Grade 4- Cultures in our Counties

Culture is people’s way of life.

• Each community has its own way of doing things.

• Communities have different types of foods, dressing, songs, dances, ceremonies and festivals.

• Culture is passed from one generation to another.

Aspects of Traditional Culture in the County

Aspect of culture	What is common in my community
1. Food	Kalenjins Drink such as mursik(sour milk) Animal’s blood mixed with fermented milk Cereals such as millet (bek/kilipsiongik) andsorghum (mosongik) Meat (pendo) Mushroom (popek) Vegetables such as isoik Maasai Drink milk and blood and soup Meat from goats, sheep and cattle Agikuyu Cereals such as lablab beans (njahi), peas (njugu) and beans (mboco) Crops like sweet potatoes (ngwaci),cassava (mwanga),yams (ikwa),and arrowroots (nduma) Fruits such as terere(aramantha) stinging nettle kahurura and manage Irio(mashed beans, maize, potatoes and green vegetables)
2. Dressing	The mode of dressing depended mainly on the occasion  Most communities used to dress from animal skins, grass and leaves Among the Maasai, adults plaited their hair and decorated their bodies Warriors had special dressing and weapons Leaders wore special clothes like hats Women wore bangles around their arms and legs and necklaces around their necks Girls wore special dressing before and after initiation
3. Housing
4. Ceremonies	A ceremony is an activity or event held to mark a certain accession The ceremony may involve songs, dances and celebrations
Festivals	They were held during important events such as birth, circumcision, funerals
5. Songs and dances	They were sang for entertainment and pass important messages Song were sang during: Marriage, Initiation, Work, War, Child naming ceremony, Funerals
6. Games and sports
7. Festivals	They are days or the periods of the celebrations They are held to celebrate when something special has happened Examples: music festivals, harvesting festivals, drama festivals
8. Traditional medicine practices	People were treated by traditional doctors and medicines Learning was done through experts This was called apprenticeship Some women were trained as midwives who assisted mothers when giving birth

 Importance of aspects of traditional culture

1. Culture promotes unity among the members of the society through sports and games, festivals and ceremonies.

2. Through culture, young people are able to learn good morals and values.

3. Culture makes us unique through language, types of food we eat and the dressing styles.

4. Tourists pay some money to see our culture. This money helps the government to develop our country.

5. Promote love and kindness

6. Promote responsible people in the society

7. Promote honesty

8. They develop good habits