In the lush green highlands of Murang’a County right on the border with Kirinyaga County at the Makutano area, lies a cultural village that brings the past into the present. This is the Thingira Cultural Village.

Named after the traditional Kikuyu hut, thingira, is a living museum that preserves and celebrates the cultural practices, customs and way of life of the Kikuyu people.

For decades, modernisation had threatened the continuity of indigenous knowledge and cultural identity, but here efforts to document and revive Kikuyu traditions are bearing fruit through food, attire, architecture and oral storytelling.

This knowledge is continuously being passed down to curious visitors, tourists, young and old who flock to the Thingira cultural village eager to learn how the Kikuyu people lived, worked and celebrated life ceremonies in the past.

We spoke to some of the custodians who also double up ass cultural guides at the Thingira Cultural Village.

“Thingira is not just a collection of traditional huts and other artefacts. It’s a heartbeat of who we are and where we came from as Agikuyu community,” notes Simon Ware. “When young people come here, they are shocked to learn how much they didn’t know about their roots.”

Walking through the village, visitors are welcomed by the scent of indigenous food being prepared in traditional kitchens.

Foods such as mukimo (mix of maize, beans, potatoes and traditional vegetables mashed together), njahi (black beans), ngwaci (sweet potatoes) and marigu (green bananas) are cooked in clay pots just as it was done many decades ago.

“Our food told a story. We ate what we planted, and everything had meaning. Njahi for instance was for strength. No wonder to date it is fed to lactating mothers. Mukimo symbolised unity while sorghum gave us energy,” Jane Wambui explains.

Sorghum, an ancient grain, was a staple which women would dry after harvesting then grind using stone tools known as thiyo or a wooden grinder called ndiri. The flour was then used to make porridge, often served to children and the elderly.

“Even the act of grinding was sacred. We sang as we worked,” adds Wambui as she grinds some sorghum on thiyo happily chanting a traditional work song.

Notably, the Agikuyu expressed beauty and identity through attire. The Kikuyu women adorned themselves with natural beauty products like thiriga, a reddish-brown cosmetic clay applied to the face which served both as decoration and a symbol of pride and maturity.

“We would apply thiriga before ceremonies. This is how we announced our presence gracefully like a deer,” Mary Muthoni explains.

She adds that clothing was modest but meaningful and animal skins were common before the introduction of fabric.

“Adornments were made from beads, seeds and copper wire and every item had a purpose – from representing marital status to showing wealth or age group,” she notes.

The thingira itself, after which the village is named, was a central feature of Kikuyu homesteads. Thingira was a grass-thatched hut supported by wooden poles.

“Traditionally, each wife in a polygamous marriage had her own hut, arranged in a specific order within the homestead. The number of huts reflected the size of the family,” Mwangi Njau says.

Men had their own separate thingira, where boys of circumcision age would gather, learn wisdom from elders and prepare for manhood.

“Architecture wasn’t random. It mirrored our values of order, respect, and role-based living,” he explains.

Weapons like handcrafted shields, spears, and arrows often displayed within the village served not only as tools of war but also as symbols of protection and masculinity.

Beyond the physical symbols of culture, there also lies the intangible heart of Kikuyu heritage: storytelling. Around the fire, elders shared tales of origin, moral lessons, riddles (ndumo) and proverbs (thimo), wise counsel (kirira) which guided behaviour and passed down wisdom to generations.

“Without books, our history was in our mouths and that’s why elders were respected as they carried the memory of the people which would otherwise be extinct,” Njau notes.

Today, Thingira Cultural Village not only attracts locals but also international tourists and students eager to understand the Kikuyu culture. Wambui wants parents to ensure their children learn and understand their culture so as to preserve the traditions for future generations.

“Let our children know that before the skyscrapers, there were huts, before Wi-Fi, there were fireside stories and smoke signals to send messages. And before fast food, there was mukimo and njahi,” she advices.

Among the visitors we find at the Thingira Cultural Village is a group of cultural enthusiasts and student tourists from Australia.

“We are fascinated by how deeply rooted the Kikuyu culture is. We travelled as a group to experience this rich culture first hand and when we go back home, we will have a story to tell,” says Australian James McAllister.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Florence Kinyua