mũthamaki

Kikuyu

Etymology

From gũthamaka (“to jurisdicate”).

This term dates back to the late 19th century at least, where von Höhnel (1894) referred to the term as Samaki, which was later translated into English as chief.

Hinde (1904) records muthamakki and muthamaki as equivalents of English captain and chief respectively in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mòðàmákì(ꜜ)/

As for Tonal Class, Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 3 with a trisyllabic stem, together with kĩgokora, mbarĩki, thimiti, and so on.

• (Kiambu) Yukawa (1981, 1985) classifies this term into a group including gĩcũhĩ, mũgogo (pl. mĩgogo), mũberethi, thabina, njogoo, Mũthũngũ, mũthanga, rĩithori (pl.maithori), mũcemanio, kĩgokora, kĩroruha, ndagitari, and so on.

Noun

mũthamaki class 1 (plural athamaki)

1. an individual with influence, who played the role of spokesman and primus inter pares in Kikuyu society before the colonial period, strictly controlled by his peers (Muriuki 1974:132)
2. ruler; king or queen

Derived terms

(Phrases)

• mũthamaki wa bũrũri
• mũthamaki wa cira
• mũthamaki wa rika

(Proverbs)

• mbu ya arũme ĩtĩkagio nĩ athamaki

Related terms

(Nouns)

• ũthamaki class 14

See also

• mwathani, cibũ, kabuteni, mũnene, mũtongoria

Further reading

• Muriuki, Godfrey (1974). A History of the Kikuyu, 1500-1900. Nairobi: Oxford University Press. →ISBN