such as Adam and Eve was that instead of one big special tree there were many pea plants thus still showing a sign of nature and that growing plays a key role in mythology.

INCAN GODDESS CROWN

http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm.