Introduction
Culture is the people's way of life. Though there are many changes that take place in people's culture, the original way of life in a community has its traces in present day culture. The culture of people is as a result of the activities people engage in to make a living or to survive, the port and games activities and also other social activities. Mythology is the study of a collection of myths from different communities (Altieri, 2004). Myths are known to affect the culture of people in a significant way. The Swahili culture is common in East Africa and communities practicing it are found at the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania. In this essay, the mythology of the culture and the effects of the culture on agriculture have been discussed in detail.
Mythology in Swahili culture
In the Swahili culture, there are some myths that exist. Some of these myths were common in the specific region, and some were general. A general myth which most people believe that it is a truth, and not, a truth is that of the existence of God. The fact that there are atheists who do not believe in the existence of God make it remain a scientific hypothesis. The Swahili believed that God is found at the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro. Any time they prayed, they had to do it facing the mountain. Other regions believed that though God existed at the mountain, he would still be found at some sacred trees. It is under these sacred trees that they offered sacrifices. Another myth, the most common, was based in communities that are found in the surroundings of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. In this region, the main occupants are the Chagga.
They believed that there is a monster which had a leopard-like appearance, and it had the power of transforming men into animals. The monster was believed to be a leader of the ancestors and the living dead. To avoid annoying the invisible monster which only appeared to a person who had infuriated it, they had to offer sacrifices to appease their ancestors. After every harvest, the Chagga people had to take offerings to sacred places from which they believed the monster would come for them and remain calm. Despite the fact that they would see the fact that birds and wild animals are the ones consuming these sacrificial foods, they believed that it is the monster who sent the birds, and his spirit would be present in the wild animals. Other communities in the Swahili culture had the myth that the origin of man was the knee of a giant.
Agriculture among Swahili
Agriculture means the growing of crops and keeping of livestock. Among the Swahili, livestock keeping is not majored on much, but crop production is the key source of income among some of the communities. The crops found in the Swahili include the mango, banana, cloves and coconut. The livestock kept are mainly camels, oxen and other animals that help in moving the agricultural produce during the trade. The animals for milk and meat production are not common in the region. However, some people are known to rear fish in ponds. Cloves were introduced to Swahili land by the Omani Arabs who invaded the land before the colonial period. For the farmers in Swahili land, clove farming is their main income source. They farm it and trade with other communities and even export it to other countries. Without trade, the Swahili would remain with everything they produce and would not have an exchange with the other communities.
The effects of myths and culture on the agricultural produce are many (Vahakangas, 2013). First, the Swahili people had to offer a part of their produce to their God after every harvest. Also, they believed that failure to offer sacrifices would lead to punishment by the ancestors. In effect, they had to work hard enough to produce a lot so that the offering would not affect their expectations much. In their monster myth, they believed that the monster attacked those people who practiced livestock and fishing more than those who did crop cultivation. As a result of the fear, most of the people would prefer cultivating cloves, sorghum, mangoes and coconuts as opposed to rearing fish.
The Swahili also practice tourism. However, most of them believe the tourists are cursed people especially because of their explicit mode of dressing. Others believe that being tour guides to these tourists will make the monster attack them and even if they are not turned to animals, their families will be tormented by the spirits of the ancestors. The success of farmers in the Swahili is believed to be because you have won the affection of the gods and the ancestors. If a farmer is seen to fail in three consecutive seasons, other farmers stop associating with him as they don't want to lose the ‘support' of the ancestors.
In conclusion, the Swahili are people who are farmers, livestock keepers, tourist guides and also traders. Much of the agricultural practices were introduced during the invasion by the Omani Arabs. The culture of the Swahili and the myths in the Swahili language affect their agricultural practices in many ways. The major cause of the hard work by the Swahili in their agricultural fields is fear of being punished by their ancestors.
References
Altieri, M. A. (2004). Genetic engineering in agriculture: The myths, environmental risks, and alternatives. Oakland, Calif: Food First Books/Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Vahakangas, M. (April 01, 2013). Gender, narratives, and religious competition among the Sonjo of Tanzania. Missionaries: Southern African Journal of Mission Studies, 41, 1, 66-89.
