The Mijikenda (literally the nine, also called the Nyika or Nika) are the nine tribes along the coast of Kenya, Somalia and Tanzania. They include the Digo, Chonyi,Kambe, Duruma, Kauma,Ribe, Rabai, Jibana and Giriama. Each have unique customs and language, although the languages are similar to each other and to Swahili. Traditions are rich since British and Germancolonists had strongest influence in the upcountry of Kenya, leaving the poorer coast alone. Viewed historically or developmentally, a tribe consists of a social formation existing before the development of, or outside of, states. ... Custom: a common practice among people, especially depending on country, culture, time and religion. ... Swahili (also called Kiswahili; see Kiswahili for a discussion of the nomenclature) is an agglutinative Bantu language widely spoken in East Africa. ... This article refers to a colony in politics and history. ...
Along the southern coast of Kenya, the sacred kaya forests of the Mijikendatribes are a living legacy of the people’s history, culture and religion.
Fortunately, the kaya forests and the Mijikenda people are aided by a collaboration of government and nongovernmental agencies, which have recognized the threats to the forests and the importance of protecting them to ensure the future of their cultural and biological treasures.
The kaya forests are the domain of the nine Mijikendatribes: the Giriama, Digo, Duruma, Rabai, Kauma, Ribe, Jibana, Kambe, and Chonyi.
The Giriama, or Giriama, are one of the nine ethnic groups that make up the Mijikenda (which literally translates to "nine towns").
The Mijikenda occupy the coastal strip extending from Lamu in the north to the Kenya/Tanzania border in the south, and approximately 30 km inland.
The nine Mijikenda sub-"tribes" speak closely related dialects of the same Bantu language, which in turn is very similar to the more widely known Kiswahili.
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