Research article
Open Access
Ethnobotanical Important Plant Species of Kaya
Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero
Jolly Rajat1* Joyce Jefwa1,2, Joseph Mwafaida1 and Lawrence Chiro2
1Pwani University .P.O. Box: 195-80108 KilifiCounty, Kenya.
2National Museums of Kenya.P.O.Box:40568, Nairobi, Kenya
2National Museums of Kenya.P.O.Box:40568, Nairobi, Kenya
*Corresponding author: jollyrajat , Pwani University, Kenya. E-mail:
@
Received: February 26, 2018; Accepted: March 22, 2018; Published: April 4, 2018
Citation: Rajat J, Mwafaida J, Jefwa J, Chiro L (2018) Ethnobotanical Important Plant Species of Kaya Kauma And Kaya Tsolokero. Int J Hort Agric. 3(1): 1-6. DOI: 10.15226/2572-3154/3/1/00116
Abstract Top
An ethnobotanical study was carried out in the sacred forests of
Kaya Kauma in Kilifi county and Kaya Tsolokero in Junju location in
Kenya between 2015 and 2016. Indigenous important plants used
for food, medicine, construction, recreation, and aesthetics are still
available in the wild. Most of the plant species are threatened by over
harvesting, human encroachment and loss of traditional knowledge
on how to use them. In the Kaya Kauma and Tsolokero ethnobotanical
knowledge on important plants has contributed to the livelihood
of the communities living around the area. These plant resources
have provided vital materials for survival to humanity. However
this ethnobotanical knowledge has not been well documented, and
these significant plant species used by the community around these
forests has not been reported. Knowledge on ethnobotany in these
communities is diminishing with the passage of the older generation.
This paper intends to document the important plant species used by
the communities living around Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero. Data
was collected using interviews and questionnaires from the residents
and villagers living around both the forest. Kaya elders, men, women
and youth were interviewed in this survey. A total of 477 useful plants
species were mentioned in Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero. In Kaya
Kauma 167 useful plants were mentioned compared to 312 useful
plants for Kaya Tsolokero. These useful plants were important for food,
medicinal, constructional, firewood, decoration, recreational, beekeeping
and others. It also served in fulfilling the economic, medicinal,
forage, constructional, apiary and more importantly medicinal
applications to the dwelling population.
Keywords: Kaya Kauma; KayaTsolokero; Communities; Important plant species;
Keywords: Kaya Kauma; KayaTsolokero; Communities; Important plant species;
Introduction
Kaya is asacred forest of the Mijikenda people in the
coastalregionof Kenya. The literal meaning of Kaya is a “Home”.
These forest have a fortified village at its centre which is called
“Kaya Village”. The concept of Kaya forest started way back in 16th
Century and got over by 1940. But the remains of these forests
are still there. They were built on the hill tops for defence. These
forest site still stand as homes for ancestors and are maintained
by a council of elders.[1]In kaya Kauma the community does not
live in the kaya sites but the traditional rituals of the communities
are still performed in the Kaya sites. The Kaya forest is considered
to be an intrinsic source of ritual power and the origin of cultural
identity. It is also a place of prayer for members of the Mijikenda
ethnic group. The Kaya forests of coastal Kenya are thus one
example of a phenomenon that has been described from many
other African countries and from other continents [2]. The
traditional African people have used plants as food and feed and
as medicine for generations. Synthetic chemicals and petroleum
derivatives can replace many plant-derived medicines, and other
products to replace wood, but there is no substitute for plantderived
foods. Almost all human foods are plants or organisms
that eat plants [3]. The human diets are based on fewer plant
species yet there are over 350,000 plant species with 80,000
edible for humans. Out of these, only 150 plant species are
actively cultivated and 30 of these plants produce 95% of human
calories and proteins.The coastal forests of Kenya are part of a
regional system and remnants of East African Coastal forests
extending as far down as Mozambique [4] as part of the Zanzibar-
Inhambaneregional mosaic of white [5]. Traditional important
plants are still available in the wild and most are threatened by
genetic loss and loss of traditional knowledge on how to use
them. Many traditional cultivars have disappeared and are not
known to present generation.[6] Indigenous knowledge is with
the older generation and the youth have shown little interest in
sustaining it. There is therefore danger in completely loosing this
important knowledge on important flora and their use.
The coastal forests of Kenya are rich in biodiversity of flora and fauna [7] accounting for more than 50% of Kenya’s rare trees [8]. These forests harbour wild germ plasm of food and medicine and exhibits a very high level of biodiversity endemism and rarity in a significant number of biological groups[9]. As a part of this system and remnants of once much more extensive forest on the Kenya coast, the coastal sacred forests, Kayas, display high biodiversity values in terms of diversity, endemism and rarity. The latest estimates show that Kayas constitute about 5% of the remaining coastal closed forest cover of Kenya estimated to be about 67,000 ha, with high biodiversity values of 7 out of the 20 sites with the highest conservation status[10]. The forests are inhabited as sacred places and were homes to the Mijikenda community, a dominant ethnic community in the coastal region of Kenya [11].
They are nine distinct ethnic groups that include Giriama, Digo, Chonyi, Jibana, Kauma, Ribe, Rabai, Duruma, and Kambe referred to as the Mijikenda meaning “nine tribes” that speak closely related Bantu dialects sharing about 71% of their vocabulary [12].In Kenya, the richness of biodiversity in the Kaya forests was recognized in the 1980s [13]and the sacred forests are prominent on hills and other strategic sites blend culture and nature. Traditional restrictions were placed on access and the utilization of natural forest resources resulting to the kayas preserving and sustainingbiodiversity.Kaya forest patches are small in size, ranging in area from 10 ha to 400 hectares. To date, over 50 kayas have been identified in Kwale, Msambweni, Kinango, Kaloleni, Mombasa, Kilifi and Malindi. Information documented indicates rules to protect the site which included ban on cutting of live trees, restrictionof firewood collection and grazing of livestock.There is vast documentation of usefulness of plant biodiversity in Kenya such as the “Useful trees and shrubs for Kenya [14] and Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. [15] There is documentation in medicinal plants as in the “Traditional medicines in Africa, Medicinal trees of Bukusul and and many others”[16]. To date most research on useful plants focused on documenting medicinal plants and their role to make a healthy community [17]. This is the reason why a survey was conducted to determine the status of important plants.
The coastal forests of Kenya are rich in biodiversity of flora and fauna [7] accounting for more than 50% of Kenya’s rare trees [8]. These forests harbour wild germ plasm of food and medicine and exhibits a very high level of biodiversity endemism and rarity in a significant number of biological groups[9]. As a part of this system and remnants of once much more extensive forest on the Kenya coast, the coastal sacred forests, Kayas, display high biodiversity values in terms of diversity, endemism and rarity. The latest estimates show that Kayas constitute about 5% of the remaining coastal closed forest cover of Kenya estimated to be about 67,000 ha, with high biodiversity values of 7 out of the 20 sites with the highest conservation status[10]. The forests are inhabited as sacred places and were homes to the Mijikenda community, a dominant ethnic community in the coastal region of Kenya [11].
They are nine distinct ethnic groups that include Giriama, Digo, Chonyi, Jibana, Kauma, Ribe, Rabai, Duruma, and Kambe referred to as the Mijikenda meaning “nine tribes” that speak closely related Bantu dialects sharing about 71% of their vocabulary [12].In Kenya, the richness of biodiversity in the Kaya forests was recognized in the 1980s [13]and the sacred forests are prominent on hills and other strategic sites blend culture and nature. Traditional restrictions were placed on access and the utilization of natural forest resources resulting to the kayas preserving and sustainingbiodiversity.Kaya forest patches are small in size, ranging in area from 10 ha to 400 hectares. To date, over 50 kayas have been identified in Kwale, Msambweni, Kinango, Kaloleni, Mombasa, Kilifi and Malindi. Information documented indicates rules to protect the site which included ban on cutting of live trees, restrictionof firewood collection and grazing of livestock.There is vast documentation of usefulness of plant biodiversity in Kenya such as the “Useful trees and shrubs for Kenya [14] and Traditional Food Plants of Kenya. [15] There is documentation in medicinal plants as in the “Traditional medicines in Africa, Medicinal trees of Bukusul and and many others”[16]. To date most research on useful plants focused on documenting medicinal plants and their role to make a healthy community [17]. This is the reason why a survey was conducted to determine the status of important plants.
Materials and Methods
Site description
Kaya Kauma, a primary Kaya of the Kauma community, is
located in Jaribuni area in Kilifi County. The geographical position
of this forest is 3°37.821S and 39°44.189E at an altitude of 120m
above the sea level. The size of this forest is 100 ha in area and it
exhibits a deciduous pattern of vegetation, sloping down in the
north to “Ndzovuni” river. The forest exhibits a rich soil content
of iron-ore deposit with the top layer of soil changing its colour to
black owing to the iron gravels. Iron ore mining is a major threat
to this forest with deep pits spread all round and disposing the
bare ground to gully erosion.
Kaya Tsolokerois located in Junju location of Kilifi County. It is a Kaya for the Jibana Community. The area of the forest is 35 hectares, geographical position is 3°50.802E and 39°44.645S with a vegetation exhibiting an evergreen pattern with very thick forest and a variety of floral diversity. There is still a Kaya village inside the forest with dwelling population.
Kaya Tsolokerois located in Junju location of Kilifi County. It is a Kaya for the Jibana Community. The area of the forest is 35 hectares, geographical position is 3°50.802E and 39°44.645S with a vegetation exhibiting an evergreen pattern with very thick forest and a variety of floral diversity. There is still a Kaya village inside the forest with dwelling population.
Study Approach
A survey on useful ethnobotanical important plant species
around Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero was undertaken.
A semi-structured questionnaire was used to conduct a
demographic survey on the population and the useful plants
around the villages adjacent to Kayas. Important ethnobotanical
plant species prevalent around both Kaya forests were taken
into account with the help of interviews responses from the
respondents. In Kaya Kauma 179 and 103 respondents from
Kaya Tsolokero were interviewed. The number of adjoining
villages around two Kayas in all the four geographical directions
was recorded from the area chief of Kauma and Junju location
respectively. In all four directions 18 villages surrounding Kaya
Kauma and 9 surrounding Kaya Tsolokero were surveyed. Recent
population in each village was also recorded from the Chief’s
office. Semi-structured questionnaire were circulated in these
villages to obtain the list of useful plants, parts used, habit of
growth, frequency of usage, commercialization aspects, efforts on
domestication for sustainability was accessed.
Data Collection
The prevalent local language was used as a media of
communication apart from the prevalent language “Kiswahili”
to get the best information from the respondents. Enumerators
that were fluent with the local languages were trained to
interview the respondents with the help of a local guide to
conduct this survey. The villages that were chosen for the survey
were around the forest in the radius of 5 to 8 km to capture the
most knowledge of the flora. The Kaya elders, local herbalist,
local leaders and a sample of adults and youth were randomly
selected for interviews. The questionnaire focused on the general
personal data of key informants, description of uses, habits and
distribution of the important plants to the community and the
corresponding uses and beliefs.
These data were evaluated and the results were manipulated to obtain general information on the prevalent knowledge on the plants that are important in the community. Important plants were noted according to the frequency of mentioning among the respondents that were categorized on the basis of gender, age and tribe.
These data were evaluated and the results were manipulated to obtain general information on the prevalent knowledge on the plants that are important in the community. Important plants were noted according to the frequency of mentioning among the respondents that were categorized on the basis of gender, age and tribe.
Results and Discussion
The survey showed six (6) Mijikenda sub-tribes living around
Kaya Kauma with the Kauma as the dominant group and five
(5) sub-tribes living around Kaya Tsolokero with the Jibana
community as the dominant. Fruits and vegetables were the
most commonly used plants in the communities around both the
Kaya forests. A total of 163 important plants were listed from the
population around Kaya Kauma and 213 useful plants around
Kaya Tsolokero (Table 1). A total of 37 and 54 food plants were
stated by the population of Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero
respectively. A list of 73 medicinal plants and 114 medicinal
plants used by the two population and 69 herbal plant species in
Kaya Kauma and 48 in Kaya Tsolokero came to be known. Twelve
(12) constructional plants were stated by the population around
Kaya Kauma and 58 around Kaya Tsolokero respectively, 24 useful
firewood species in Kaya Kauma and 13 in Kaya Tsolokero. Two
(2) useful plants were reported to be decorative around Kaya
Kauma and 16 around Kaya Tsolokero. Two (2) of the useful
plants were reported for bee-keeping around Kaya Kauma and 10
for Kaya Tsolokero. Eight (8) of the mentioned useful plants by
the communities carried other uses.
From the survey undertaken 239 species of plants were mentioned as important by the communities around Kaya
From the survey undertaken 239 species of plants were mentioned as important by the communities around Kaya
Table 1:Useful ethno botanical species of Kaya Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero
Table 2:Undicumented plants of Kaya kauma and Kaya Tsolokero
Kauma and Kaya Tsolokero. These plants belonged to 15families.
The cultivation status of the mentioned plants showed 125
species that are wide spread around Africa, 24 as endemic
in and around Kenya, 4 as rare species and 22 as threatened
species by the International Unit of Conservation of Nature
(IUCN). From the identified important species 136 plants were
domesticated. 52% of the mentioned plants were cultivated
around their homesteads and in their farms. Out of the plants
stated by the population. Nineteen (19) species of plants which
were mentioned as important by the communities could not be
assigned scientific names. These species were mentioned in their
local language as Kauma by the communities around Kaya Kauma
and Chonyi language by the communities around Kaya Tsolokero.
Conclusion
The important flora reported in this study was useful to
the societies around kaya Kauma and Tsolokero. There is need
therefore to categorize these important plants into their ethno
botanical application. The data shall provide new insight to
identify knowledge and, opportunity gaps for flora found in other
kaya forests.
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