Kikuyu people

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kikuyu-people

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the autonym?Gĩkũyũ
2. What is the population (2019)?8,148,668
3. Who are the Kikuyu people?The Kikuyu are Kenya's largest ethnic group, with over 8.1 million members, making up about 17% of the country's population. They live mainly in the fertile highlands of Central Kenya.
4. What do the Kikuyu call themselves?They call themselves Gĩkũyũ. The name Kikuyu is a Swahili exonym, while Gĩkũyũ is their own pronunciation.

Autonym: The name a group of people uses to refer to themselves, as opposed to a name given by outsiders.
Bantu Expansion: A historical process involving the migration of Bantu-speaking peoples across Africa, spreading their languages and cultures.
Age-set system (Riika): A traditional social structure where individuals of similar age are grouped together and progress through life stages collectively.
Exonym: A name for a place or group of people used by outsiders, which differs from the name used by the people themselves.