Why the Kipsigis heritage shall never die

The elderly men and women walking around the building fit naturally in with the artefacts, creating the image of an idyllic African society.

Groups of school children are ushered in quickly to learn from and marvel at the vast display of material culture, some of it hanging on the walls and others beautifully encased in glass.

Welcome to the Museum of History, Art and Science of the Kipsigis People of Kenya. Located in Kapkatet in Bureti district about 100 metres off the Kisii-Nairobi highway, the museum is the brainchild of Paul Tum, an assistant director at Moi University’s Kericho Town Campus.

Teaching aids

“I have been using traditional materials as teaching aids in the many years I have been a teacher,” he told the Sunday Nation at the museum last Friday. The 65-year-old father of six has been teaching for 40 years at different institutions.

One day Mr Tum decided to immortalise the culture of his people by salvaging the artefacts he had collected over the years to prevent their loss or destruction and display them in one place.

While he says he has been passionate about his culture for a long time, he only began to collect the artefacts in 2008. Since then he has invested about Sh1 million in the project.

“I announced to the public that I was going to buy any artefact for at least Sh500 a piece. The response was overwhelming as I have since collected 500 different traditional artefacts dating as far back as the 18th century. I have since made it a policy to devote Sh20,000 of my earnings every month to this cause,” he said, adding that he also pays Sh15,000 in monthly wages to his five employees.

The museum’s collection includes tools for tilling, harvesting and serving food as well as weapons that were used for defence.

The museum is also home to Kipsigis traditional musical instruments including the one-stringed kimeng’eng, the five-stringed chepkesem, the six-stringed chemonge and the eight-stringed ketuba.

“We also maintain a library of books written in the Kipsigis language because I believe the intrinsic knowledge found within our indigenous communities should be harmonised with the current pedagogical knowledge to facilitate and produce a truly educated person,” said Mr Tum, who teaches in the department of educational communication and technology.

Admission for Kenyan children and adults is Sh10 and Sh20 respectively, while foreign children and adults will pay Sh100 and Sh200.

“But old men and women of the age group of Chumo (80 and over) are allowed free entry to reminisce about the past in honour of their role in maintaining our culture,” he said.

But his biggest fear is that the invaluable artefacts he has painstakingly collected could be stolen, so he has asked the ministry of Culture and National Heritage to buy the museum to ensure their safety.

“One and a half years ago, the ministry placed an advert in the press calling for organisations to register their museums with a view to taking over the viable ones,” he said, adding that he has yet to receive a reply although he has completed and mailed the forms.

The museum is about halfway between Kogelo (US President Barack Obama’s ancestral home) and the world-famous Maasai Mara game reserve, making it an ideal stopover for those travelling to or from these tourist destinations.

He now hopes to expand the museum.

“If I get some money, I would like to buy three acres of land on which I will keep such animals as crocodiles, tortoises and antelopes, open a gift shop, and have a parking lot and a place for refreshments.”

Important facility

Roads minister and area MP Franklin Bett said he was proud that his constituency hosted such an important facility and supported plans for its expansion.

“I call upon the community to own this facility and improve the exhibition. A country that just pays lip service to its culture is doomed,” he said, lauding Mr Tum for his contribution to the community and country’s heritage.

Novelist Henry ole Kulet, who is also the chairman of the Rift Valley Languages Committee, says the move to preserve positive aspects of Kenya’s indigenous cultures will encourage the country’s development.

“There is no country in the world that has truly developed without paying homage to its indigenous cultures. We need to go further and brand our cultural heritage to avoid exploitation as we are now living in a global village,” he said.