If you claim your roots from Central Kenya or you come from elsewhere but had the opportunity of growing in a Gikuyu rural homestead, you will agree that there exists an array of unwritten rules pertaining to some things that kids in almost every household are not to be found by parents or grown-up family members 'messing' around with.
The consequences of being caught with any of these things were so dire that the 'culprit' would begin crying while endlessly begging for forgiveness even before the senior family member could grasp what all the drama was all about.
Below we focus on 3 most common things that even today remain out of bounds for Kikuyu rural kids.
1. Father's drinking mug/glass/cup
Regardless of what your dad was fond of using while taking his preferred beverage, you will agree that this particular kitchen utensil earmarked for the head of the family is not something you would have wished to be found messing around with.
Even if it was the only clean drinking utensil in the whole house, you wouldn't even feel safe using it to gulp some cold water with it before quickly returning it to where you picked it from.
2. Utensils preserved for visitors
In every typical Gikuyu homestead, you will always find some utensils that range from cups, plates, spoons to what have you that are strictly reserved for only God knows which visitors.
As such, kids would be left to use some decades-old utensils to the last bit while the brand new visitors' utensils gathered dust inside the kitchen cupboard.
3. Milking utensils (Indo cia gukamira)
Milk being a perishable product, it goes without saying that it requires delicate handling right from the source to where it is preserved. One of the key requirements to give this treasured product an extended life is cleanliness.
kids with their hands always soaked in all manner of dirt were and are still strictly required to keep off these things or risk being made to mow or even bleat like the animals that provide this essential product to the family.
#hivisasaoriginal #upekuzi