Abodes of ancestors

The Mijikenda Kaya Forests (Ma-Kaya in the Mijikenda language) are located on the Kenya coast. They belong to the closely related linguistic groups known collectively by the same name, Mijikenda. The main topography of the Kenya coast includes a flat plain edged by sandy and coral cliffs as well as mangrove swamps, from which a range of low sandstone hills rises to a maximum height of about 250 m parallel to the coastline. From these hills there is a drop, sometimes precipitous, to the Nyika plateau followed by a gradual descent to the semi-arid and flat Taru desert.

The forested sites are on hilltops and sometimes in valleys in this landscape, mostly in the sub-humid coastal range and on the plain itself. They are typically found in the midst of densely populated rural farmlands dominated by coconut and cashew-nut tree stands and clusters of thatched dwellings, in the homelands of the Mijikenda people.

The contrast between the surrounding farm monoculture and the luxuriant indigenous forest groves is strong and the Ma-kaya stand out conspicuously, mysterious and alluring. They appear undisturbed, but all true Kaya forests bear the clear imprint of humanity. They have visible clearings at their centre and a system of deeply incised and well-worn paths leading to and from these spaces. In some of the clearings, there are stands of coconut trees indicating past settlement. From the air, this consistent pattern of paths and clearings in the Ma-kaya is particularly striking.