Gikuyu and Mumbi: The First Parents
Ngai, the supreme god who dwells on Mount Kenya (Kirinyaga), created the first man, Gikuyu, and placed him at the center of the land beneath the mountain. Ngai showed Gikuyu a place where a magnificent fig tree (Mukuyu) grew and told him to build his homestead there, naming it Mukurwe wa Gathanga. To Gikuyu, Ngai gave a wife named Mumbi, meaning 'creator' or 'molder.' Together they had nine beautiful daughters: Wanjiru, Wambui, Njeri, Wanjiku, Nyambura, Wairimu, Waithira, Wangari, and Wangui. When it was time for the daughters to marry, Gikuyu prayed to Ngai beneath the fig tree, and the next